Gemotions

The brightly coloured flyer, promising an evening of laughter and reminiscing, felt like a cruel joke to Emily. She tossed it onto the kitchen table, the plastic-coated paper sliding across the surface. She didn't want to see anyone.

The aroma of burnt coffee hung in the air, a familiar scent of neglect. The apartment was as bleak as her mood. The TV blared a morning show, the cheerful banter of the hosts grating on her nerves. She turned it off, craving the silence.

She looked at her reflection in the darkened window, the woman staring back looked haggard. She hadn't felt comfortable in her own skin for years. The thought of facing her classmates filled her with a sense of dread.