Gemotions

"Reunion," muttered Lisa, staring at the embossed words. Her hands trembled as she laid it flat on the table, as if it was a bomb. She quickly looked around, as if someone would see her, knowing she'd gotten it.

She felt a wave of nausea. The past. The embarrassment. The endless parade of perceived slights. The memories, once tucked away, now resurfaced with a vengeance.

She considered ignoring the whole thing, but the small, insistent voice, the one that never gave her any peace, whispered in her ear. “Coward.” She imagined the judgments, the pitying looks. "You're still the same loser you were back then." The implication. The sheer, crushing weight of their expectations. She clenched her jaw.