Eden...
I found the book in my carrel on a Thursday afternoon.
It was sitting under a stack of my own notes like it had always belonged there. A sports psychology text. The cover was worn at the corners. Someone had dog-eared a chapter on emotional regulation. I knew it was his before I even opened it. The handwriting in the margins was the same lowercase style I had seen in his biology notes. Three colors. Two symbols. Completely consistent.
I sat down and started reading the marked passages.
He had underlined almost every line about controlling fear-based aggression. Distinguishing protective instinct from destructive response. The notes in the margins were short and sharp.
*Do not let it own you. Choose the reaction. The ice is the only place it leaves.*
Some of the ink was dark
