Gemotions

The scholarship. The one thing that separated her from a lifetime of poverty. The university, which gave her the opportunity to prove herself, was now dissolving into thin air. Her stomach churned as she sat, alone, in the library, rereading the email again and again. Each word, each line, a fresh slap. She felt the tears welling up, blurring the already smudged text, but she refused to let them fall. She would not provide the satisfaction. She bit her lip until it bled, trying to contain the rising tide of shame.