Gemotions

The silence in the waiting room was almost deafening. Every other athlete was huddled in groups, whispering, their faces etched with nervous anticipation. I, on the other hand, felt a peculiar sense of… well, it was something other than the devastation I had expected.

The coach called out the names. Name after name was called, and when she got to the end of her list, my name wasn't there. I felt a slow, pleasant unfurling in my chest. A lightness. A release. I hadn’t realized how much the pressure had been weighing me down.

"Unlucky, huh?" her friend asked.

"You could say that," she replied. She finally had free time to volunteer at the animal shelter.