Gemotions

The celebratory dinner at his parents' house was a disaster. Michael struggled to maintain a cheerful facade, forcing himself to laugh at his father’s jokes. Each toast, each well-meaning comment about his future, felt like a jab. He found himself excessively polite, constantly apologizing for taking up space, for not being “good enough”. He barely ate, pushing the food around on his plate, acutely aware of the silence that followed any mention of his college plans. He excused himself early, muttering something about needing to study, anything to escape the unbearable scrutiny.