Gemotions

"You okay, Liam?" his friend Mark asked, his voice laced with concern. They were at the arcade, the flashing lights and cacophony of sounds doing little to pierce Liam's internal gloom. Liam just grunted, focusing on the pixelated violence on the screen, a futile attempt to channel his frustration. The news had been delivered last week. Adoption. A seismic shift in his world.

His fingers hammered at the buttons, the controller a poor substitute for the release he craved. He missed a crucial shot, the game over screen flashing. He slammed the controller on the table, the plastic cracking under the force. He stood up abruptly, without a word, and walked out, leaving Mark staring after him, perplexed.