Gemotions

The party was in full swing, music thrumming through the floorboards. Chloe watched from the hallway, a glass of lukewarm punch clutched in her hand. Her friend, Maya, was surrounded by people, laughing, regaling them with the story of their epic karaoke duet back in college. "We were amazing!" Maya exclaimed, her face flushed with glee. Chloe remembered it differently. She'd forgotten the lyrics halfway through, her voice cracking under the spotlight, and the mortified silence that followed. She shrank back further into the shadows, the punch suddenly tasting like ashes.