Gemotions

Maya kicked a stray pebble across the cracked pavement. The sunlight felt abrasive on her skin, another reminder of everything that felt…off. She'd been avoiding her friends, the cheerful chorus of their lives grating on her. The world felt too bright, too loud.

Her phone buzzed. A message from "NightOwl22," the online friend who’d been her escape for weeks. They’d built a whole world online, sharing secrets and dreams. The message was a simple, “Hey, just saw a bookstore with a cat. Thought of you.”

She almost deleted it. What was the point? They lived in the same city, a fact they’d both confessed months ago. Suddenly, the idea of a meet-up became both appealing and utterly terrifying. She stuffed the phone back in her pocket, the screen cold against her thigh.