Gemotions

The silence in the car was thick as Leo drove home with his father. He stared out the window, watching the familiar landscape blur past. He’d given it everything – every training session, every grueling drill. Now, the coaches had deemed him not good enough. He bit the inside of his cheek, tasting the faint metallic tang of blood. "Dad, can we stop at the park?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper. He needed to clear his head, he knew. The basketball court beckoned. The net swayed in the gentle breeze. He retrieved his ball, the weight of it familiar and comforting. The first shot clanked off the rim, a loud echo in the stillness. He bent and retrieved it, determination etched across his face.