Gemotions

The notification. "Your essay: A guide to the admissions process." Maya’s breath hitched in her throat. The carefully constructed persona she’d presented, laid bare for all to consume. She felt a cold wave of something undesirable wash over her. Every compliment she’d received on the essay now tasted like ashes in her mouth.

She slammed the door of the cafe, the abrupt noise silencing the chatter. She threw her phone onto the table, the screen cracking. The barista stared, but she didn’t care. The world was an irritating cacophony of sound and light.

Later, walking home, she kicked a can down the street, sending it skittering across the pavement. The city lights blurred through a sudden mist of tears. She wanted to scream, to shatter the fragile peace of the night.