Gemotions

He stared at the cream-colored card, the gold lettering catching the late afternoon sun. Mark hadn't been popular in high school; he'd been the quiet kid in the corner. He knew he didn't have to go, but a feeling tugged at him, a pull he couldn’t name. He remembered the lonely faces, the kids who didn't quite fit.

He spent the next week baking. He baked cookies for a woman who had been a loner, and the next day, a cake for a man who had struggled. This was easier to deal with than talking to people directly.

At the reunion, he found himself drawn to the periphery, watching. He saw Sarah, who had always seemed so poised and put-together, looking lost and alone by the bar. He walked over to her. “Remember that time we had to dissect a frog?” he asked, a small smile playing on his lips. “I nearly fainted.” Sarah smiled back, and he saw, for the first time, a shared experience.