Gemotions

He stared at the screen, the blue light reflecting in his eyes. Years had passed, a river carving its way through time. He remembered the sting of his words, the way they echoed in the silence of the school hallway. The friend request from Kevin Miller. His jaw tightened. He'd been a jerk, a genuine bully.

He pictured Kevin’s face from all those years ago. The hurt in the boy’s eyes. The way he’d clutched his books closer, trying to disappear. A deep ache settled in his chest, a heavy stone.

He imagined Kevin, older, maybe happier, maybe not. He pictured Kevin’s life without him, how much better it might be. He knew what he had done. He closed his eyes, then clicked “Accept.” He felt a strange lightness, like a burden lifted, a small, tentative start.