Gemotions

"Oh, God, no," Maya whispered, her voice barely audible. She'd meant to text her boyfriend, Ethan, about the surprise party she was planning for his birthday. Instead, the message, filled with exclamation points and conspiratorial emojis, had landed in the hands of his ex-girlfriend, Chloe.

She sank onto the park bench, the vibrant green of the grass somehow mocking her predicament. She pulled her knees to her chest, the fabric of her jeans twisting around her legs. A nervous tremor ran through her.

The image of Chloe’s face, etched with a mixture of surprise and triumph, played out in her mind. This was going to make things incredibly awkward, she knew it. The very air around her seemed to thicken with a sense of impending doom.