Gemotions

He stared at the request. Liam stared. His face felt suddenly hot, a prickling sensation that traveled down his neck. He quickly minimized the window, his heart thudding a frantic rhythm against his ribs. It was a request from Jessica Miller, the girl who, during their seventh-grade year, had orchestrated the widespread sharing of a compromising photo of him.

He hated that she had the gall. She was probably just doing some networking, trying to make him feel friendly. He went and sat on the couch, and for a long moment he stared blankly ahead. He could barely focus. He picked up the remote and flicked through channels, but nothing held his attention. He got up and turned on the TV, then just as quickly shut it off.

His hands felt clammy. He should just ignore it, right? Pretend he hadn't seen it. He opened his laptop again, stared at the request, and sighed. The only action he could take was to shut the computer down.