Gemotions

The embossed invitation felt sharp against Sarah's fingertips. Her thumb traced the gold lettering, a slow, deliberate act. "Twenty years," she muttered to the empty kitchen, the words tasting like ash. A wave of heat flushed her cheeks. She tossed the invitation onto the counter, then quickly snatched it back, smoothing the paper.

She went to the mirror, finding the lines around her eyes more pronounced than she remembered. Twenty years. The faces on the reunion website were all smiling, flawless. They had their careers, their families, their Instagram-perfect lives. She had… well, she had a slightly leaky roof and a cat with a perpetually grumpy expression.

A sharp pang resonated in her chest. She scrolled through the profiles again, lingering on Emily Carter’s photos. Emily, prom queen, now a successful lawyer with a mansion. Sarah slammed her phone shut, the sound echoing in the sudden silence of the house.