Gemotions

He stared at the letter, its crisp edges mocking his relief. Liam had poured his heart and soul into the application, convinced it was his golden ticket. He’d meticulously crafted his essay, detailed his ambitions, and now... this. A misplaced name. A mistake. His scholarship, the lifeline that had promised him an escape from the family farm, was going to someone else.

His jaw clenched. He crumpled the paper in his fist, the action providing no satisfaction. The world seemed to tilt. The study, usually a refuge, felt suffocating. He went to his closet and stared blankly at his clothes, as if trying to decide what version of himself he should put on for the rest of the day.

Later, he found himself pacing the perimeter of his room, his footsteps heavy and uneven on the wooden floor. He tried to think of what to do, how to fix this, but the thought process felt blocked. He felt a deep, slow burn, a fire in his core that he couldn't extinguish.