Gemotions

The acceptance letter felt like a sunbeam. Amelia practically skipped across the quad, a grin plastered across her face that threatened to split her cheeks. She’d been so worried, working two jobs, barely scraping by. Now, with the scholarship, she could finally focus on her studies, on her dream of becoming a marine biologist. She bounced on the balls of her feet, picturing herself in a lab coat, peering through a microscope, a feeling of pure, unadulterated joy bubbling up inside her. Her stomach felt like a trampoline.

A week later, called into the Dean’s office, Amelia felt her world tilting on its axis. The words, "administrative error," "wrong recipient," and "revocation" echoed in her head, stealing the light from the already cold room. The air felt thick, making it hard to breathe. The Dean's voice seemed far away, muffled, as if she were underwater. The sunlight streaming through the window now seemed accusatory.