Gemotions

Liam stared at the email, the subject line a blunt, unwelcome announcement: "Your Essay Featured!" He ran a hand through his already messy hair, leaving it standing on end. His stomach twisted into a knot. He hadn’t thought about that essay, that time, in ages.

He paced his cramped dorm room, the worn rug feeling rough beneath his bare feet. The walls seemed to be closing in, the posters he’d so carefully selected – a mix of band logos and abstract art – now mocking his former self. He imagined the other students, reading his deepest anxieties.

He picked up a textbook, but the words blurred before his eyes. All he could see was his clumsy prose, the raw vulnerability of his teenage self, laid bare for all to consume. He flung the book across the room.