Gemotions

The sunlight was harsh as Emily returned to the dorm. A strange, almost suffocating feeling settled in her chest. Her journal lay on the floor, open. The book’s vulnerability felt like her own. It was a private space, violated. A tightness in her chest told her she was short on air.

Her roommate, Chloe, was at the computer, oblivious. Emily’s gaze hardened. She wanted to scream, to accuse, to claim the words back. The idea that someone else had access, had seen her thoughts, made her skin crawl. She wanted to keep it all to herself, hidden and secret.

She picked up the journal, scanning the page. A wave of anger consumed her, leaving her trembling. She wanted to grab the journal and run, to hide it where no one could ever find it. This sense of wanting it all, this need to own the secret, was intense.

She closed the journal carefully, then hid it under her mattress, a place only she could access. The feeling of protecting her things, of owning them, was a relief.