Gemotions

As the school bell rang, Emily felt a knot tighten in her stomach. Her daughter, Olivia, was entering third grade, and the teacher was Ms. Davis. The same Ms. Davis who had made her life miserable, she had a sinking feeling. She'd always associated the woman with a specific, unpleasant memory: the sting of criticism.

She had always felt the woman favored a certain type of child, and Emily had not been that type. The school building, with its familiar hallways and classrooms, took on an unsettling aura. She was going to have to make a call. The thought of this woman teaching her daughter, was almost too much.

She found herself picking at the skin around her nails. Emily wished she could go back to the carefree days. She thought of her daughter, walking into that classroom, alone.