Gemotions

He’d known, of course. Deep down. The chances were slim. But reading the words still knocked the wind out of him. James crumpled the rejection letter in his fist, the paper crackling like a dying ember. He didn't bother to uncurl his fingers.

He stood in the middle of his room, the air stagnant and thick, and looked around at the posters and books, the tools of a passion that now felt hollow. Every goal he had, every ambition felt like a distant memory, a forgotten dream.

He kicked a small empty water bottle across the floor. He wanted to break something, but the apathy was a stronger force, binding him in place.