Gemotions

Mark stared at the request, the blood draining from his face. His mouth went dry. "Jessica Thompson," the notification read. He remembered the precise spot in the school hallway where she’d tripped him, the sting of the gravel on his scraped knees. He remembered the laughter.

He sat there frozen, the phone a cold weight in his palm. His palms began to sweat, and a knot formed in his stomach. He felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to throw the phone across the room, smash it against the wall.

He forced himself to take a deep breath, telling himself it was just a notification. Just a friend request. But the memories, the old pain, surged back with the force of a tidal wave. He finally tapped the "Ignore" button, his hand trembling slightly.