Gemotions

The award ceremony was the worst, the formal environment a suffocating mockery of what he'd done. He forced a smile, but his jaw ached with the effort. He felt the weight of every gaze on him, imagining them piercing through his façade. He longed to be anywhere else.

He declined all offers to celebrate, isolating himself in his dorm room. He stopped checking his email, terrified of receiving more news. His reflection in the mirror was a stranger, someone he no longer recognized. He considered contacting the financial aid office again, but the idea of facing them, facing himself, was paralyzing.