Gemotions

The flickering fluorescent lights of the office seemed to mock Amelia. Each buzz and hum was another tiny needle prick, adding to the general feeling of depletion that had been clinging to her for weeks. She slumped further in her chair, the cheap fabric scratching against her skin. A Facebook notification popped up, the little red circle a beacon of unwanted attention. A name she hadn't thought about in fifteen years stared back at her: Jason Riley. The bully. He'd sent a friend request. Her jaw tightened, a dull ache beginning behind her eyes. Why now?

She almost deleted it immediately. But a stubborn curiosity, a feeling she often regretted, held her back. She clicked on his profile, a perfunctory scroll revealing a life of suburban normalcy. Family, a stable job, a meticulously curated image. Amelia felt a surge of… nothing. Just the pervasive, heavy weight of exhaustion. Closing the laptop, she stared out the window at the rain-slicked city, the friend request still pending.