Gemotions

"Unbelievable," Leo muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible. He tossed the letter onto the kitchen counter, where it landed with a disrespectful thud. His mom’s face was creased with worry, her hand hovering in the air as if wanting to comfort him. He flinched away from her touch.

He felt a deep, piercing stab of betrayal. They hadn't seen the hours he'd spent studying, the sacrifices he'd made to maintain a perfect GPA, the relentless pressure he'd been under to succeed. The denial felt like a deliberate slap in the face. He grabbed his keys, needing to escape, to get away from the suffocating feeling.