Gemotions

The relentless tick of the clock was a relentless pressure on Ben's chest. He stared at the spreadsheet, his mind racing. He kept replaying his conversation with his boss, searching for flaws in his analysis. He was sure he’d missed something, that he wasn’t making a good impression.

"No way!" Sarah exclaimed, leaning over his desk. "Whispering Pines? I loved that place." Her face lit up with nostalgia.

Ben flinched. Whispering Pines. He remembered the constant comparisons, the feeling of being overshadowed by his older brother. He had never fit in.

"Oh," he said, swallowing hard. "I…I went there." He hadn't brought up the camp in years.

“I was always getting lost in the woods,” Sarah continued, laughing. Ben remembered how often he had lost the camp during the scavenger hunt and had to be sought out. He felt a wave of familiar shame wash over him. He kept staring at the spreadsheet, feeling the weight of the numbers bearing down on him.