Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows, mirroring the tempest inside Amelia. She watched the text bubble, unread, on her phone, a simple message from Chloe: "Can't make it to your party tonight, something came up." The party Amelia had spent weeks planning, meticulously crafting invitations, choosing the perfect playlist, was happening right now. A knot tightened in her stomach.

She absentmindedly fiddled with the confetti cannon, a vibrant splash of color against the otherwise drab living room. Empty. Just like it had been all day. Her friends' enthusiastic replies to her invitation had fizzled out, and now, with the first guests due to arrive, the silence was deafening.

Her gaze drifted toward the corner, where a half-eaten cake sat forlornly, its cheerful candles unlit. A wave of exhaustion washed over her. She knew, she just knew, Chloe's "something" was likely the elaborate masquerade ball she'd been planning on the same date. A bitter taste coated her mouth.