Gemotions

The ceiling fan spun above Liam, the lazy rotation doing nothing to alleviate the internal buzzing. The summer heat pressed against his skin, making him feel like he was trapped inside a pressure cooker. He’d been trying to focus on his calculus homework for an hour, but the equations seemed to taunt him, meaningless symbols in a sea of boredom. A shadow fell across the page, and he looked up. It was Ms. Chen, his art teacher.

"Liam," she said, her voice gentle, "I saw your latest post. That mural you did downtown is incredible."

His jaw tightened. He'd been so careful. A quick scan of his phone confirmed it: Ms. Chen had liked his work on Instagram. He felt a hot flush creep up his neck. He wanted to run, to vanish into the summer air. His hands clenched into fists, his knuckles white.