Gemotions

The notification, a crisp pop-up on her phone, had jolted Amelia from her afternoon nap. She sat up straight, the sudden movement making her lightheaded. The scholarship offer, the one she’d celebrated with her family, rescinded.

She felt a flush rise to her cheeks. She scrolled through the email again, as if repetition would change the outcome. Her breath hitched. The words seemed to jump off the screen, mocking her aspirations.

Amelia grabbed a glass of water, the coldness a small comfort against the heat that swamped her. Her mind raced, a whirlwind of anxieties. How would she pay for tuition? How could she tell her parents? She needed to think.