Gemotions

The campus clock tower chimed, a sound that usually buoyed Elena's spirits, but today it just seemed to echo the hollowness inside her. She leaned against the brick wall of the building, her legs feeling like lead. She yearned for the simple comfort of her bed, the oblivion of sleep.

The other night, she'd noticed her journal wasn't where she left it. Then, a few days later, her roommate, Beth, started using phrases and references that were unique to Elena's writing. She felt a burning humiliation. The thought of Beth, dissecting her insecurities, judging her thoughts, was almost unbearable.