Gemotions

"You were so close, Jake," the coach said, his voice a dull drone. "Really, really close." But the words were meaningless. Jake could feel the blood pounding in his ears. He looked around the room. The other gymnasts, the ones who had made the team, were already planning their next workout. Their faces were flushed and beaming.

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the scene, the bright colors, the excited chatter. His body felt cold, stiff, as if all his muscles had seized up. He felt a rising tide of nausea, a dizzying sensation that threatened to send him crashing to the floor. The bright lights of the gymnasium seemed to be closing in, shrinking the world to a suffocating space.