Gemotions

"And now, a few words from…" Sarah read the text message again, her voice a low growl. The announcement had come through just as she was trying to relax. A hot bath and a good book, after a tough week at work. Now, the image of her mother, forever comparing her to her perfect, conventionally successful older sister, filled her with a rising tide of fury.

She tossed her phone onto the bed, the screen flashing a defiant glare. The porcelain of the bathtub seemed to mock her, so pristine, so impossibly calm. How dare they? How dare they expect her to perform?

Her jaw tightened. The water, once inviting, now felt suffocatingly warm. Her fingers drummed a rapid tattoo against her thigh. She needed to do something, *anything*, to alleviate this pressure building in her chest.