Gemotions

"Ugh, this is so weird," Maya muttered, staring at the screen. Her history teacher, Mrs. Chen, had just started following her. A cold sweat beaded across her forehead. The timeline of her last few weeks flashed before her eyes: a drunken party, some edgy political opinions shared, a few questionable selfies.

She grabbed a blanket and pulled it tightly around herself, even though it wasn't cold. Her mind raced. The lecture on the Battle of Hastings felt like it was happening a million miles away. She pictured Mrs. Chen sitting at home, scrolling through her feed, judging, criticizing.

During the break, she avoided Mrs. Chen in the hallway, quickly ducking into the library. She found herself scanning the rows of books, a dizzying feeling creeping up inside her, a feeling of being trapped.