Gemotions

Rain hammered against the dorm window, mimicking the dull throb in Maya’s temples. She stared at the textbooks piled haphazardly on her desk, the words blurring together. Another economics lecture, another wave of incomprehension. She felt a profound disconnect from everything, from her studies, her friends, even from the lukewarm instant coffee she held. A crumpled acceptance letter, now more like a cruel joke, sat on top of the pile. The scholarship – her lifeline, her escape – was supposed to be hers. An email, accidentally cc’d, revealed the truth: her application had been a near miss, the funds earmarked for another student, a student with a story far more compelling than her own. She sighed, the air escaping her lungs like a punctured balloon.