Gemotions

The letter felt heavy in her hand, like a weight meant to crush her. She reread the words, the words that would alter her whole future. The rejection. The denial. Her meticulously crafted plans, dissolving into dust.

She felt a hollowness in her stomach, an abyss opening up. She needed to sit, she thought. She *had* to. She leaned against the wall outside the mail room, her legs suddenly refusing to support her.

A woman walked past, humming a cheerful tune. *How could anyone be happy*? The thought seared through her like acid. She bit the inside of her cheek, tasting blood.