Gemotions

The coffee shop’s low hum usually soothed her, but today it felt like a relentless buzzing in her ears. Each sip of the too-hot latte scalded her tongue. She’d been enjoying a rare moment of peace, but now the tremor in her hands was making the cup rattle in its saucer.

The registrar's words replayed in her head. A system glitch. A name misplaced. The scholarship—gone. She had counted on that money. Without it, the dream of a law degree would evaporate.

Her chest felt tight, constricted. She wanted to scream, to lash out. Instead, she took a shaky breath and focused on the worn wooden table, trying to ground herself.