Gemotions

The glossy invitation landed with a thud on the already cluttered kitchen island. Sarah swatted at it with a dismissive hand, nearly knocking over a half-eaten bowl of cereal. Honestly, thirty years. Thirty years since she’d last willingly subjected herself to the collective judgment of those people. A hot prickle of annoyance crawled up her neck.

She snatched the invitation, her knuckles whitening as she crumpled it between her fingers. Her jaw tightened as she reread the bold, optimistic font. “A Night to Remember!” The audacity. She flung it into the recycling bin with a force that sent the aluminum cans clattering.

Later that evening, after a particularly grueling day at work, she found herself staring into the abyss of her closet, pulling out her least offensive outfit. Finding nothing suitable, she kicked the clothes pile with a defeated groan.