Gemotions

My stomach twisted as I saw his name – "Kevin "Kev" Miller." He'd been the bane of my existence back in elementary. The kid who'd call me names and steal my lunch money. Now, his face, slightly softened by age, stared back at me. I could block him. Delete the request. Let it go. The logical part of me screamed for it.

But something else, a prickly heat in my chest, told me to do the opposite. I clicked on his profile. Photos of him and his family. A dog. His "favorite band" – the same one I secretly still liked. The urge to sneer, to scoff, was powerful. But I managed to restrain it.

He had a post from a few days ago: "Looking to reconnect with some old friends! Feel free to reach out!" I rolled my eyes. Reconnect. As if. Then, I wrote a quick comment, "Nice to see you're still kicking." And hit send.