Gemotions

The silence of his apartment was a cruel companion. He jumped at every creak of the floorboards, every distant siren. He kept checking his phone, expecting a call, a text, a digital summons to explain himself.

He avoided his usual haunts, the coffee shop, the library, the student union. He felt like he couldn't be seen. The scholarship money felt tainted, an ill-gotten gain.

He considered going to the Dean’s office, but the thought paralyzed him. He was afraid of what they would say. He was afraid of what they knew.