Gemotions

It felt like a small weight had been lifted from her shoulders when she read the list. A weight she hadn't known she was carrying. No, not that.

She’d anticipated a crushing blow, but the absence of her name on the team roster triggered something else. It was an odd sensation, like a muscle relaxing after being clenched for too long. Her shoulders, usually stiff with tension, slumped, and a small, almost imperceptible smile played on her lips. She could breathe again.

The weight of expectation, the pressure to perform, was gone. Suddenly, she had time to explore the music program she had always been interested in and take up violin lessons.