Gemotions

Liam was in the middle of a particularly intense Fortnite match when the follower request popped up. Mr. Henderson, his history teacher. He froze, his thumbs hovering over the controller. A flush of heat crept up his neck. He quickly accepted the request and frantically scrolled through his own feed, scrubbing away the evidence of his gaming exploits.

He reloaded his shotgun, his fingers stiff and clumsy. He began to play recklessly, dying within minutes. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He slammed the controller down. His mom called him to dinner, but he barely registered her voice, his mind still reeling. The pasta tasted bland, and every crunch of his fork felt too loud.

Later, he found himself staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Images of Mr. Henderson, lurking in the background of his social media, flashed through his mind. He wondered what his teacher thought about his posts. He stared at the ceiling for hours.