Gemotions

The smell of chlorine hit Mark like a slap in the face. He’d signed up for the alumni swim meet hoping for a nostalgic reunion. Instead, he found Emily, his childhood confidant, at the registration desk. She looked up, her expression politely blank. "Can I help you?"

He mumbled his name, expecting a flicker of recognition. Nothing. She just typed it into the computer. The way she chewed on her lip, a nervous habit he remembered well, felt wrong, like it didn't belong to *her*.

He wanted to argue, to demand answers. But he couldn't. He walked away, feeling a strange emptiness. He knew that she used to know all his secrets. Now, he was just another name on a list.