Gemotions

Liam stared at his reflection, his face pale and drawn. He felt the weight of the day settle over him – a heavy, suffocating blanket. The email had arrived hours ago, but he'd only just mustered the courage to open it: "Essay of the Week." It was his essay. He knew it immediately. The one about his grandfather.

A feeling of intense discomfort tightened his throat. The raw emotion he'd poured onto the page, the vulnerability he'd revealed, was now on display. He had wanted to honor his grandfather's memory, but now, he felt a sense of betrayal, as though he had exposed a secret.

He felt the sudden urge to run, to escape the confines of his room, the scrutiny of the world. He pressed his hand against the cool glass of the window, seeking a moment of relief. The world seemed too bright, too loud. He desperately wanted silence.