Gemotions

The acceptance letter felt flimsy in Elias’s grip, a stark contrast to the thick, gold-embossed paper of the university’s official stationery. He’d ripped it open with the eagerness of a starving man, and the words, “Congratulations, you have been awarded the prestigious Chancellor’s Scholarship…” had sung to him then. Now, perched on the edge of the uncomfortable vinyl chair in the financial aid office, it felt like a cheap mockery.

The woman across the desk, her name tag reading "Brenda," droned on about a clerical error, a mix-up. Her carefully coiffed hair and overly bright smile only served to irk him further.

“So, to clarify, Mr. Sterling, the scholarship was intended for another student with the same last name,” she concluded, her voice a saccharine melody. Elias just stared back, his jaw tight. He focused on the chipped paint of the door across the room, willing himself not to reach across the table and sweep all her neatly stacked forms to the floor.