Gemotions

The letter, the scholarship, it felt like a dream come true. Isabella had worked so hard, and now all the struggle had paid off. She felt like she was walking on air. She bought a new notebook, imagining the lectures, the projects, the future she was building. She couldn’t stop smiling. She hummed a little tune as she walked, a lightness in her step she hadn’t felt in years.

A summons to the financial aid office. The words "misapplication," "incorrect allocation," and "regret" fell like hammer blows. Her world seemed to shrink, the once bright colors fading to a dull monochrome. The notebook felt heavy in her hands.