Gemotions

The ramen noodles were almost ready. Sarah tapped her foot, a staccato rhythm against the linoleum floor of the dorm room. Her roommate, Chloe, was humming a cheerful tune, oblivious to the microwave’s incessant beeping. Sarah wanted the food, needed it now. The exam tomorrow loomed, a monstrous shadow over her appetite. She’d been up all night studying and then the wait felt unbearable.

Chloe finally pulled the steaming bowl from the microwave. “Mmm, smells good!” Sarah gritted her teeth, the corners of her mouth twitching. She'd been dying to eat since this morning.

“Right,” Sarah said, her voice tight. "Did you finish the reading for history, or what? I need to look over some notes." She wanted to get this over with already, needed to escape her own mind.

Chloe, still humming, began to eat. Sarah’s gaze flickered towards the desk where her journal lay. She knew, with a certainty that gnawed at her stomach, that Chloe had read it. Every damn word.