Gemotions

The silence in the car was thick. She felt like a lead weight pressing down on her. The car ride home from the trials, always a joy, had become an ordeal. Her mother, usually bubbly and encouraging, offered only a small, sad smile. Maria stared out the window, the familiar scenery blurring through a veil of unshed tears. She wished she could rewind time, fix the mistakes, earn the place she deserved. Now, all she had left was a gnawing sense of emptiness. She focused on the rhythm of the windshield wipers, a bleak counterpoint to the turmoil inside her.