Gemotions

A wave of sluggishness washed over Mark as he scanned the email. The subject line, “Hillside High 20-Year Reunion!”, felt like a punch to the gut. He scrolled through the details, his eyes glazing over the excited chatter of the organizers.

He found himself sitting on the sofa, unmoving, for what felt like hours. The remote lay beside him, untouched. The house was quiet, a hollow echo of the life he'd once envisioned.

"Twenty years," he finally whispered, the phrase barely audible. The thought of facing his old classmates, of comparing himself to their perceived successes, left him with a heavy feeling. A pressure in his chest threatened to stifle him.