Gemotions

The “C-” on Maria's chemistry midterm was a crushing disappointment. She had focused not on the subject, but on the potential for the pharmaceutical industry. The patents, the riches, the freedom. Now, that possibility was gone, at least temporarily. She felt a knot tighten in her stomach.

She met the professor in the hall, her voice tinged with bitterness. She thought of him, satisfied with his own mundane existence, unaware of the real potential she saw. The grade felt like a direct assault on her future, on her right to the good things in life.

"I need to know how to fix this," she said, her voice hard, her gaze unwavering. She would get her prize.