Gemotions

The notification buzzed, a persistent, unwelcome insect. He didn't move to check it. Liam stared at the ceiling, the textured plaster a swirling, meaningless landscape. Hours earlier, he'd waited for the email, the anxious anticipation a dull ache. Now, it was just… nothing.

The music from the apartment below thumped, a rhythmic pulse that usually irritated him, but now just blended into the background. He felt a dull ache behind his eyes, a sensation of being underwater.

He finally rolled over and grabbed the phone. The grade stared back at him, a single, scarlet letter. He closed his eyes. The world seemed to shrink, closing in on him. He felt disconnected, as if looking through the wrong end of a telescope.