Gemotions

The world had shifted on its axis. Ms. Bell, her history teacher, had requested to follow her on TikTok. The irony was almost comical; she'd always seen her as a strict, by-the-book type. Now, she felt like a subject under a microscope, her carefully crafted digital persona dissected.

She stared out of her bedroom window at the darkening sky, the colors bleeding together in a muted watercolor. A dull ache settled behind her eyes. It seemed everything in the world was suddenly a secret.

She felt a powerful urge to go for a run, to outrun the feeling that was crushing her chest. She grabbed her sneakers and burst out the front door, needing the air to fill her lungs.