Gemotions

The embossed invitation felt heavy in Elias’s hands. He traced the elegant script, his thumb ghosting over the words “Ten-Year Reunion.” He hadn't seen most of these people since graduation, and a knot tightened in his stomach.

He tossed the invitation onto his cluttered desk, the same desk where he’d crafted elaborate excuses for missing prom, for skipping class, for everything. Now, the weight of those past transgressions pressed down on him with the force of a physical object. He picked up his phone, scrolling through the contacts, hesitating over names he knew he'd wronged.

A wave of nausea washed over him. He knew he should reply, to RSVP, to explain, to offer some semblance of amends. But the words just wouldn't form.