Gemotions

The letter from the school had arrived with a cheerful tone, announcing that young Alex would be starting the fifth grade, with Mr. Peterson. John froze, the envelope slipping from his fingers. The name was familiar. Too familiar. The same Mr. Peterson who had made his life miserable in fifth grade, a man whose every word had felt like a reprimand.

He stared at the envelope as his heart began to pound a little harder. What was he supposed to do? Pretend everything was fine? He kept going over it in his head.

When he finally managed to pick up the envelope, he felt as if his fingers were heavy. He didn’t want Alex to go through the same things he did. He didn’t want him to experience the feelings he was experiencing *right now*.