Gemotions

The sun beat down on the graduation ceremony, but Chloe felt a chill. Across the crowded lawn, Liam, the boy who used to steal kisses under the bleachers, accepted his diploma. He looked at her with polite curiosity, as if she was an unfamiliar face at a party. The years had washed away the boy who used to share his secrets.

She had spent months preparing for this reunion, dreaming of the embrace, the shared laughter. Instead, there was this distance, this impenetrable wall of amnesia. She saw him shake hands with the principal and turned away.

She felt a hollowness where a bond once was. She walked towards her car, the sound of the band fading into the background, the ache of loss expanding inside her.