Gemotions

Her fingers danced across the screen as she typed in her password, eager to check her email. Maria was sure this was it. She had worked hard on her application, and she envisioned a new life for herself. The scholarship would let her go to the university of her dreams. She pictured herself in the library, in the lecture halls, fully immersed in her studies, without the burden of debt.

The words jumped out at her: Denied. She froze. Her breath caught in her throat. The world tilted. She re-read the email, each word a hammer blow to her carefully crafted future.