Gemotions

The morning felt thick and heavy to James, like the air before a thunderstorm. He'd woken up with a headache, forgotten his lunch, and his locker wouldn’t open. The school hallways seemed to amplify his discontent.

During the bus ride home, he saw it. An Instagram follow request from Ms. Baker, his history teacher. He’d made some disparaging comments about the assigned reading in a private group chat.

His face burned. He deleted the post. He’d already written the history essay about the Roman Empire and he didn’t need to rewrite it. He felt trapped. He wished he could disappear. He sank further into his seat, trying to become invisible.