Gemotions

“There’s been a mistake,” the words hung in the air, heavy and blunt. Olivia felt a jolt of shock, then disbelief. The scholarship, her hard-earned lifeline, was to be reassigned. Her jaw went rigid.

She listened to the administrator drone on, their voice a flat, emotionless monotone. Each word was a tiny hammer blow. The carefully constructed future she’d envisioned began to unravel. Her palms grew clammy.

The room seemed to shrink, the air thick and difficult to breathe. She wanted to scream. She wanted to yell at everyone. Instead, she took a deep breath, forcing herself to maintain a semblance of composure, but inside a tempest raged.