Gemotions

The silence in the house was deafening, broken only by the rhythmic tick of the grandfather clock. The absence of laughter, of her father’s booming voice, hung in the air. Michael was aimlessly scrolling through TikTok, the meaningless videos offering little comfort. Then, a follow notification flashed on the screen. "Mrs. Evans started following you." The art teacher. He felt a jolt of alarm. He checked his followers. She wasn't just following; she’d liked his most recent post – a sketch of a wilting sunflower, captioned with a single, dejected emoji. He quickly closed the app, the image of his art teacher's profile burned into his mind.