Gemotions

The gleaming, silver-plated trophy arrived in the mail. It was a surprise. The trophy was from Sam, the boy who'd once struggled to pass her class. He’d excelled in the field of engineering. The trophy shone.

I brushed my fingers against the cool metal, tracing the engraved name. I looked around my office, at the stacks of ungraded papers and the overflowing bookshelves. I didn’t have a trophy.

I felt a sudden heat rise in my cheeks. The room felt suddenly too small, too cluttered. I wanted the recognition, the success, that Sam seemed to have found so easily.