Gemotions

"We're going to try you out at fullback, Chris." The coach's words seemed to reverberate in his ears. Chris’s face paled. He'd worked tirelessly to be a wide receiver. Now, they were shifting him?

He forced a laugh, a sound that grated on his own ears. "Fullback?" he repeated, his tone brittle. The other players were glancing over, their faces a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

During the next practice, Chris moved slowly, deliberately out of sync. He dropped passes, misjudged routes. His usually sharp movements felt sluggish, heavy. He avoided eye contact, his internal anger boiling.