Gemotions

The invitation sat on Amelia's desk, a cheerful splash of color mocking her. Liam's birthday bash: a pool party, music, everyone she knew. Across town, Maya's email arrived, her own party: a quiet art exhibit, intimate, thoughtful. Her stomach lurched. It was a week away, and the knowledge of the impending collision made her palms clammy.

Amelia grabbed a pen, intending to RSVP to Liam. Her hand trembled, the pen stuttering across the paper. She crumpled the card, throwing it in the trash. The quiet art exhibit, with its potential for awkward small talk and the pressure to *enjoy* the art, seemed to loom.

Her breath hitched. She imagined facing the throng at the pool party, the noise, the easy camaraderie – and then, Maya's disappointment. The thought made her skin prickle with an unwelcome chill. It would be a nightmare either way.