Gemotions

A sour taste coated Leo's tongue, a feeling that had little to do with the coffee he'd just made. He'd pleaded, begged, and argued with Sam, his roommate, for a hamster. Sam was adamant: "Too much mess, too much noise, and who's cleaning the cage?" Fine, Leo thought. He knew how to play this game.

He spent the next few days meticulously researching hamster care. He found a particularly noisy, interactive wheel, and a cage positioned directly under Sam’s bedroom window.

The first night, the rhythmic squeak of the wheel, punctuated by the rustling of bedding, started at precisely 3:00 am. Leo, feigning sleep, let out a loud snore. He heard a muffled groan from Sam's room and smiled into the darkness, a smugness curling his lips.