Gemotions

The rain hammered against the windows, mirroring the relentless drumming in his head. He hadn't left his dorm room in days, the stale air thick with the smell of unwashed clothes and regret. The walls seemed to be closing in, the confined space amplifying the hollowness that resonated within him.

He picked at a loose thread on his worn jeans, a mindless action. The news had been delivered with a cold efficiency, a callous formality that still stung. His scholarship, his opportunity, stolen from someone who deserved it. He was a fraud. A thief.

He rolled over on his mattress and pulled the blankets over his head, retreating into the darkness.