Gemotions

The flickering fluorescent lights of the office seemed to amplify the hum in Eleanor's head. Another spreadsheet, another deadline, another day feeling like a cog in a machine. She swiveled in her chair, the squeak grating on her nerves. A notification pinged on her laptop. A friend request. From Brad. Brad Miller, the bane of her elementary school existence. Her stomach clenched. She closed the spreadsheet, the numbers blurring before her eyes.

She stared at the request, his face a ghost of a memory. He looked... older, but the same cocky smirk seemed to linger around his lips. She hadn't thought about him in years, but now a knot of unease twisted inside her. Did he remember? Did he *care*?

Her fingers hovered over the "accept" button. She felt a profound weariness, the kind that settled deep in your bones, making the simplest tasks feel monumental. Finally, she slammed her laptop shut and went home. The thought of confronting the ghost of her childhood felt like a bridge too far.