Gemotions

The karaoke bar was smoky and loud, filled with drunken laughter and off-key singing. She had been coaxed into coming out by some friends. She sat in a dark corner, nursing a drink, trying to disappear. Then the music started. A familiar intro. A song she had written when she was young and hopeful.

The singer was butchering it, stumbling over the lyrics, but the crowd cheered anyway. She pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to run. It was a distorted, unrecognizable version of her own work. She wished she had never written it.

She pushed back her chair and slipped out the back door, the noise fading behind her. The cool night air felt like a balm, but the wound inside remained.