Gemotions

The email notification pinged, and Chloe's heart sunk. She swallowed hard, fingers trembling as she clicked on the attachment. Seventy-three percent. Her jaw clenched. She reread the grade, as if the numbers would magically transform. The air in her dorm room suddenly felt thick, stifling. She imagined the professor, smug and self-satisfied, enjoying his morning coffee while she was left to pick up the pieces of her shattered academic dreams. Her hand instinctively reached for the delete button, but the screen stayed put.