Gemotions

The air in the classroom felt thick, heavy with the ghosts of laughter and learning. Ms. Evans hadn't set foot in it since the incident. She stood at the door, her hand hovering over the doorknob, hesitant. Even the scent of chalk and old books was now painful.

A delivery person placed a package at her door at home. It was from Chloe, a student she had seen so much of herself in. A student she’d truly cared about. Her stomach lurched.

Inside the box, carefully wrapped, was a worn copy of their favourite book. The pages were dog-eared, with underlined passages and notes scribbled in the margins. A single, pressed flower, a forget-me-not, lay between the pages. A single tear traced a path down her cheek, leaving behind a salty residue.