Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows as Michael stared at the champagne being poured at the party next door. He’d known, of course, that the Millers had money. The new landscaping, the sleek SUV, the exotic vacations… But this party, the blatant display of wealth, felt different. He, stuck in his cramped apartment, working two dead-end jobs, felt a knot of anger tighten in his stomach. He would make them pay, though not with money.

Michael knocked on the Millers' door, his face carefully blank. The door swung open, and he stepped inside, dripping water.

“Oh, Mr. Miller,” Michael said, his voice dripping with forced politeness. “I was just wondering if I could borrow your hedge trimmers. Mine… seem to have broken. And my hedge is looking atrocious.”