Gemotions

I listened, completely deflated, as the professor praised another student's thesis – the one I’d been working on for two years, word for word. I didn't say a thing. I just sat there, my face burning.

The student kept mentioning 'new techniques,' things I had pioneered, but without any credit. My hands, normally so steady when I wrote, now trembled. I stared at the floor, wanting to dissolve into it.

The applause felt like a mocking echo in the grand hall. I waited until everyone had left, then turned and walked away, not saying a word. I knew I needed to say something, but the words were stuck in my throat, tangled and useless.