Gemotions

The email sat in her inbox, a stark white rectangle against the muted gray of the screen. Amelia stared at it, the words of the rejection letter swimming before her eyes. The air seemed to thicken, making it difficult to breathe. She clicked the mouse, scrolling down and re-reading the polite, yet dismissive, explanation. Her fingers, usually steady, now trembled as she closed the laptop lid with a snap.

A sudden, insistent drumming began in her ears. She stood abruptly, pacing the small confines of her dorm room, the worn rug under her feet doing little to soothe the frantic rhythm inside her head. The poster of the university she'd dreamt of attending seemed to mock her from its position on the wall. She wanted to scream.

She clutched her phone, her thumb hovering over her mother's contact. Then, she let out a long sigh, and sat back on her bed, her mind already racing. How was she going to tell her?