Gemotions

He rummaged through the boxes, feeling a low hum of impatience in his chest. His sister had always been the sentimental one. Now, she'd foisted the task of clearing out their mother's things onto him. He lifted a thick binder, its cover embellished with glitter glue. "Sarah's Science Fair Projects." Inside, he found a meticulously crafted model of the solar system.

He flipped through the pages, his fingers leaving smudges on the cardboard. The intricate details were impressive. The sheer amount of effort his mother must have put in… It was almost overwhelming. He felt a rising heat in his face. Why all this *hoopla*? What was the point? He shut the binder, the snap of it echoing in the quiet room. He felt a vague sense of irritation, a prickle of something he couldn't quite name.