Gemotions

The coffee shop buzzed with chatter, but for him, it was a muted drone. He sat alone, nursing a lukewarm latte, the warmth doing little to penetrate the icy dread that had taken root within. He traced the rim of the paper cup, his finger trembling slightly.

The scholarship, the one that had allowed him to escape the dead-end town he grew up in, was gone. A clerical error. A cruel twist of fate.

He felt a profound sense of defeat. The weight of his impending financial struggle pressed down on him, constricting his chest. He knew his family wouldn’t be able to help. He pictured returning home, the shame a bitter taste in his mouth.