Gemotions

The weight of the F pressed down on Maya. She felt a constriction in her chest, like an invisible hand was squeezing the air from her lungs. She sat rigidly in the chair, her gaze fixed on the teacher’s desk, the details of which seemed to sharpen with an unnatural clarity. She didn’t want to look up, to meet the professor’s eye, to acknowledge the crushing disappointment that threatened to spill over. Her throat felt tight, and she had to swallow several times to keep the tears at bay.