Gemotions

“Honey, isn’t this wonderful?” Her mother’s voice chirped, a smile plastered on her face as she gestured at the book open on the kitchen counter. It was the university's anthology, "Voices of the Future." Her essay about her struggle with body image was there, glaring back at her. Her mother’s naive delight grated on her nerves.

Eliza felt a familiar pressure building behind her eyes. The space around her seemed to shrink. She took a deep breath, fighting to keep her voice steady. “Yes, Mom, it’s… great.”

She forced a smile, but the edges felt brittle, unnatural. She wanted to throw the book across the room, to shatter the facade of her life. She needed to be alone, to deal with the sickening feeling spreading through her like a slow poison.