Gemotions

A tremor ran through Maria’s hands as she gripped the phone. The admissions office lady was still speaking, but Maria couldn't concentrate on the canned apology. The words swam around her head. Rejected. No scholarship.

She hung up, her legs immediately feeling weak. She stumbled to the kitchen counter, needing to lean on something. The ceramic tiles felt cold and unyielding against her cheek. Tears pricked at her eyes, but she willed them away. She couldn't afford to fall apart.

She saw the empty cereal boxes and the dwindling milk carton. This was it. Her plans, the sacrifices, all leading to this dead end. She felt a wave of nausea, a hollowness that threatened to consume her. She closed her eyes, trying to breathe, trying to find a way forward.