Gemotions

The evidence was on the gaming console. Daniel, her son, had been spending hours on end playing online. Now, his mother, Jessica, noticed that there were new friends in his list, names she didn't recognize, accounts she'd never heard of. Scrolling through a shared chat, she saw the conversations, the jokes, the inside references. They never mentioned her.

A prickling sensation arose along her spine. She felt a familiar burn in her eyes. It was like she was an outsider looking into a life she wasn’t allowed in.

She walked away from the console, her shoulders slumped. She began to clean the kitchen with unnecessary vigor, as if she could scrub away the feeling.