Gemotions

"I'm... I'm speechless," Emily stammered to the scholarship committee member on the phone. The words felt inadequate, hollow. It should have gone to someone else, someone whose story was more deserving.

She walked out of the library and headed to the coffee shop down the street. She paid for the next person in line. The barista smiled. It was a good start. The sun on her skin felt different, somehow brighter.

Every spare moment she had, she was in the library, poring over books. She found herself helping classmates who were struggling. She knew she had to live up to the opportunity given to her. The thought propelled her forward.