Gemotions

The track meet was in a week. "We're putting you in the 400-meter hurdles, Maria," her coach declared, clapping her on the back. Maria's breath hitched. She was a sprinter, a short-distance specialist. Hurdles were different, a combination of speed and technique, something she hadn't touched since middle school.

She felt a flush of heat rise up her neck. The thought of those towering obstacles, the precise footwork, the risk of falling, made her stomach churn. Her usual pre-race focus dissolved into a swirling vortex of anxiety. She gripped her water bottle so hard, she thought she might crack it.