Gemotions

The headline screamed at her: "A New Voice Emerges." Sarah, clutching the newspaper, felt her stomach clench. The byline read "Kenneth Bellweather," but she knew the truth. She had submitted the essay to the newspaper months earlier, and received a curt rejection. The sense of being violated made her chest tighten.

She couldn't stay in the house. The walls felt like they were closing in. She grabbed her keys, her movements jerky and uncoordinated. She had to *move*.

She drove aimlessly, the familiar streets suddenly foreign and menacing. She turned up the radio, hoping the music would drown out the thoughts swirling in her head, but it only amplified the feeling of unrest. Each passing car seemed to judge her.