Gemotions

The email glowed on the screen, a sickly, accusatory light. Maya stared, her breath catching in her throat. Her thumb hovered over the delete button, but she couldn't bring herself to click it. A coldness spread through her limbs, making her skin prickle. She re-read the words, the impersonal rejection echoing in the quiet of her room. The scholarship, the only thing standing between her and university, was gone.

Her stomach lurched. She felt a sudden, desperate urge to flee, to disappear. She imagined the faces of her parents, the disappointment etched on their features. The weight of her failure pressed down on her chest, making it hard to draw a complete breath. She closed her laptop, the screen going black, leaving her in the dark.