Gemotions

Maya chewed the inside of her cheek, a familiar nervous habit. The online article shimmered on her phone screen, a curated list of "Best College Essays of All Time." There, emblazoned above her own painstakingly crafted words, was her name, her high school photo, looking younger, brasher. She felt a prickle of discomfort crawl up her spine.

She slammed the phone shut, the click echoing in the otherwise silent coffee shop. The scent of burnt coffee suddenly seemed overpowering, the low hum of conversation grating. She considered abandoning her latte, the foam now curdling, but the need for caffeine warred with the sudden urge to flee.

The essay itself felt foreign now, a relic of a younger self. Did she still believe those things? Had she truly changed, or was she just…different? A ghost of a smile flickered across her lips before vanishing as quickly as it came.