Gemotions

The jackhammer's vibrations pulsed through Maya’s bones. She gripped the cold coffee mug in her hands so hard her knuckles turned white. It was a physical thing, this annoyance, this rising tide of something. They thought they could just steamroll over everyone.

She stalked into her bedroom, her jaw clenched. She grabbed her oldest pair of earplugs. They were meant for concerts, the kind that filtered out noise but didn’t completely eliminate it. They weren't good enough, though.

She knew she should go out and ask them to stop, maybe tell them about the noise ordinance. She knew she should. But, she had other plans. She wanted to make sure they knew that she would not be inconvenienced. She would crank up her own music, play it loud and make sure her house was a mess.