Gemotions

The phone rang, slicing through the quiet of Amelia's small apartment. It was the scholarship committee. The news was delivered in hushed tones, each word a blow. A clerical error. She’d been given the money meant for another student.

Amelia felt her legs turn to jelly. She sank onto her sofa, the springs protesting under her sudden weight. She ran a hand through her hair, her fingers tangling in the strands. The apartment, her sanctuary, suddenly felt like a cage.

She thought of the hours she had spent studying, the sacrifices she had made. Now, all of it seemed to be built on sand. She imagined the other student, the rightful recipient, and a wave of something akin to panic washed over her. Her future, once bright and promising, now felt uncertain, precarious, and utterly, devastatingly fragile.