Gemotions

"Did you hear?" the student next to Sarah asked, their voice laced with a mixture of disbelief and, she thought, a secret thrill of schadenfreude. Sarah found herself unable to meet their gaze. The news had crashed over her like a tidal wave, leaving her floundering for breath.

Her palms began to sweat, and she ran her hands through her already messy hair, as if trying to physically erase the words from her brain. She tried to smile, to appear nonchalant, but the gesture felt forced and brittle. She needed to get away, to be alone, to process this. She excused herself, muttering something about a headache, and fled the classroom.