Gemotions

The email sat in Amelia’s inbox, a stark white rectangle against the grey of a dreary Tuesday. Her breath hitched. The subject line, “Important Announcement Regarding [College Name],” felt like a physical blow. She clicked it, her finger trembling slightly. A cold prickle ran down her spine as the words blurred before her eyes.

She reread the notice, the carefully crafted language of closure and consolidation. Her stomach clenched. The library, the quad, the familiar faces – all potentially vanishing. She gripped her desk, knuckles white, and stared out the window at the rain-swept campus, a sudden, unfamiliar tightness in her chest.