Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows, mirroring the tempest inside Amelia. She stared at the old photograph, its edges softened with age. Sarah, grinning, was mid-leap, a bottle of cheap champagne arcing through the air. Amelia could barely breathe. The memory, supposedly shared, was a chasm of differences. Sarah swore the celebration was for a college acceptance; Amelia insisted it was a farewell party, a last hurrah before her move across the country. Every time they'd recounted the story, it was a battle. Now, with Sarah gone, the disagreement felt like a fresh wound, a final argument unresolved. She traced Sarah's laughing face, the ache a physical pressure in her chest, a weight that threatened to pull her under.