Gemotions

Liam's pulse hammered against his ribs. Mr. Davies, his English teacher, had followed him. He knew every one of his teacher's likes and dislikes, and what his teacher's morning coffee was. Suddenly, the words on the page in his English textbook started to blur. He felt a sudden urge to revise his social media, to make sure his public profile was perfect, every post curated to the nth degree.

He spent the next hour deleting old photos and updating his bio. He even considered changing his profile picture to a more flattering one. His hands were shaking as he carefully selected a picture of him laughing at a band concert. It was important to give the impression of being cool.

He found himself constantly checking his phone, hoping for a like, a comment, anything. The thought that Mr. Davies might be seeing his posts, glimpsing his world, had his mind racing. He was suddenly paying far more attention in class, making eye contact, answering questions with a new, almost manic eagerness.