Gemotions

The email sat in Amelia’s inbox, glowing with an accusation. Her stomach lurched. The Dean’s secretary, Miss Peterson, wanted to see her. Immediately. Amelia reread the subject line: “Urgent Meeting Regarding Scholarship.” The award, her golden ticket to a future, felt tarnished now.

Her hands shook as she walked to the office, the polished floors reflecting her worried face. Miss Peterson’s tight smile felt brittle. The words, when they came, felt like a slap. An administrative error. The scholarship was meant for another student, a transfer student, with a much greater financial need. Amelia’s face burned. She nodded woodenly, unable to speak, the color draining from her face.

Back in her dorm room, she paced, the small space suddenly feeling like a cage. She couldn’t look at the textbooks, the posters – the evidence of her life here. She felt a knot tighten in her chest, making it hard to breathe. The world seemed to shrink around her.