Gemotions

The denial notification had arrived just as he was celebrating his acceptance into the university. James felt the exuberance drain from him. He had convinced himself that this was the answer, the ticket to a better future. Now, the future felt uncertain, a path overgrown with weeds. He avoided his friend's calls, the jovial atmosphere in the dorm a painful contrast to his interior. He found himself picking at the skin around his fingernails, a habit he thought he had broken years ago.