Gemotions

The coffee cup rattled against the saucer. Emily set it down with more force than necessary, splattering the remaining coffee across the otherwise spotless table. Her chest felt constricted. The information, passed on from a mutual friend, had landed in her mind like a physical blow. That new kid, fresh out of business school, was getting paid more than she was.

She could barely look at the presentation she'd been meticulously preparing for the upcoming meeting. The charts, normally a source of satisfaction, now represented a mockery of her hard work. She crumpled the pages of notes she had been studying.

She pushed her chair back, the screech of the metal legs grating against the floor. She needed to walk. She walked out of the office and started pacing down the hallway, the feeling of the carpet beneath her feet a distraction from the turmoil in her thoughts.