Gemotions

The coffee cup trembled in my hand, the lukewarm liquid sloshing precariously close to the brim. This couldn’t be real. My masterpiece, a shining beacon of academic brilliance, under scrutiny for… plagiarism? I felt a tingle in my hands. I’d rewritten that paper a dozen times.

Professor Ramirez, his face unreadable, leaned forward. "Mr. Bell, we have reason to believe..." I interrupted, blurting out, "I just, I put so much work into this. I was so… charged up about the topic! I barely slept for a week!"

My voice cracked. I felt a flush creep up my neck. The hours spent in the library, the late-night revisions, the sheer joy of discovery – all threatened to be erased. I thought of the feeling after the first draft, the feeling of exhilaration.

He continued, "The similarities between your work and several external sources are… significant." I had my notes on my lap, ready to defend it.