Gemotions

He’d been staring at the same page of his textbook for what felt like an eternity. The words swam before his eyes, a jumble of abstract concepts that refused to make sense. He leaned heavily on his hand, the pressure of his head against the table a temporary comfort. The library was quiet, a hushed sanctuary that somehow exacerbated his feeling of detachment.

Then, a breaking news alert popped up on his phone. He swiped it away, annoyed. But the insistent buzzing pulled him back. The university was closing.

A strange numbness spread through him. His body felt heavy, his limbs refusing to cooperate. The room seemed to tilt, the world collapsing in on itself. He closed his eyes, wishing he could simply vanish.