Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows, mimicking the frantic drumming in Amelia's chest. She hugged her knees to her chest on the sofa, the threadbare blanket doing little to ward off the chill. A link, sent by a horrified friend, had been the catalyst. Her teenage diary, filled with angsty poetry and crushes, was now public. Public! She felt a tidal wave of mortification wash over her.

She reached for the half-eaten tub of ice cream on the coffee table. The spoon scraped against the plastic, a harsh sound in the otherwise quiet room. Every dip was a desperate attempt to fill the hollow ache that had settled in her stomach.

Her phone buzzed with another notification. Another comment, another share, another digital stranger reading her most intimate thoughts. Amelia wanted to disappear.