Gemotions

He felt his stomach knot as the news emerged. It felt as if someone had just thrown a bucket of ice water down his back. All of a sudden, the music in the record store was too loud, the smell of the old vinyls, which he usually loved, was suffocating.

"Yeah, going to Oregon," Chris said, his eyes shining with an enthusiasm. Michael stared at him, unable to respond, a bitter taste in his mouth.

He picked up a record, felt the rough texture of its sleeve. He dropped it. The sound of the record landing on the wooden floor felt jarring in the overly bright shop. He turned and fled.