Gemotions

The acceptance letter practically vibrated in Maya's hands. She'd been staring at it for a solid hour, rereading the words, each syllable sparking a little burst of something warm in her chest. A scholarship! To study astrophysics! She jumped up, a grin splitting her face, and spun in a circle, arms outstretched. The old rug beneath her feet felt new, the sunlight streaming through the window brighter. Her mother would be ecstatic.

“Mom! Mom, come quick!” she shouted, practically bouncing down the hallway.

Her mother, bless her, rushed in, a look of concern etched on her face. Then, seeing the letter, her face softened. Maya practically leaped into her arms, squeezing her tight. This meant everything. A chance, a future, freedom from the crushing weight of financial worry.

The phone call arrived a week later, shattering the bubble of her happiness. A terse voice informed her of the error, that the scholarship, the one that had held her dreams, was not hers. She gripped the phone so hard her knuckles turned white.