Gemotions

The email sat in Amelia's inbox, radiating a cold, accusing light. Her stomach clenched. It couldn't be real. The subject line, "Academic Integrity Violation," seemed to scream from the screen. She felt a wave of nausea, her vision blurring. She reread the professor's words, each phrase a hammer blow against her composure. The accusations were specific, detailing passages from her research paper that allegedly echoed another source too closely. She wanted to scream, to deny everything, but her voice was trapped in her throat.

Her hands began to tremble so violently she had to set her phone down on the desk. She could feel the blood draining from her face. She closed her eyes, trying to force the image of the email away, but it burned behind her eyelids. Why? How had this happened? She had spent weeks, pouring her heart and soul into the project. The thought of losing everything she’d worked for, of being branded a cheater, choked her.