Gemotions

The invitation arrived with a thud, landing amongst the bills and junk mail. Sarah stared at the familiar font, the glossy photo of her graduating class. A knot formed in her stomach. She hadn't seen most of these faces in twenty years. They were just names now, faded memories.

She dropped the flyer onto the kitchen table, the silence of her apartment amplifying the sound. The scent of stale coffee hung in the air, a constant reminder of the mornings she spent by herself, a routine she wasn't particularly fond of.

Later that evening, scrolling through social media, she saw posts from old classmates, families, vacations, successes. Her thumb hovered over the ‘Going’ button, before she swiped past it. The prospect of facing everyone, of small talk, of being an outsider, was too much to bear.