Gemotions

"You've got a friend request," my wife said, her voice cheerfully oblivious to the tiny eruption inside me. "From... is that...?"

I looked at the phone. It was. From Anthony. My breath caught in my throat. I remembered the playground, the whispered insults. The fear. I wanted to smash the screen.

I knew I wouldn't. I sighed, then opened the request. The profile was a blur of self-aggrandizement. Family, career, achievements. All carefully crafted. All a lie, probably.

I stared at the request, the little profile picture, and felt… nothing. Just a deep, abiding weariness. I deleted the request and went back to my email. I’d deal with the feeling later. Much later.