Gemotions

The cafeteria was a sea of chattering voices and clattering trays. He picked at his food, his appetite gone. The sight of everyone interacting, laughing, seemed like a different world. He hadn’t spoken to anyone all day, and the silence had become a physical weight.

The other night, he had written about his crushing worries about money, his struggles to keep up with school. He knew his roommate, David, had been snooping. Now, he saw the awkwardness in David's gestures, the way he avoided making eye contact.

He just wanted someone to talk to, someone to share the burden.