Gemotions

The air conditioning hummed, but it didn't cool the office. The deadline was looming, and the pressure was immense. Then, the phone buzzed, displaying a friend request from "Mean" Maggie Mills. Alex felt a wave of dizziness.

Her fingers trembled as she clicked on the profile. The memories, unwanted, rushed in: the cruel jokes, the exclusion, the constant feeling of inadequacy. Her cheeks flushed.

She abandoned the work, the tasks forgotten. She buried her head in her arms, struggling to breathe. Everything seemed impossibly hard, like wading through molasses.