Gemotions

The news detonated during a family dinner. His mother's face fell, the joy of the meal replaced with a palpable tension. "There must be a mistake," she said, her voice tight. But he knew, deep down, that it wasn't. The scholarship, the one that had allowed him to escape the family's financial pressures, wasn't his. The thought of this being taken away had him feel as if his skin was too tight. A pressure, a wanting, grew between his legs, making him shift in his chair. He pushed his chair back, excusing himself to go outside, needing to feel the cool night air.