Gemotions

The university hosted a "Meet the Authors" event, and there, hanging on a banner, was her essay’s title and her name. Chloe felt a shiver run down her spine. The event was for prospective students, a chance for them to learn from past success. Success? She felt utterly humiliated.

She stood at the back of the auditorium, feeling exposed, like a rare specimen under a microscope. She wanted to bolt, to disappear, to escape the public display of her private thoughts on her parents' marital problems.

She saw a group of students pointing at the banner, chattering. She fought the urge to run, to scream, to do anything to make the discomfort in her chest go away. She felt a desperate sense of vulnerability.