Gemotions

He stared at the grade, a dull ache throbbing behind his eyes. A 'D'. The world seemed to tilt on its axis. He’d poured his heart into that project, stayed up nights, sacrificed social outings. Now, all that effort was reduced to a single, devastating letter. He dropped the paper, the sound of it landing on the desk like a gunshot. His hands felt numb, his limbs heavy. He wanted to scream, to lash out, but the only thing he could manage was a tight, constricted swallow. His carefully constructed plans, everything he’d worked towards, felt like they were crumbling to dust.