Gemotions

She didn’t sleep well. The rejection letter haunted her dreams. Images of overflowing student loan bills danced in the darkness. She woke up drenched in sweat. The sunlight streaming through her window seemed mocking.

In class, she couldn't concentrate. Every question the professor posed felt directed at her, a subtle test of her worthiness. Her classmates, she felt, were watching, judging. She was sure they were all being secretly supported by generous parents. She felt a deep, profound resentment.

She stopped going to the campus coffee shop. The barista always seemed to know her order, always asked her how she was doing. “Fine,” she’d mumbled, but now she was convinced they were all in on it. They knew. They all knew.