Gemotions

"Reunion, huh?" Mark muttered, tossing the envelope onto the cluttered desk. The fluorescent lights of his office buzzed, amplifying the tension he felt. He stared at the mountain of paperwork, the seemingly endless to-do list. The thought of adding "reminiscing" to his schedule filled him with a low-grade tension.

He ran a hand through his already disheveled hair, the gesture more aggressive than usual. He felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to clear out his entire desk, to start anew. He pushed back from his chair, the wheels squeaking on the linoleum floor. The silence in his empty office felt profound, suddenly loud.

He kept seeing faces: the popular kids, the ones he secretly envied, the ones who had sneered at him. He didn't want to see them. He did not want to relive the past. He picked up his phone, scrolling through his contacts. He paused on a familiar name and thought, maybe. Maybe not.