Gemotions

"This can't be real," Sarah whispered, her voice barely audible. Mr. Thompson, her drama teacher, had liked a picture of her dressed in her Halloween costume. It had been a… slightly revealing vampire outfit. Her breath hitched in her throat.

She quickly blocked him, but the damage was done. She felt a profound sense of self-consciousness, of exposure. She replayed the entire conversation from their last class in her head, every word, every gesture. She wondered if he had looked at other pictures, or read her captions. She felt the blood draining from her face.

The next drama rehearsal was excruciating. She stumbled over her lines, her voice trembling. She kept her eyes fixed on the floor, terrified of meeting his gaze. The stage, which had always been a place of liberation, suddenly felt like a cage. She couldn't shake the feeling of being judged, assessed, and perhaps even... laughed at.