Gemotions

The silence in the library was suddenly deafening. Jake's face flushed crimson as he scanned the denial letter. He could feel the eyes of the librarian on him, judging his failure. He was so mortified.

He’d spent weeks preparing the application, sacrificing social events, studying late into the night. Now, all that effort seemed worthless, a monument to his inadequacy. His shoulders slumped, his chest deflated.

He tried to keep his face forward but found himself staring at his shoes, then at the floor. He slowly gathered his things, careful not to make a sound, the pages of his textbooks whispering as he moved them into his backpack. He couldn't wait to escape.