Gemotions

He stared at the birthday cake, now sitting forlornly on the counter. The candles were unlit, the icing starting to crack. The party. Canceled. He had spent the morning baking this cake, anticipating the happy faces, the singing, the laughter. Now, the kitchen felt cavernous, silent.

His sister, Lisa, had been talking about this for months. She had made sure all the important people were invited. He wished he had been invited to *her* surprise party. He thought of all the attention she would be getting, all the gifts.

He sighed, pushing the cake away. He went to the cupboard and pulled out a box of cereal. He looked at the cake. It would be a waste of all that time. He pushed the cereal back, not hungry.