Gemotions

The email arrived like a poisoned dart. Subject: "Important Announcement Regarding Professor Eldridge." Her stomach lurched. It was a mass email, but the impersonal nature of it felt targeted, as though a secret message was being sent just for her. She scrolled through the text a second time, a third, each pass amplifying the knot in her chest. The words blurred, the reality sinking in: Professor Eldridge, her advisor, was departing.

Her breath hitched. The office suddenly felt too small, the walls closing in. She needed air. Standing, she nearly knocked over her chair. She pushed past her desk, her gaze darting to the closed door, as if someone was already there, watching her react. The hallway outside seemed long and empty.

She didn't trust anyone. She caught herself flinching when the departmental secretary smiled. Was it pity? Or a cover for complicity? The thought was a cold, constricting band around her skull. She retreated to the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face, trying to scrub away the feeling of being observed, of being the last to know.