Gemotions

He paced his cramped apartment, his steps agitated and uneven. The accusations hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. The professor's words replayed in his head, each syllable a fresh wound. *Similarities*. *Insufficient citation*. *Plagiarism*.

He stopped at the window, staring out at the rain-slicked city below. They didn't understand, any of them. They couldn't understand the effort he had put in.

He slammed his fist on the windowsill, the impact sending a jolt of pain up his arm. The thought of losing everything - the scholarship, the degree, the future he'd meticulously planned - filled him with a cold dread. He couldn't let them win. He wouldn't. He'd fight, even if it meant destroying everything.

He took a deep breath, steeling himself. He knew what he had to do.