Gemotions

He stared at the envelope, the elegant script of the invitation mocking him from across the worn wooden desk. His hands were trembling; he could feel the pulse hammering in his temples. It was a joke, a cruel, elaborate joke. After all this time, after all the striving, they wanted him to... what? Pretend?

He crumpled the paper in his hands, then immediately regretted it. He smoothed the edges, his movements jerky, the paper resisting his touch. He’d spend years building this life. A life far from the gossip, the petty cruelty, the constant judgment of his high school days.

He threw the invitation across the room. It landed near the discarded blueprints for the new housing development. He kicked it, his foot connecting with a satisfying thud. The paper became a small, insignificant paper ball. He looked down and laughed, a short, bitter sound.