Gemotions

The coffee tasted like ash in Maya's mouth. She sat at the kitchen table, the half-eaten cereal a monument to her lack of appetite. Her apartment felt smaller than usual. A new friend request. It was from Jason, the boy who'd always managed to make her feel like an outsider. The boy who stole her lunch money every day.

She sighed, a slow, heavy sound. Years had passed, but the sting of those memories remained. He'd probably flourished, become successful, while she… she felt a profound emptiness. She leaned back in her chair, the wood cool against her skin. The sunlight coming through the window felt weak.

She took a long, shallow breath and shut off the computer. She really didn't feel like dealing with it today.