Gemotions

She stared at the blank screen of her laptop, the cursor blinking mockingly. The words wouldn’t come. The creative writing assignment was due tomorrow, and her mind felt like a vast, empty expanse. The joy she once found in writing had vanished.

She knew. The way her roommate, Chloe, flinched when their eyes met, the way she avoided the desk, the scattered pages. The privacy, the sacred space of her innermost thoughts, had been violated.

“Hey,” Chloe said tentatively. “Can we talk?” The request was met with a deep sigh. She wanted to yell and cry.