Gemotions

The school supply list lay on the kitchen table, a stark white rectangle that seemed to mock her. Emily picked it up, her fingers tracing the words, "Ms. Thompson - 3rd Grade." That name. It couldn't be.

She remembered Ms. Thompson, or rather, the terror she inflicted on every student in her class. The woman was a stickler for rules, a master of the withering glance. She'd made Emily feel clumsy, inadequate, and utterly hopeless. Even now, the thought of her made Emily’s stomach clench.

She crumpled the list in her hands, her palms suddenly sweating. This was the woman she’d desperately tried to avoid when she chose a school for her daughter. Now, the past was threatening to repeat itself. She slammed the paper into the trash can. She would protect her daughter, no matter what.