Gemotions

The silence in the car was deafening. They were driving home from the announcement, and Maya's excitement had turned into a forced, brittle cheer. Alex stared out the window, at the blur of passing scenery, as the world seemed to spin slightly off-kilter.

His jaw ached, clenched tight. He ran a hand over his face. He felt disconnected, as if observing himself from a distance. Everything felt wrong, the music on the radio, the smell of the car, the way the sun was setting in the sky.

He cleared his throat. "When?" he managed, his voice raspy. The question hung in the air, a small, insignificant pebble in a vast, desolate landscape. The answer, he knew, would only make it worse.