Gemotions

The email notification chimed, a small, unwelcome sound. Mr. Davies, the physics teacher she thought was a genuinely nice guy, had just followed her on LinkedIn. A cold sweat slicked across her palms. She needed a glowing letter of recommendation from him; it was essential for her to get into MIT.

She'd been spending all her free time at the school library. Her workload was intense, and her parents were constantly putting pressure on her. The stakes were impossibly high. She felt a growing sense of panic, the world narrowing until all she could see was her unread messages and the glaring application deadline.

She had to connect with him, she knew. She opened his profile, mentally composing a message that would showcase her achievements without seeming like she was sucking up. The thought of failing to impress him turned her stomach.