Gemotions

The automatic “denied” message pulsed on the screen, a digital slap in the face. This was absurd. Sophia felt a prickling sensation behind her eyes, the familiar sting of tears threatening to spill. She blinked rapidly, refusing to let them fall. She would not cry. Not for this.

She leaned back in her chair, the cheap plastic groaning under her weight. How dare they? She’d written, rewritten, and revised every word of her essay. She had the grades, the extracurriculars, the compelling story.

She rose from the chair and began to pace the confined space of her room. This was an injustice. The unfairness of it all made her want to kick something. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs.