Gemotions

She ripped open the envelope, a single, sharp motion. The fancy card, the promises of fun, felt like a joke. She'd tried to escape those memories, to build a future, and now this.

She crumpled the invitation in her fist, then smoothed it out, a strange, compulsive act. Her hands shook. She felt a familiar hollowness, like a vast, empty room inside of her.

She would have to look at them. Judge them, and have them judge her. The thought sent a jolt of pain through her. She was not the same person. She could not go back, no matter how much they wanted her to.