Gemotions

The cramped confines of the bus made Liam feel claustrophobic. He pressed his forehead against the cold windowpane, watching the blurred cityscape whizz by. The rhythmic rumble of the engine did nothing to soothe the tension knotting in his shoulders. A notification. From Jessica Thompson.

Jessica. The memory of her sneering face, the cutting remarks, the way she made him feel like an unwelcome intruder, flooded back. He clenched his fists, the knuckles turning white. He remembered the feeling of being trapped, of being judged and ridiculed, every single day. He wanted to scream.

He imagined her now, perfectly poised, effortlessly gliding through life. And he, still stuck in the same place. He knew he should ignore the request, block her. But a perverse curiosity, a desperate need to understand what she wanted, held him captive. With a sigh of resignation, he opened the request.