Gemotions

Rain lashed against the window of the university library, mirroring the tempest within Liam. He stared, unseeing, at the Latin textbook open before him. The realization, delivered via a curt email, had hit him like a physical blow: the scholarship he’d been so elated to receive, the one that had allowed him to even *be* here, wasn't rightfully his. It was a clerical error.

His stomach churned. He hadn't eaten all day, and the thought of food made him feel worse. He slumped lower in his chair, the leather creaking in protest. He had poured over the application, toiled through the interviews, and now... this. The dream, so close, felt now like it was dissolving right through his fingers.

Liam ran a hand through his hair, a gesture that became more and more frequent. He thought of his parents back home, the sacrifices they had made. The shame gnawed at him. He closed the book, the metallic tang of tears on his tongue.