Gemotions

He saw it while idly scrolling through his phone during his morning commute. There it was: his essay, "The Mathematics of Loneliness," featured on the university's admissions website. The blood drained from his face. He felt a sharp, icy chill, as if someone had poured a bucket of freezing water over him. He was supposed to have privacy.

The train screeched to a halt, but he didn't move. He felt a tidal wave of resentment rising, each wave crashing down on his insides. Each sentence was a personal revelation that should have been sealed. The words, once his own, now felt like poisoned darts.

He clutched the phone so hard his knuckles turned white. Why? Why would they do this? His jaw clenched; his teeth ground against each other. He imagined the professor who had spearheaded the project. The man would have a comfortable life, blissfully ignorant of the havoc he had wrought.