Gemotions

The sports court felt vast and empty. Jake bounced a basketball, the rhythmic thud a hollow sound in the echoing space. Coach Miller, his lifelong mentor, his second father, had simply moved on. No final practice, no pep talk, just an email from the athletic department. He felt a profound sense of abandonment, as if the ground had suddenly shifted beneath his feet. He dribbled the ball harder, the effort an attempt to quell the rising tide of emotions within him. He missed his voice, his constant support. He missed the feeling that he was cared for.