Gemotions

The room seemed to shrink, the walls closing in. He sat at his desk, staring at the screen. The coding project was due, but the lines of code refused to make sense. He felt a profound sense of inadequacy, of failure. The weight of his own perceived shortcomings was almost unbearable. And then, he realized his roommate, Jake, had read his journal.

He could feel Jake's gaze on him, a subtle scrutiny. The secret, the most personal thoughts. The truth now known. The weight was crushing him.

He felt the sudden, desperate urge to flee, to disappear. He needed to find a place where the air wasn't so thick, where he could think. He stood abruptly, knocking his chair over, the noise a jarring explosion in the suffocating silence. He had to leave, to get away. He just had to get out.