Gemotions

The air in the living room felt heavy. Maya sat stiffly on the sofa, her arms crossed. Her mother had proudly presented a binder filled with Maya's childhood report cards. Grades. Comments. Everything.

She’d been trying to be supportive, to be happy for her mother's sentimentality, but a knot of discomfort tightened in her gut. She’d always struggled academically, a source of quiet shame. Now, it was all on display.

“It’s… a lot, Mom,” she finally said, her voice strained. She looked away, focusing on a smudge on the window. She wanted to be anywhere else.