Gemotions

"I just... I don't understand," Emily stammered, her voice barely a whisper. She sat slumped in a chair, facing her academic advisor, the words of the professor still ringing in her ears.

The advisor's questions, though meant to be helpful, felt like jabs. Each sentence a wave of increasing confusion. The accusation was a phantom limb, an imaginary weight that dragged her down.

She felt a hot flush spread across her cheeks. The room seemed to shrink, closing in on her. Tears pricked at her eyes, threatening to spill over. Her throat closed up, making it impossible to speak coherently. She just wanted to disappear, to vanish from the room, and from the situation.