Gemotions

He paced his room, back and forth, the worn carpet offering no solace to his agitated feet. The walls seemed to close in on him, the posters of his favorite bands mocking his inability to focus on anything. Another practice test was due tomorrow, and he hadn't even looked at it. He couldn't shake the need to *move*, to *escape* this suffocating inertia. A ping from his phone. It was Ms. Rodriguez, his physics teacher, who had followed him on TikTok.

A wave of unease washed over him. He’d been posting videos of his band, a hobby he thought was secret. He pictured her watching him, analyzing his posts. The urge to smash his phone against the wall was overpowering. He ran his hand through his hair, a nervous habit. The world tilted on its axis, and everything in his room seemed to be mocking him.