Gemotions

The worst part was the sympathy. The pitying looks, the hushed voices. "It'll be okay," they'd say, patting my arm. I’d force a smile, but inside, I just wanted to scream.

David, oblivious, continued to be David: affable, successful, and irritatingly optimistic. He even tried to include me in his weekend plans. "We should all hang out," he’d suggested, with that infuriatingly sincere smile.

I gave a curt nod. The thought of spending an evening with him and his friends filled me with a heavy, oppressive dread. I had no intention of going.