Gemotions

The elevator doors opened onto the seventh floor, and David, with a barely concealed grimace, watched Emily, his coworker, step out, a smile plastered onto her face. He knew. He'd overheard the hushed conversation the other day. Emily's new salary: bigger than his.

He gritted his teeth, the muscles in his jaw taut. He had a mortgage, car payments, and tuition bills. He'd been careful, frugal, a responsible adult. Yet, here was Emily, seemingly floating through life, earning more.

He pushed his way through the bustling office, his vision narrowed. He needed a plan. He had to show them, all of them, what he was worth. He began to plan his next steps.