Gemotions

The air was thin in the gymnasium. Marco felt lightheaded. He looked around. All the other players had their arms raised, giving each other a high five. The coach was smiling, shaking hands, congratulating the selected few. Marco was not part of the 'few'.

He felt the corners of his mouth draw down, without his permission. He focused on his feet, studying the scuff marks on his shoes. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. He tried to think of what went wrong, of where he could have done better, but his mind drew a blank.