Gemotions

The library felt suffocating, a pressure cooker of judgment and expectation. He was supposed to be studying, preparing his defense, but the words swam before his eyes. He couldn't concentrate. He kept rereading the same sentences, his mind a jumbled mess. He dropped his head into his hands, his breath coming in shallow gasps.

He wandered aimlessly through the campus, avoiding eye contact, hoping to go unnoticed. The bright, cheerful atmosphere of the university clashed sharply with the darkness he carried within. He retreated to the isolation of his room.

He stared at the blank screen of his laptop, the cursor blinking, mocking his inability to create, to think. He felt the familiar weight settle on his shoulders, the crushing burden of despair. The sun was setting, casting long, distorted shadows across his room, mirroring the darkness in his soul.