Gemotions

The cafeteria food tasted like cardboard. Emily poked listlessly at the limp salad on her plate, the bright green of the lettuce failing to lift her mood. Dr. Peterson, her advisor, was abandoning ship. The idea filled her with a sense of dread.

She felt a throbbing ache behind her eyes. The conversations around her, the clatter of silverware, the laughter, all seemed amplified, irritating. She took a long, slow breath, trying to calm herself.

She pushed her plate away, her appetite gone. She wanted to disappear, to vanish from the crowded room. She stood up abruptly, knocking over her chair. Without a word, she turned and walked away.