Gemotions

A chill snaked up Leo's spine as he unlocked the dorm room door. He paused, hand still on the knob, before pushing it open. The air inside felt… different. Stale, somehow. His stomach clenched. He glanced at the usually pristine desk, now cluttered with stray pens and a half-eaten bag of chips. Liam, his roommate, was sprawled across his bed, headphones on, eyes glued to his laptop screen. Leo's journal lay open, pages exposed on the nightstand. His breath hitched.

He wanted to scream, to lash out, but the words caught in his throat. He forced a smile, a shaky imitation of normalcy. "Hey, man," he said, his voice sounding thin and reedy.

Liam barely glanced up. "Hey. Just finishing up this paper." Leo felt a tightness in his chest. He backed away, suddenly needing air. He mumbled something about going to the library, and hurried out, the image of his journal, its intimate contents now exposed, burned into his mind.