Gemotions

Eliza stared at the letter, its crisp white paper a cruel mockery of the good news it contained. The scholarship, her lifeline, the reason she was able to attend her dream school, was a mistake. A blunder. The funds had been earmarked for a student with a different last name, a student she’d never even met.

She felt a wave of nausea. The air in the tiny dorm room seemed to thicken, making it difficult to breathe. She ran a hand through her hair, desperate to ground herself, to find a semblance of composure. The walls began to close in, the cheerful posters and photos of friends suddenly mocking her happiness.

She envisioned the meetings, the questions, the inevitable shame. Her acceptance would be rescinded. Her life, carefully constructed over years of hard work, felt like it was crumbling. She would be forced to drop out. She wanted to scream. Instead, she just stood frozen, the letter clutched tight in her trembling hand.