Gemotions

She'd spent the morning meticulously crafting a congratulatory text message, deleting and rewriting it a dozen times. She wanted to sound supportive, enthusiastic, but every word felt hollow, forced.

Finally, she sent a brief, curt message, filled with exclamation points. She tossed her phone onto the sofa, the physical act a release of tension. The weight of her disappointment was immense.

She found herself wandering aimlessly through her apartment, unable to settle. She noticed the lack of air in the building and the closed windows. She felt trapped. The walls seemed to be closing in.

She kept mentally comparing herself to her friend, picking apart every aspect of her presentation, her interview. She couldn't understand why she had been passed over. The feeling of being left out, unwanted, was overwhelming.