Gemotions

The balloon arch, half-inflated in the living room, mocked Clara. Her brother, a lanky silhouette framed in the doorway, stammered, “Uh, look, there was a…change of plans.” Clara’s hands clenched into fists, nails digging into her palms. Change of plans? After weeks of planning, of dropping subtle hints about her favorite cake, of tolerating her sister's incessant questions? A vein throbbed in her temple. She stalked past him, the half-hearted decorations seeming to shrink with every step.