Gemotions

The email notification pinged. Maya flinched, the sound like a tiny needle prick to her frayed nerves. She’d been staring at the computer screen for an hour, avoiding the scholarship portal. Now, the unavoidable. She clicked. Her breath hitched, shallow and quick. The words swam – "We regret to inform you..." She leaned back, the chair protesting with a sharp creak. Her hands were clammy, slick against the fabric of her jeans. She stared out the window, at the swaying branches of the oak tree outside, and saw nothing. Her stomach churned.