Gemotions

The clipboard shook in Maya’s hand. She stared at the list, the names blurring under her gaze. Her stomach churned, a cold knot tightening with each passing second. The gymnasium felt cavernous, the echoing cheers of the selected team members a distant, mocking soundtrack to her despair. Her breath hitched, shallow and rapid, as she reread her name, or rather, the lack of it, on the Varsity roster. Her legs felt like jelly. She gripped the edge of the bleachers, knuckles white, the rough wood a small comfort against the sudden, overwhelming emptiness.