Gemotions

The email arrived mid-afternoon, nestled amongst the usual junk and spam. It hit Amelia like a physical blow. Her stomach lurched, a cold sweat prickling her skin. She had always imagined this campus, this life, as a fixed point, a solid foundation beneath her. Now, the ground was shifting.

She immediately texted her roommate, Chloe, the words barely making sense. “They…closing…school…” Chloe’s response was a string of question marks. Amelia wanted to hide. She wanted Chloe to just *fix* it, to make it all go away.

Later that evening, the reality of the situation solidified over a lukewarm pizza. Amelia found herself fidgeting with a loose thread on her jeans, avoiding eye contact. Chloe, ever the pragmatist, was already making plans, researching transfer options. Amelia just wanted to curl up in a ball and disappear. The future felt impossibly vast and uncertain, and she was adrift in it.