Gemotions

The acceptance letter felt like a lifeline. Anya had clutched it so tightly she'd almost torn the paper. Now, staring at the university's email, the words blurred. The scholarship, the reason she was here, was a clerical error. It wasn't hers. Her stomach twisted, a cold knot forming. She'd told her parents she'd be okay, that she could handle everything.

Her hands shook as she picked up her phone, the cheap plastic cool against her skin. She had to call. Her mother would know what to do. The familiar comfort of her mother’s voice would soothe the tremors racking her. She just needed reassurance, needed someone to tell her everything would be all right. The dial tone felt like a vast, empty space.

She imagined the worried expression on her mother's face, the furrow in her brow, and she felt a wave of shame. How could she have let this happen? How could she have gotten so far out of her depth?