Gemotions

Dust motes danced in the single shaft of sunlight slicing through the grimy window of Leo’s apartment. The reunion invitation sat propped against a chipped coffee mug, its pristine white a stark contrast to the surrounding squalor. He crushed the paper in his fist, a sudden, almost violent, impulse.

He rose and walked over to the mirror. The man staring back wasn’t the same skinny kid who'd been ridiculed in the halls of Northwood. The man in the mirror was bigger, tougher. He smiled, a slow, deliberate curve of his lips. He'd put in the time at the gym and the time learning how to take care of himself.

"They'll be surprised," he muttered, the words raspy. He reached for a fresh white t-shirt, the fabric cool against his skin. This time, he’d be the one doing the looking down.