Gemotions

I slumped onto the cracked bench outside the cafeteria, the stale air doing little to revive me. The news, delivered with a forced cheerfulness by the university president, had felt like a slow-motion car crash. My head throbbed. I rubbed my temples, trying to massage away the tension that had taken root there over the last few weeks. My hands shook as I pulled out a crumpled cigarette, lighting it with a match that seemed to take an eternity to ignite. Each drag offered a small, temporary respite, a brief pause in the overwhelming feeling of being overwhelmed.