Gemotions

Daniel, perched on a park bench, was flipping through a student newspaper when he saw it. The essay he poured his heart and soul into. The essay he had completely forgotten about. It was now part of an article on “Successful Admissions Essays.”

He felt a sudden tightening in his chest. His breath hitched. The article’s author, a smug-looking senior, was dissecting his prose, praising its “candor” and “insight.” Daniel had felt so exposed when he first wrote it. Now, it was just…there. Open for anyone to read.

He crumpled the newspaper in his hands. He wished he’d never written it. He wished they’d never used it. He wanted to be invisible. He wanted to disappear. He felt a phantom itch on his cheeks, as if the words were still clinging to him.