Gemotions

“Hey, did you see this?” Mark's friend slapped a pamphlet onto the table at the coffee shop. The cover featured Mark’s photograph, smiling brightly. Inside, his college essay on the challenges of small-town life sat, reprinted, a shining star.

His hand shot out, grabbing the pamphlet. The vibrant colors of the print felt alien against his skin. He couldn’t look at it, not yet. He felt a creeping sense of something like dread begin to worm its way into him.

He excused himself, leaving his friend staring after him. He walked the long way back home, the familiar streets now seeming foreign, the buildings looming over him with an accusatory air. He felt so exposed, so seen, and so profoundly alone.