Gemotions

The pristine living room, usually a source of comfort, now felt like a cage. Amelia stared at the file folders spread across the coffee table, her mother's latest discovery. Inside were every single one of her essays and book reports from high school. Essays that she had thought were buried forever.

She had poured her teenage angst and insecurities onto those pages. She remembered feeling self-conscious about every word, every idea. Now, it was all laid bare. Reading her young self's thoughts felt like an invasion. She felt exposed.

Her mother entered the room, beaming. "I just thought it was so precious, all of it!" she said, reaching for a particularly cringe-worthy essay. Amelia's stomach lurched. She mumbled something about making a quick run to the store. Anything to get away.