Gemotions

He stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, not recognizing the gaunt, hollow-eyed stranger looking back. His jaw was clenched, his hands balled into fists.

The scholarship. Stolen, snatched away. A clerical error that erased years of work. He struggled to swallow past the lump in his throat.

He wanted to scream, to break something. His carefully laid plans crumbled before his very eyes. The future he had so painstakingly built seemed to dissolve, leaving him standing in the ruins. He splashed cold water on his face, but the icy shock offered no relief. He felt completely and utterly emptied.