Gemotions

The lump in Alex's throat felt huge. He’d seen the telltale spiral binding of his journal peeking out from under a textbook on Liam's bed. The blood drained from his face as he realized what had happened.

Liam was fiddling with his phone when Alex entered the room. He seemed nervous, his eyes darting around. Alex sat down on his own bed. He crossed his arms and stared at Liam.

Alex looked at the journal. He thought of all the things he had written. He thought of all the vulnerable things. He took a long, slow breath.

“Hey, Liam,” Alex said quietly. “Can we talk for a minute?” His voice was steady, despite the tremor in his hands. He watched Liam closely, waiting for a response, and thinking about how to proceed.