Gemotions

A cold hand squeezed his chest. Michael’s palms grew slick. He sat frozen in the campus cafeteria, the news a lead weight in his stomach. The scholarship letter, now a lie, crumpled in his hand. He’d told his parents, he'd celebrated. How could he face them now?

His vision swam. The clatter of trays, the murmur of conversations, all receded into a dull, distant noise. He felt a sudden, desperate urge to flee, to disappear. He pushed his chair back with a scraping sound that echoed loudly in his ears.

He saw the Dean’s office, a place of power and finality. He had to go there. He had to plead. He had to try to fix this. But his feet felt rooted to the spot, a feeling of being completely and utterly paralyzed.