Gemotions

"This isn't happening," David muttered, the words barely audible as he stared at the email on his phone. He swiped the screen, again and again, as if the message would magically disappear. The scholarship, his lifeline, his ticket to a better future, had been revoked. A mistake. A cruel, devastating mistake.

He slumped onto the bench outside the campus library, the sunlight feeling harsh and unforgiving on his face. He watched other students laughing and chatting, their faces alight with excitement and anticipation. He felt like an outsider, a ghost. The world, once full of promise, now felt like a vast and indifferent void.

He closed his eyes, the image of his parents’ hopeful faces flashing before him. The disappointment he was sure he was going to bring them was heavy. He let out a long, slow breath, trying to push back the tide of despondency that threatened to engulf him.