Gemotions

She found it on Twitter. A hashtag: #EmbarrassingTeenDiary. And then, there it was: her diary, scanned page by page, her terrible handwriting and angsty declarations for all the world to see. She felt a profound weariness settle over her, like a heavy blanket.

She didn’t scream. She didn’t cry. She just stared. The colors of her living room seemed a bit dimmer. She reached for her phone, opened the Twitter app. The comments flooded in; she ignored them.

She scrolled through the entries, reliving the awkward dances, the unrequited loves, the crushing insecurities. A wave of something like…acceptance? washed over her. It was done. It was out. She closed the app. Her afternoon plans, the grocery shopping she needed to do, felt like a colossal effort.

She sat back in her chair, stared at her ceiling, and sighed. The sun filtered through her blinds, casting long shadows across her face.