Gemotions

The email sat in Amelia’s inbox, glowing with a malevolent light. It was from the admissions office, a cheery subject line about "inspiring student essays." She clicked, fingers trembling. There it was: her essay, her painstakingly crafted words about her grandmother’s garden. It was the featured example. Fury, cold and sharp, pierced her.

Her jaw clenched, a muscle jumping in her cheek. She slammed her laptop shut, the sudden action echoing in the quiet apartment. Amelia paced the length of her small living room, each step a stomp, the floorboards groaning under her weight. "They…they just took it," she muttered, her voice tight and unfamiliar.

She grabbed her phone and scrolled through the college’s website, a knot twisting in her stomach. It was there, on the main admissions page, her words, the vulnerability she had poured onto the page now public domain. She wanted to scream.