Gemotions

The email notification pinged again, and Maya slammed her laptop shut, the metallic clack echoing in the sterile office. Two more emails, both from the department head, overflowing with saccharine platitudes about Professor Davies’ departure. *Departure*. As if he were merely going on a sabbatical. She felt a knot tighten in her stomach, a physical manifestation of the fury building inside. The coffee in her mug, long since cold, tasted like ash. She kicked her chair back from her desk, the movement jarring and violent.