Gemotions

The text message from his mother popped on his phone. “How’s school, honey? Any good news?” James stared at the words, the familiar warmth now a painful reminder of his deception. He hated that he’d let her down. He had to respond.

He replayed the events of the last few weeks in his head. The desperate search for easy answers, the quick copy and paste. He should have studied, should have put in the work, but he had been lazy. He’d believed he was above the rules.

He slowly typed, “It’s…complicated.” And then, he turned off his phone, the silence offering no solace. He had to face what he'd done, somehow. The email was still in his inbox. It was his new reality.