Gemotions

He’d almost missed it, the thin, cream-colored envelope buried under a pile of bills. Mark felt a sudden, unpleasant tightness in his chest as he saw what it was. The date leaped out at him. Already?

He took a long swallow of the water sitting on his desk. He'd done well to avoid this. The anticipation, the possible awkwardness of it all, made him squirm. He closed his eyes, then pressed his palms to his temples, trying to ward off the growing pressure.

The thought of facing those classmates again, having them assess him, filled him with a cold dread. He couldn't deal with this. Not now, not ever.