Gemotions

She sat in her study, surrounded by the quiet hum of her life. A friend request. From David, the boy who'd made her high school years a living hell. She felt a wave of conflicting emotions wash over her. Her hands felt cold. She was suddenly back in her teenage bedroom.

She felt the ghost of a smile playing on her lips, then quickly fading. She remembered the awkward dances, the whispered insults, the feeling of being utterly alone. The metallic taste of fear. She closed her eyes. The house seemed to shrink, and she was in the school hallway again.

She opened her eyes and saw a picture of David, older, and with a kind smile. She remembered all the things that had seemed so important then, that now seemed so very small. She considered the request, the weight of the past pressing down on her. She finally confirmed.