Gemotions

The email notification pinged, a shrill, unwelcome sound in the quiet library. Maya’s breath hitched. She clicked on it, her fingers, usually steady, now trembled as she scrolled. Her eyes scanned the dense paragraphs, each word a cold, hard slap. The scholarship. Denied. A wave of heat washed over her, followed by a sudden chill that made the hairs on her arms stand on end. She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again, as if the words might magically disappear. They didn't. She needed to get out of the stuffy room.