Gemotions

Sarah found the familiar slant of her handwriting on the open page of her journal. A wave of heat rushed up her neck, her cheeks burning. It was a private thing, that book. A place for her anxieties and dreams, all the messy parts of herself she kept locked away. Her roommate, Emily, was humming in the kitchen, oblivious. Sarah slammed the journal shut, the sound echoing in the small dorm room. She needed air.

She went to the window and threw it open, letting the cold October breeze whip through her. The scent of fallen leaves and impending rain did little to soothe the tightness in her chest. Emily strolled in, a mug in her hand. "Hey, you okay? You look…flushed." Sarah just stared at her. A beat of silence hung in the air.

“Just…fine," Sarah managed, her voice barely a whisper. She spun away from Emily, focusing on the swirling patterns of the wind-blown leaves outside, desperate to conceal the turmoil churning inside.