Gemotions

A chill snaked up Maya’s spine as she stared at the screen. Her name, her picture, her teenage handwriting – all plastered across a blog she’d never seen before. A blush crept across her face, not from embarrassment, not exactly. More like a slow-burning bewilderment, a sensation that had her reaching for a glass of water. It felt like her insides had been rearranged.

She scrolled down, each entry a fresh blow. There were the clumsy declarations of love, the overwrought angst about her parents, the excruciating details of her first awkward kiss. What kind of person would do this? Why would they do this? She felt a tightness in her chest, a knot she couldn't untangle.

The comments section was even worse. Anonymous users were dissecting her feelings, making light of her insecurities. Maya slammed her laptop shut, the metallic click echoing in the sudden silence of her apartment. She felt a hollowness, a sense of having been robbed.