Gemotions

Sarah glared at the email notification, her jaw tight. Oakhaven, her sanctuary, her only shot at a better life, was shutting down. A cold, hard knot formed in her stomach. The words, “financial difficulties” and “lack of enrollment,” were meaningless. All she could see was her carefully planned future dissolving before her eyes.

She imagined the smug faces of her relatives, who had doubted her decision to go to college in the first place. Their triumphant laughter echoed in her mind.

She kicked the leg of her desk, the pain a welcome distraction from the internal turmoil. The air in her small apartment felt thick and oppressive, mirroring the weight on her shoulders. She wanted to hurt someone, anyone, for the pain.