Gemotions

He’d left. Dr. Ito, my advisor, had taken a job at a tech firm. That was the gist of the email. I stared at the words, unable to process them. My stomach churned. The world tilted. A dull ache throbbed behind my eyes. I knew what I felt, but I refused to acknowledge it.

I went to the gym. I lifted weights until my muscles screamed, until my arms and legs trembled with fatigue. The sweat stung my eyes, the metallic smell of blood filled my nostrils. I pushed myself harder, forcing my body beyond its limits, trying to exhaust something out of my system. I wanted to break something, anything.