Gemotions

The email landed with a thud in her inbox. “Congratulations! Your teenage diary, ‘Confessions of a Cheerleader,’ has been selected for publication!” Her breath hitched. She clicked the link, a slow, deliberate movement, like she was aiming a weapon. The website’s sleek design, the overly enthusiastic comments section… it all grated. A smile, thin and predatory, played on her lips. She could see *exactly* how this could ruin her ex-boyfriend, Mark’s, new girlfriend, Bethany's, entire social standing.

She started a new email account, a disposable one. She composed a message: "I heard your boyfriend has a 'secret' admirer. Who knew?" That would be enough to get the ball rolling. She sent the email, her fingers flying across the keyboard with a renewed energy. A thrill went through her, a tingling that had nothing to do with the fact that she was currently working as a paralegal and a lot to do with the fact that she was, for the first time in years, utterly and totally feeling her own emotional power.