Gemotions

The afternoon sun beat down on Leo as he approached the yard sale. He spotted it instantly, wedged between a chipped tea set and a pile of outdated magazines. Theodore, his childhood confidant, stared up at him with a vacant, button-eyed gaze. He felt a sharp, unfamiliar churning in his stomach.

"Is that for sale?" The words emerged with a forced smoothness, as if he was performing. The teenage boy manning the table shrugged.

"Everything's for sale."

Leo felt his cheeks flush. He held out a crumpled dollar. He barely saw the boy take the money. He snatched Theodore and turned, ignoring the boy's surprised expression. He wanted to get away, to be alone, to deal with the suffocating sensation in his chest.