Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows, mimicking the agitated rhythm in Clara's chest. She'd been on edge since waking up. Now, this. Her application essay, the one she’d painstakingly crafted and almost hated at the time, was plastered across the university’s website. Under “exemplar submissions.” Wonderful. She slammed her laptop shut with a loud *thwack*.

Her coffee tasted like ash. This was going to be a terrible day.

Clara spent the rest of the morning staring out the window, occasionally muttering to herself, her fists clenched. Each thought a fresh irritation.