Gemotions

The silence in the small apartment was almost deafening. He had expected the news, but that didn't make the sting any less potent. He just sat, staring at the screen, the cursor on his blank essay draft mocking his inaction. The world seemed to have slowed to a crawl.

His head pounded, a dull ache that throbbed in time with the relentless ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner. He had pulled a long string of all-nighters, fueled by caffeine and the desperate hope of a brighter future. Now, that hope felt like it had been snatched away.

He slowly rose from the chair, each movement deliberate, heavy. He needed to do something, anything, to break the crushing weight he felt.