Gemotions

The laptop screen swam before Maya's eyes. It was her diary. Every painfully awkward adolescent confession, every embarrassing crush, every tear-stained entry about feeling like an outcast, laid bare for the world to see. A cold sweat slicked her palms, making the mouse slip in her grasp as she frantically scrolled.

Her breath hitched in ragged gasps. She jumped up from the chair, pacing the small apartment. The walls seemed to be closing in, the air thick and suffocating. Her phone vibrated on the coffee table, a notification from her best friend. She didn't dare look.

Her stomach churned. It felt like someone had dropped a bowling ball in there. She needed to get out, to run, to disappear. A sudden urge to rip her own hair out coursed through her body, but she clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms.