Gemotions

The coffee tasted like ash in Ethan's mouth. He sat on the cracked steps of the student union, watching students mill around, their laughter and chatter grating on his nerves. He felt a deep, profound sense of hollowness.

He had worked so hard, struggled to get where he was. Scholarships, late nights, instant ramen dinners – all for this. And now? Now, the foundation upon which he had built his future was crumbling beneath his feet.

His hands shook as he lit a cigarette, the smoke curling up into the gray sky. He watched a squirrel scurry up a tree, its carefree existence a painful contrast to his own. He crushed the cigarette under his shoe, the acrid smell momentarily distracting him from the hollow ache within.