Gemotions

He’d imagined a different outcome. John had braced himself for expulsion, for the shame, for the disappointment. Now, standing outside the Dean’s office, the weight seemed to lift from his shoulders, and he could actually feel the blood flowing freely in his fingertips again.

He leaned against the brick wall, the cold barely registering. The air felt cleaner, fresher somehow. He hadn't realized how tense he'd been until the tension was gone. He pulled out his phone, his thumb hovering over a text to his parents, finally able to send the good news.

The knot in his stomach slowly dissolved. He began to feel… buoyant.