Gemotions

The box sat on Ms. Hernandez's desk, its bright wrapping paper a glaring contrast to the beige walls of her classroom. It was from Sarah Chen, a former student who’d always seemed so... ordinary. The gift was a high-end massage certificate. Ms. Hernandez never got anything like that.

She held the glossy card, tracing the embossed lettering. She wondered how Sarah could afford such extravagance. She spent all of her time working, just to get by. She looked at her reflection in the window, noting the lines etched around her eyes.

She slumped into her chair, the weight of years and the exhaustion of her job pressing down on her. The silence of the room was interrupted only by the ticking of the clock. Each tick felt like a mocking reminder of the passing time.