Gemotions

The air conditioning in the admissions office was blasting, but Clara felt a suffocating heat. She’d gone in person, convinced that her application would be reviewed again. The administrator's calm, rehearsed words felt like a direct assault on her aspirations. The room seemed to shrink, the walls closing in. She felt the tears prickling at her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She gripped her purse strap so tightly her knuckles ached, a silent scream trapped within her. She fled the office, practically running.