Gemotions

Liam stared at the laptop, the screen reflecting his own stricken face. His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird. "The Awkward Years: Liam's Lamentations" the website blared. He recognized his cramped handwriting, the desperate, looping script of a teenage boy navigating the treacherous waters of first love and crippling self-doubt. He felt a wave of heat wash over him, starting at his neck and spreading down to his toes.

He jumped to his feet, pacing the confines of his small apartment. It was like someone had taken his brain, ripped it open, and displayed its contents for public consumption. He clenched his jaw, the muscles in his face tight and unyielding. The sheer violation of it! He pictured his old crush, Sarah, reading those clumsy love letters.

He reached for the phone, intending to call his lawyer, but then stopped, his hand still suspended in mid-air. What was he even going to say? That his teenage angst was now the subject of internet mockery? He rubbed a hand over his face, feeling the rough stubble of the day's growth.