Gemotions

Maria was at a wedding, celebrating her cousin's marriage. The joy of the day felt suddenly poisoned. The friend request. Robert Hughes. He had made her life miserable, every single day, with his incessant taunting and bullying. She felt her face flush hot, then cold.

She excused herself, stumbling toward the restrooms, desperate for a moment of quiet. The music and laughter of the party seemed distant and muffled, replaced by the pounding of her heart in her ears. She felt disoriented, her vision blurring.

She locked herself in a stall, drawing in deep breaths, trying to regain control. She felt a deep, instinctive urge to protect herself, to shut down, to disappear. The fear, the hurt, the anger – it all resurfaced, raw and immediate.