Gemotions

The email notification pinged, an unwelcome intrusion into her already fraught day. It was from David, the student who had gotten her fired from her first teaching job because she gave him a failing grade. He had sent her a gift card to Starbucks.

Her chest constricted, her breathing shallow. She stared at the screen, the cursor blinking tauntingly. He had the audacity! She clicked "delete," the action a small, insignificant act of defiance. The coffee shop chain was now burned into her memory as a representation of her failure.