Gemotions

The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the dusty room. Maya sat at the kitchen table, staring blankly at a half-finished jigsaw puzzle. The pieces, scattered everywhere, felt like another chore. The silence of the apartment felt heavy, broken only by the hum of the refrigerator. Her phone buzzed, a sharp sound that jolted her. A friend request. From the leader of her group of tormentors, Emily.

Her fingers trembled as she clicked on the profile. Pictures of a perfect life, of a perfect family. She felt a profound sense of numbness, a detachment from everything around her. Her eyes burned with unshed tears. She wanted to scream, to run, to vanish. Instead, she just turned her face away.