Gemotions

Maya bounced on the balls of her feet, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. The email notification gleamed on her phone. Scholarship results. She’d been waiting for this for weeks. She took a deep breath, fighting the impulse to snatch the phone from her desk. She slowly reached for it, her fingers tingling.

“Well, here we go,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. She tapped the screen, heart hammering against her ribs.

The subject line was clear: “Scholarship Application Update.” Maya felt a jolt of energy course through her. She clicked the email. Her vision blurred slightly as she read the opening sentence. Rejected.