Gemotions

"Mr. Peterson is now following you." Mark read the words, his face tightening. Mr. Peterson, his physics teacher, a man who seemed to derive some perverse pleasure from making the students feel stupid, wanted a window into his life. Mark had the mental image of him, peering over his shoulder.

He could practically hear the condescending tone he'd use if he saw Mark's posts. "Oh, you were at a party, Mark? Interesting. I'm sure that helped with your understanding of thermodynamics." The man's smugness was palpable, even through a screen.

Mark slammed his laptop shut. He considered changing his username, deleting everything, starting again. The idea of being monitored by that man, even online, made him feel trapped. He wished he could just disappear.