Gemotions

Rain lashed against the window of Leo’s tiny apartment, mirroring the storm brewing inside him. He’d flipped on the radio, hoping for solace, but the opening chords of his song, "Ghost Light," ripped through the silence like a jagged tear. It was a cover, a bland, lifeless imitation by a popular boy band.

He slammed his fist against the wall, a sharp, echoing crack. The vocalist’s voice, autotuned to perfection, grated on his nerves. Each note was a calculated performance, devoid of the raw, aching vulnerability he had poured into the original.

He switched the radio off, but the tune, the empty shell of his creation, still resonated in his mind. He paced the cramped space, his hands fisted at his sides. The audacity! The sheer, unearned success of these… imposters. He grabbed his guitar, the wood cool and familiar beneath his fingers, and began to play, his own voice a bitter, defiant answer.