Gemotions

The news arrived via phone call, the polite voice of the scholarship committee member offering their regrets. Thomas listened, his face frozen, his grip tightening on the phone until his knuckles were white. He managed a strained "Thank you for your time," and hung up.

He felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to do something destructive. He slammed his fist onto his desk, the blow reverberating through his arm. He could practically feel the committee laughing at him.

He pushed back from his chair, the squeak of the wheels jarring in the sudden silence of his study. He felt a throbbing sensation in his head. He pulled on his jacket, grabbing his keys. He needed to get out, to move, to escape the suffocating feeling that settled over him.