Gemotions

The news arrived in a fleeting text message, the words barely registering before the world started to spin. *Scholarship Awarded: Javier Rodriguez.* Her heart felt like it had dropped into her stomach. Her apartment, usually a haven of calm, suddenly felt stifling. She needed air.

She bolted from the room, grabbing her coat and keys in a frantic scramble. The city, usually a source of energy, now seemed to press in on her, a menacing, suffocating presence. She walked faster, a desperate attempt to outrun the creeping dread that was consuming her. Her gaze kept darting around, as though expecting someone to jump out and tell her it was a joke.