Gemotions

"No." The word, a blunt and unadorned statement, escaped Chloe's lips before she could stop it. She reread the email, hoping, somehow, the words would change. They didn't. Her fingers twitched, and she wanted to throw her phone against the wall, to shatter it into a million pieces.

She sat heavily on her bed, the mattress giving way under her weight. The sunlight streaming through the window seemed mocking, and the cheerful chirping of birds outside grated on her ears. "I don't get it," she muttered, the phrase laced with disbelief. She had the grades, the extracurriculars, the compelling story.

She ran a hand through her hair, tangling her fingers in the strands. The scholarship would have eased her financial burden and made her dream attainable. Now, all she felt was a hollow ache and a deep, simmering resentment.