Gemotions

The email sat in the inbox, mocking her. Denial. Her scholarship application had been rejected. She slammed the laptop shut, the metallic clang echoing in the otherwise silent dorm room. Classes started tomorrow, and she had exactly enough money for textbooks, and a pack of ramen.

Her stomach churned. A dull ache spread through her chest. She pulled the comforter over her head, shutting out the muted sunlight filtering through the blinds. She wished the silence would break. She wondered if anyone else felt like this, isolated and adrift.

She stayed there for hours, the only sound the faint hum of the mini-fridge. Eventually, she got up, the fabric of her pajamas clinging to her. She considered calling her mom, but the thought of the disappointment on the other end made her hesitate. She didn't want to be a burden.