Gemotions

“Wow, cool,” the student beside him said, gesturing towards the highlighted paragraph on the screen. He forced a smile, his face felt tight. He wanted to scream.

He’d known the essay was good, but this… this was too much. The spotlight felt like a physical weight, pressing down on him. The room seemed to shrink, the walls closing in. He felt a sudden, desperate urge to escape.

He excused himself, his voice a shaky whisper. He needed air, space, distance. He fled the lecture hall, escaping to the quiet of the empty campus quad. He found a bench and sat down, trying to compose himself, but the words kept circling in his mind, echoing his most intimate thoughts.