Gemotions

The weight of it, the sheer improbability of it, settled in my stomach like a stone. *Mark Thompson, LPC.* The kid who used to tie my shoelaces together on the school bus, the boy who made me feel like an outsider, was now… a counselor?

I walked into his office, a space of hushed tones and muted colors. It was a total inversion of what I expected. The framed diplomas on the wall seemed to mock me.

He looked up, a hint of recognition in his eyes. He motioned me toward a chair, his expression neutral. I felt a profound sense of disorientation, a strange twisting in my gut. My gaze was fixed, unable to break the contact.