Gemotions

The fluorescent lights of the common room seemed to hum with a malevolent energy. Maya avoided her roommate, Chloe, all day. Every time they crossed paths in the hallway, Maya’s pulse hammered. She saw Chloe's smile in her mind's eye as she remembered her journal.

She'd locked herself in the bathroom, staring at her reflection. Her face was pale, blotchy. Each breath felt labored, as if her lungs couldn’t quite fill. She scrubbed at her cheeks, trying to rub away the imagined stain of betrayal. Why? She muttered the question. Why would she do that?

Later, she found herself lingering in the campus bookstore, flipping through novels, unable to focus on a single page. It wasn't the violation, precisely; it was the exposure, the sense of being seen and judged. She just hoped Chloe wouldn't bring it up.