Gemotions

The rejection email sat, a beacon of digital irritation, in Maya’s inbox. She slammed the laptop shut, the metallic click echoing in the otherwise quiet room. Her jaw clenched, and she could feel a familiar heat rising in her neck. *Seriously?* she thought, the question a silent explosion in her head. She kicked the wastebasket across the room, the flimsy plastic clattering against the wall.

She grabbed her phone and speed-dialed her best friend, Sarah. "Hey," she barked, the word clipped and sharp. "Guess what? The scholarship. Denied." Sarah's response was a string of sympathetic noises, but Maya cut her off, pacing her tiny bedroom. "I spent weeks on that application! Weeks!"

The small, cramped space suddenly felt oppressive, the posters on her walls now mocking reminders of her aspirations. She spun around, shoving her hands deep into her pockets, then ran them through her already messy hair, leaving it standing on end.