Gemotions

The sunlight felt harsh against Amelia's skin as she stalked down the library steps. She'd spent a year confiding in "StarGazer88," sharing her hopes and fears about her writing, her frustrations with her overbearing family, her secret longing for a life that felt like her own. StarGazer88's gentle, supportive words were her lifeline. And now? They lived in the same city.

She spotted them across the street. A small girl, with tangled hair, laughing with her mother. The small girl was wearing a StarGazer88 t-shirt. Amelia's breath hitched. She should be happy! She should be elated!

Her hands clenched into fists. She turned away, the sudden urge to run, a physical manifestation of the turmoil inside. The world seemed suddenly smaller, more cramped, its vastness reduced to a single, disappointing truth. Her solace, her trusted confidant, was now someone she might see at the park, or in the grocery store. Someone who, she now realized, had been observing her all along.