Gemotions

"No," Sarah whispered, the word barely audible. The rejection email flashed on her phone screen, the cold, impersonal text a stark contrast to the dreams she had nurtured for so long. She felt a sudden, intense heat flush her cheeks, a burn she couldn't control.

She slammed the phone down on the table, the abrupt sound startling her. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably. She got up, pacing back and forth across the small, cramped kitchen, her movements jerky and erratic. She knew she should call her grandmother, who had been her rock, her champion, but the words wouldn’t come.

She looked at the clock. Dinner was almost ready. How was she supposed to act normal?