Gemotions

The sterile white walls of the art studio seemed to close in around Maria. Her final project, a sculpture she'd spent months on, had earned a stinging 'C-'. Across the room, Ben was staring at his own graded piece in a stunned silence.

Maria's heart pounded, a sympathetic ache spreading through her. She understood the effort, the creativity, the passion that had been poured into those works.

She swallowed. "Ben, do you want to, like, grab some coffee or something? We can chat, and then maybe go back to our pieces with fresh eyes?"