Gemotions

The office building felt stifling, the air thick with manufactured cheer. Leo watched Chloe, her enthusiasm for Camp Firefly spilling over as she described the color war games. He focused on the tiny imperfections of his desk, anything to avoid her light.

Firefly. A place where he was the awkward, left-out kid. The echoes of laughter from other campers still rang in his ears, a constant reminder of his social failures.

“No way, you were at Firefly too?” Chloe's eyes widened. She seemed delighted, and he wished she would just stop.

Leo’s throat felt constricted. "Yeah," he managed, wishing he could disappear.

He focused on the small scratch on the desk, the only thing that seemed real in that moment.