Gemotions

The professor’s words echoed in her mind, a relentless loop. “Below expectations.” She sat frozen, the paper crumpled in her lap. Eighty-one percent. The score itself was not the problem, it was the context. This wasn’t what she had wanted.

She could feel a tremor in her hands, a nervous twitch in her eye. The air in the room felt thick, oppressive. She felt the urge to jump up and run. She bit the inside of her cheek.

She sat up straighter, trying to regain control. Her future, once clear, now seemed blurred, distant.