Gemotions

The notification popped up on Amelia's phone: "Ms. Peterson now follows you." Amelia's stomach did a sickening flip. She’d spent the last month posting a curated version of herself: photos from parties, witty memes, the occasional deliberately provocative comment about school. Now, her English teacher had access to it all.

She immediately deleted her latest post, a jokey rant about a particularly boring essay assignment. Her thumb hovered over the ‘block’ button, but she hesitated. Blocking Ms. Peterson felt… immature. Instead, she scrolled back through her own feed, deleting everything even remotely questionable. Her cheeks burned. She felt exposed, vulnerable, as if the carefully constructed walls around her teenage self had suddenly crumbled.