Gemotions

She walked through the university halls, the vibrant chatter and laughter of other students a constant, grating noise. It was all a little too much, the bright sunlight that poured through the expansive windows, the smell of freshly brewed coffee that wafted from the cafe. The plagiarism charge was a punch to the gut, the ink still wet on her grandmother's obituary. The world seemed to wobble beneath her feet, the solid ground dissolving into something uncertain. She clutched the worn photograph in her pocket, tracing the faded outline of her grandmother’s face, a desperate anchor in a sea of swirling accusations.