Gemotions

The notification on Liam’s phone displayed the failing grade. He sank into his dorm room chair, the springs groaning in protest. He stared at the screen, the numbers blurring. The walls of his room seemed to shrink, the colorful posters and cluttered desk suddenly oppressive. He wanted to scream, to shatter the silence. The pressure he felt was enormous. His scholarship depended on maintaining a certain GPA. His future, his carefully constructed plan, felt suddenly fragile, on the verge of collapsing. A suffocating dread washed over him. He was losing control.