Gemotions

The decorations felt suffocating, the balloons grotesque, the cake a cruel joke. It was her birthday, but so was Emily's. They were close friends, or so she thought. Now, this sudden scheduling conflict felt… deliberate.

She kept checking her phone, expecting a text, a call, some kind of confirmation of doom. The phone lay silent, mocking her. The silence was deafening. She felt a cold dread wrapping around her.

She hid in her bedroom. She didn't want the party. She wanted to disappear.