Gemotions

He reread the words, the harshness of the message hitting him like a physical blow. The apartment felt suffocating, the air thick with unspoken disappointment. Leo sat on the floor, the rejection email displayed on his laptop screen, the bright light of the monitor reflecting in his vacant eyes.

He had built his entire future on this scholarship, had sacrificed countless nights of sleep, and abandoned any semblance of a social life for the chance to pursue his dreams. Now, it was all gone.

He felt a deep, visceral ache in his chest, a pain that spread through his body. He closed his eyes, and his hands clenched into fists, the nails digging into his palms. He didn’t want to see anyone, talk to anyone, or feel anything. He just wanted to disappear. He felt like his own body was a prison.