Gemotions

"Come on, just one coffee," Maya’s phone buzzed. Mark, the online friend, was practically begging. She felt a heat rise up her neck. She was exhausted from the pressure to be a good daughter, a good student, a good friend. The world felt like a cage.

She glanced at the perfectly organized desk in her room, the textbooks stacked neatly, the calendar meticulously planned. She grabbed her phone and texted Mark. "Meet me in ten minutes. The diner on Elm street." Then she chucked her books across the room.

The diner was a dive, greasy spoons and loud conversations. She ordered a black coffee, defiance simmering in her veins. She would decide what to do.