Gemotions

"I just... I don't get it, Dad." Liam paced his small bedroom, the worn carpet offering little comfort. He ran a hand through his already disheveled hair, leaving it standing on end. The scent of old pizza and unwashed gym clothes filled the air. He hadn't touched his dinner. The rejection email from the university’s soccer team sat open on his laptop screen, mocking him with its polite tone.

"It's a setback, son. Not the end of the world," his father said softly from the doorway. But Liam couldn't even meet his gaze. A tremor ran through his body. He felt a desperate urge to tear something, anything, apart. He felt the need to escape, to disappear.