Gemotions

The flickering fluorescent lights of the dorm room buzzed, a sound that grated on Maya’s nerves. She’d been staring at her physics textbook for hours, the equations blurring into an incomprehensible mess. A dull ache throbbed behind her eyes. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air, a stark contrast to the oppressive interior. She pushed away from her desk, the creak of the chair echoing in the sudden silence. Her journal lay open on her bed, a single page turned down. A wave of nausea washed over her.

"Hey, I need to talk to you," she said, her voice sounding thin even to her own ears. Sarah, her roommate, looked up from her phone, a casual indifference on her face. "Did you… did you read my journal?"

Sarah shrugged, her gaze flitting away. “I might have glanced at a few pages.” Maya's shoulders slumped. She just wanted to disappear.