Gemotions

The coffee cup trembled in her hand, the liquid sloshing dangerously close to the rim. It was a normal parent-teacher conference. Her pulse thudded in her ears. She hadn't expected to see *him* there. Mr. Fitzgerald, her high school chemistry teacher. The man who made her life miserable for a year.

She sat opposite him, trying to force a smile, a mask that felt flimsy and transparent. The thought of him scrutinizing her son, Leo, filled her with a profound sense of unease. She kept glancing at Leo, making sure he was doing well. Her hands fidgeted in her lap, and her mind raced.