Gemotions

The notification popped up on her phone, a neon green arrow pointing to her undoing. Her first thought was to throw the phone across the room. She was paralyzed, staring at the link that had appeared on her Facebook page. A website dedicated to "exposing" the teenage diaries of local celebrities.

She dragged her thumb across the screen and opened the site, she felt a sinking feeling. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat of panic. She saw her name. She clicked the link. The first entry was there. Then the second. Then the entire wretched collection.

She felt a physical ache, a tightness in her throat that made it hard to breathe. The words she’d written, so private at the time, now exposed for the whole world to see. Even her reflection in the dark screen seemed to judge her.