Gemotions

Mr. Johnson felt the familiar tightening in his chest. He’d just finished marking a particularly egregious essay, and his blood was boiling. The phone buzzed, alerting him to a package at the front desk. He should have known. He got up and walked with heavy feet to the front desk. He signed for the package, already expecting the worst. Inside, a custom-made pen, engraved with the name of a character he had used in a novel that his class read. A small card read: "You got me into books. - Alex." He held the pen in his hand, his grip so tight he thought he might snap the thing in half. Alex had been the worst student imaginable.