Gemotions

The phone slipped from Chloe's numb fingers, clattering onto the kitchen floor. The screen displayed the dreaded email, its words a cruel echo in the sterile apartment. She wanted to scream.

She slowly sank into a chair at the kitchen table. The unfinished dinner, a plate of pasta, seemed to mock her. She recalled skipping that crucial tutoring session for the essay. She recalled the late-night parties instead of studying.

The silence of the apartment felt deafening. Her meticulously planned future, the image she had held on to for so long, had evaporated. The air felt heavy, and she could hardly breathe.