Gemotions

He’d envisioned this moment a thousand times: the acceptance, the relief, the future unfolding. Now, as the truth settled, he felt a crushing weight in his chest. His breath hitched, a series of short, sharp intakes. He was supposed to be… *okay*.

He’d just been bragging to his friends about the scholarship. He’d celebrated. He looked away from the computer screen, towards the beer bottles on his desk. He picked one up, staring at it for a moment, then set it down again.

He felt a strange tingling in his fingertips. He felt disconnected from his own body, a spectator in his own life. The room spun. He sank back into his chair, unable to formulate a single word.