Gemotions

The cafeteria, usually a boisterous hub of chatter and laughter, seemed eerily quiet. The scent of lukewarm pizza and stale fries was almost nauseating. Leo felt as if he were walking on air, his stomach in a constant state of freefall. Coach Jones had called him aside, a summons that had sent a chill through him. He’d admired this man since he was a small boy.

He watched the coach approach, the man's shadow stretching long and distorted across the linoleum floor. The world seemed to slow down. He swallowed hard. The coach stopped in front of him, and Leo’s breath hitched in his throat.