Gemotions

The familiar scent of lavender and old paper clung to the air in Amelia's room. Except, it didn't feel familiar today. It felt tainted, suffocating. She stood frozen in the doorway, her hands instinctively clutching her chest. Her journal was on her desk, usually tucked under a stack of textbooks. Now, it lay open, the spine cracked, revealing the secrets it held. Her roommate, Chloe, was humming, pretending to be absorbed in a magazine, but Amelia noticed the way her eyes darted up to meet hers, then quickly away.

Amelia’s face burned. She felt exposed, as if the walls themselves had become transparent, revealing the depths of her insecurity. She felt a sharp, stinging pain behind her eyes, the beginning of tears. Swallowing, she slowly backed away, needing to escape the suffocating closeness, the unspoken knowledge hanging heavy in the air. She grabbed her keys and fled, the dorm room suddenly feeling like a prison.