Gemotions

Eliza felt a prickle of unease on the back of her neck, a sensation she couldn't dismiss. Her journal, usually tucked away under her mattress, sat carelessly on her desk. She knew. She didn't want to know how she knew, only that she did. Her breath hitched.

Her roommate, Jessica, sauntered in, humming a cheerful tune. Eliza averted her eyes, feeling a sense of revulsion she couldn't explain. She picked up a pencil and began to mindlessly scribble on a piece of paper. The scratching sound amplified the silence.

She felt a desperate need for space, for air, for anything that would break the suffocating atmosphere. She grabbed her keys and bolted from the room, escaping out into the autumn sunshine. The campus trees seemed to mock her, their leaves rustling in a chorus of her private shame.