Gemotions

The card was a lurid shade of pink, almost fluorescent, and it sat on Ms. Gable's desk like a mocking advertisement. Her stomach clenched. She hadn’t expected anything. Not after the way things had ended with that class, with Liam. She ripped the envelope open with a snap, feeling a prickle of annoyance at the clumsy handwriting. Inside, a gift card to a spa. Liam. Of all people.

“Ridiculous,” she muttered, shoving the card to the back of the drawer. She'd deal with it later. Right now, she had a mountain of grading to do, and the thought of some pampered experience felt profoundly irritating. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across her classroom, painting the dust motes in the air with a golden hue she found particularly grating today.