Gemotions

The locker room felt like a tomb. Empty cleats sat abandoned on the floor, mirroring the hollow ache in Leo's chest. He stared at his reflection, the boy he saw in the mirror seeming distant, unfamiliar. Each breath was a struggle, a physical effort.

He avoided eye contact as Coach Henderson entered, a clipboard clutched tight in his hand. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, a sound that grated on Leo's nerves, amplifying the already present throbbing in his temples. He knew, with a certainty that settled in his stomach like lead, what was coming.

"Leo," Coach Henderson said, his voice softer than usual. A single word, but it felt like a sentence, the verdict already delivered.