Gemotions

The notification popped up: "Mr. Henderson started following you." Sarah stared at the screen, her lip curling involuntarily. He was a history teacher, middle-aged, with a penchant for tweed jackets and droning lectures on the War of 1812. *Of course* he’d follow her. She could practically hear his voice now, full of that saccharine, falsely interested tone he used when asking about her weekend.

A tight knot formed in her stomach. Did he think this was a friendship? A bonding experience? He probably expected her to start sharing inspirational quotes and book recommendations, just like all the other kids. The thought made her want to throw her phone across the room. She considered blocking him, but that felt too… obvious. Too much like giving him the satisfaction of knowing he'd been noticed.

She scrolled through his profile, briefly, just to get a lay of the land. Pictures of his cat, vacation photos of boring tourist traps, and a baffling number of posts about his local gardening club. She snorted. Gardening club. The man was a caricature.