Gemotions

The glitter glue, usually a source of joy for Chloe, felt like a sticky curse on her hands. She was attempting to craft elaborate invitations, desperately trying to compete with Sarah's professionally designed ones. Her budget, however, was about a tenth of Sarah’s.

She’d spent the morning calling every single friend, pleading, cajoling. Most just gave polite excuses. A few, she knew, were secretly going to Sarah's. Tears pricked her eyes. The carefully chosen color scheme suddenly looked childish.

She dabbed at her eyes with a glue-covered finger, smearing the glitter further. She needed this party to be good. She needed to feel… valued. She needed people to see her, to choose her. The invitations, covered in glue and glitter, felt less like an invitation and more like a ransom note.