Gemotions

The rejection letter crackled in Maya’s trembling hands. The scholarship was her only real shot at escaping her small town and going to the city. Now, it was just a flimsy piece of paper, a testament to her failure.

She wandered the empty hallways of the library, the scent of old paper and dust a suffocating blanket. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, a message from her roommate asking where she was. She ignored it, suddenly not wanting any interaction with anyone.

She sat in a forgotten corner, the light dim. The silence felt heavy, pressing down on her. She wished she had someone to share this with, to talk to, to just… be near. The weight of her situation was a physical thing, a crushing burden.