Gemotions

He stared at the whiteboard, a cold knot forming in his gut. The coach had redrawn the lineup. Liam, a star forward, was now a defender. The switch had been decided without asking him. He kicked at a loose pebble, the grit of the dirt scratching at his cleats.

The other players joked about it. Liam, usually the loudest, the most boisterous, offered only a tight smile. During the drills, he found himself lagging behind, his passes off-target. The ball seemed to be a lead weight, tethering him to the wrong side of the field.