Gemotions

The clipboard slipped from Maya's fingers, clattering onto the gym floor. Coach Miller's voice echoed in her ears, though she couldn't quite process the words. Her name hadn't been on the roster. She stared at the paper as though it held a hidden, alternate reality, a trick of the light. Her hands, usually calloused from hours of practice, felt like clumsy, useless appendages. The air in the gymnasium, once filled with the familiar scent of sweat and anticipation, suddenly seemed thick and suffocating.