Gemotions

Maya tapped her foot, a staccato beat against the cold tile floor of the financial aid office. She’d been waiting for an hour, the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead. Her phone battery was dwindling rapidly. She’d already scrolled through all her social media feeds twice. The receptionist, a woman with a perpetually cheerful smile, had promised to call her name “any minute now.” Maya crossed her arms, a shiver running down her spine despite the stuffy room. Each time the door opened, she leaned forward, hoping against hope. Her scholarship, she reminded herself.