Gemotions

The request popped up during her daily chore of scrubbing the floor, a task her mother had always insisted on. It was from Jessica, who'd ruled the high school social scene with an iron fist. Emily’s hands, raw from the cleaning, trembled slightly.

Her tiny apartment, meticulously organized, was her refuge. She’d spent her adult life trying to be invisible, to not draw attention. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess as she moved through her day.

Accepting the request felt like a betrayal of the carefully constructed facade she'd built. But also, she felt that she had to. She always felt she *had* to. Emily felt the weight of unspoken obligations, a heavy burden she'd carried since childhood.