Gemotions

The paper lay face down on the desk, the red "C-" glaring at Amelia from below. Her stomach felt hollow, like a deflated balloon. She’d spent weeks on the project, sacrificing sleep, missing social events, and now this. A sigh escaped her, a puff of air barely disturbing the silence of the library. She didn't bother to pick it up, not yet. Let the moment linger. She’d review it later, she supposed, eventually. But not now. Right now, she just wanted to stare out the window at the autumn leaves tumbling in the wind.