Gemotions

"Is that… yours?" Maya’s roommate, Sarah, pointed at the screen. Maya froze, her fingers hovering over her phone. On the university's Instagram, the essay was being shared. She watched Sarah read a few lines aloud, words she had poured her heart into about her struggles with anxiety.

A knot formed in Maya's stomach. She felt her face burn with heat. She wanted to scream, to rip the phone from Sarah's hands, to erase the very existence of the post.

She mumbled something about needing to take a call and retreated to her room, shutting the door with a loud thud. The walls seemed to close in, the air thick and heavy. She sat on the edge of her bed, her breath coming in short, shallow gasps, feeling as if she were trapped. She considered deleting her social media altogether.