Gemotions

He clutched the test results, the paper crumpled in his sweaty palm. Liam stared at the failing grade, the numbers swimming before his eyes. It was a disaster. He usually excelled in math; now, he felt like a fraud. He wanted to scream. Instead, he forced a smile as his friend, Mark, approached.

"Hey, how'd you do?" Mark asked. Liam swallowed hard. He mumbled something about it being "okay," avoiding any details. He couldn’t bring himself to meet Mark’s gaze. He quickly changed the topic, hoping to deflect further questions, the weight of his secret heavy on his shoulders.