Gemotions

The bus ride home was a silent ordeal. The other players chattered excitedly, rehashing the practice plays, oblivious to the black cloud that clung to Mark. He stared out the window, watching the landscape blur by.

He felt a profound sense of isolation, even amongst his teammates. The laughter and jokes that used to resonate now sounded distant and irrelevant. He was on the outside, looking in.

He fiddled with his equipment bag, tracing the stitching absentmindedly. He kept seeing the coach's face, the pained expression. He wanted to disappear, to just vanish before the bus reached his stop.