Gemotions

The coffee tasted like ash in Sarah’s mouth as she stared at the online magazine. There it was, her application essay from ten years ago, emblazoned on the homepage. “A Journey of Self-Discovery: Embracing Vulnerability” the headline read. She’d spent weeks agonizing over that essay, pouring her heart out for a panel of strangers. Now, it was fodder for the masses.

A smile crept across her face, not of happiness. She scrolled down, found the contact information for the magazine, and composed an email. She'd pretend to be an enthusiastic reader, praising the insightful content. Then she'd ask about the writer – was she available for a follow-up interview? She was certain the editor would be shocked when she exposed the truth.

Her knuckles were white as she typed, imagining the editor's face. She'd make sure to casually mention the essay's plagiarized excerpts – those passages lifted directly from a book she had to read for a class.