Gemotions

The folded note sat on the chipped surface of her desk, a flimsy white flag of surrender from her traitorous roommate, Chloe. It apologized, claiming curiosity got the better of her, but the words felt hollow. Sarah crumpled the paper, her jaw tight, and tossed it into the overflowing trash bin. She’d spent hours, days even, carefully crafting the perfect passive-aggressive response. Now, she’d just eat the pizza she ordered.

The scent of pepperoni and cheese filled the room, yet Sarah barely registered it. Her gaze darted to Chloe's side of the room, to the carelessly scattered textbooks and the open laptop. A feeling of outrage simmered in her chest, a heat that made her clench her fists. She wouldn't address it. She'd ignore it entirely.

She ate the pizza slowly, savoring each bite, acutely aware of the silence that hung in the air. The deliberate, methodical chewing was a tiny act of defiance. When Chloe came back she would pretend to be asleep, she had planned. Chloe would not know how much she had done, or how much she had *not* done.