Gemotions

He glared at the email. Mr. Abernathy. The same one who had failed him in history. He hadn't been a bad student, not really. Just… uninterested in Roman numerals and the intricate family trees of European royalty. Now, little Leo was assigned to this man? He could feel a familiar prickle of heat rising in his neck.

"It'll be good for him," his wife, Emily, chirped, her voice too bright. She was always so optimistic. He hated it.

He drove Leo to school the next morning, deliberately taking a longer route. When he dropped Leo off, he caught Mr. Abernathy’s eye. The teacher, older now, still possessed that same bland expression. He fought the urge to offer a sarcastic, “Good luck.”

He volunteered for the field trip. He wanted to see Abernathy’s face. He wanted to show the world that he could. He would be the best chaperone.