Social Anxiety

"Watch where you're going!" Irene exclaimed as she stumbled and fell on her buttocks, colliding with an unseen obstacle. She cursed herself silently, unable to fathom why these things always seemed to happen to her. She had only stepped outside for some fresh air, but before she could even take a breath, she found herself colliding with a person who was clearly seething with anger.

It should have been her shouting, she thought, incredulous at the audacity of this person who seemed to believe they ruled the world when they clearly did not.

As she lifted her head, she was taken aback to see the person standing before her, their gaze fixed upon her. A shiver ran down her spine as she met their shocked expression.

"What the hell? What are you doing here, Irene?" Miley Jones asked, her tone revealing her disappointment in her less-than-perfect daughter.

Irene couldn't believe her eyes. This was not the encounter she had anticipated, nor had she ever imagined running into her mother in this