Gemotions

He reread the response from the editor, his jaw clenched so tightly it ached. The polite phrasing, the empty compliments - all of it dripped with condescension. He'd been judged, not by merit, but by some arbitrary standard set by a bunch of…mediocrities.

He balled the letter into a tight fist, the paper crackling in protest. He wanted to scream, to rail against the injustice of it all. The unfairness of the world, and the unearned power of the people who controlled it.

He flung the paper across the room, it hitting the wall and falling to the floor. The fury inside him was a caged animal, clawing at its boundaries. He grabbed his keys and slammed the door behind him, needing to escape, to release the pressure that was threatening to explode.