Gemotions

The news notification blinked on her phone: "Your building is going condo." Amelia tossed the phone on the couch, the screen landing face down. She felt a knot tighten in her stomach. It felt like a betrayal.

She walked to the communal laundry room, where the air was thick with the scent of fabric softener and regret. She left the laundry machine running for an hour after it was done. She thought of a thousand tiny, insignificant ways to make things hard for the new owners.

Then she took a deep breath. She wouldn’t play nice. She would not be intimidated. She would fight, even if it meant fighting a small, silent battle every day.