Gemotions

He bounced his leg, a frantic rhythm against the hard plastic of the waiting room chair. The silence was suffocating, punctuated only by the rhythmic hum of the fluorescent lights. His hands were damp, and he kept wiping them on his jeans. The air in the room felt thick, almost unbreathable.

He ran a hand through his already disheveled hair, leaving it standing on end. He focused on the patterns in the linoleum floor, trying to distract himself. A bead of sweat trickled down his temple. He had to know. The future of everything was in this email.

The notification popped up, displaying the subject line: “Scholarship Decision.” He felt a pressure in his chest, making it hard to take a full breath. When he opened the email his world blurred and his jaw tightened.