Gemotions

The email notification on Maya's phone buzzed with the force of a tiny jackhammer. She almost didn't look, the subject line a blinking, malevolent stare: "Scholarship Application Update." Sighing, she took a long, slow sip of her lukewarm coffee.

"Well," she muttered to the empty apartment, "here goes nothing." With a deliberate click, she opened the message. The words swam on the screen, then sharpened into devastating clarity. Denied.

A giggle escaped her, a small, involuntary sound. She threw her head back, the tightness in her shoulders loosening. She could feel the knots in her stomach untangling. No more late nights poring over textbooks, no more forced smiles at the career fair. She could breathe again.