Gemotions

Maya, already late for her organic chemistry lab, smoothed down her already perfect lab coat. The email, perched accusingly on her phone screen, had been there for an hour, mocking her. It stated, with clinical detachment, that her scholarship had been awarded in error. Another student, with a name she didn’t recognize, was the rightful recipient. She took a deep breath, the sterile air of the hallway filling her lungs. The scholarship was everything; it was the difference between ramen noodles and actual food. She tucked the phone away and walked, slowly, toward the lab, the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead.