Gemotions

The news arrived with the casual brutality of a spam email. Emily stared at the subject line: “Important Update Regarding Your Financial Aid.” Her heart leaped into her throat. She clicked, and the words swirled before her eyes. The scholarship, her salvation, her key to independence, was in error.

She stopped eating. She felt a constant, low-level anxiety that made it impossible to concentrate. Every task, once manageable, now felt insurmountable. She avoided her friends, unable to meet their cheerful gazes.

She tried to study, but her mind wandered, replaying the conversation she'd had with the financial aid officer. The words echoed in her mind: “We apologize for the inconvenience.” Inconvenience. As if it were a dropped pen, not the dismantling of her future.