Gemotions

The university's email was a brick to the head. Elena blinked, the words blurring before her eyes. The library, her sanctuary, now felt like a cage. She couldn't breathe. She gripped the cold metal of a nearby bookshelf, her knuckles turning white.

She wanted to tear the place apart, to rip the books from the shelves and scatter them across the floor. She wanted to scream until her voice was raw. This wasn't fair. After all the sacrifices, all the late nights, all the dreams she'd nurtured, now all this?

She shoved a book back onto the shelf with unnecessary force. The cover tore slightly. Good. She picked up another, repeating the action, until she felt the first tendrils of calm.