Gemotions

She slammed the drawer shut, the sound echoing in the otherwise silent house. It was a visceral act, a physical manifestation of the turmoil churning inside her. Sarah, who was usually so careful, so compliant, found herself unable to breathe properly. Finding the collection of her school work felt like a betrayal.

She knew she wasn’t supposed to be looking. Her mom had kept this locked up for years. But the sheer volume of paper, the evidence of her past, now laid bare, made her feel exposed and exposed. She found her seventh-grade science project, still glued to the poster board: "The Solar System."

Sarah threw it in the trash. The feeling was a strange mixture of shame and exhilaration.