Gemotions

"What are you doing?" Maria asked, her voice sharp. She had found her son, Leo, on a strange app on his phone.

He jumped, startled, and dropped the phone on the floor. The screen flashed, and Maria saw a profile, a profile she didn't recognize. Pictures of parties, friends she'd never met, and a bio that read, "Living on the edge."

Her breath hitched in her throat. She felt a sudden weight on her shoulders, a feeling of being burdened by something too heavy to carry.

She stood in silence, her arms crossed, watching as Leo scrambled to pick up his phone. He avoided her gaze. She was filled with a sense of being intentionally bypassed.