Gemotions

The cream-colored envelope landed on the kitchen counter with a soft thud, a stark contrast to the sudden, visceral jolt that ran through Amelia. Her hand, halfway to the coffee pot, stilled. The glossy cursive screamed "High School Reunion." She hadn't thought about Northwood High in… well, a very long time.

A wave of heat flushed her cheeks. Her breath hitched. She hadn't even recognized the handwriting on the return address, a polite, impersonal script. Her fingers fumbled with the edge of the envelope.

Inside, the invitation was formal and brightly colored. A giddy laugh, unbidden and distinctly hysterical, bubbled up in her throat. Twenty years. Twenty years since those hallways, the lockers, the anxieties. She crumpled the invitation in her hand, then smoothed it out, a strange, nervous energy coursing through her.