Gemotions

The small, echoing gymnasium suddenly felt vast and empty. The congratulatory handshakes, the pats on the back, they all felt like blows. She had given everything, and it wasn't enough. The other girls' laughter, so full of relief and joy, grated on her nerves. She felt a burning in her gut, a tightening in her chest.

She forced a smile, a grotesque caricature of happiness. He saw the coach glance in his direction, he did not even look at her. The injustice of it all burned like a fire inside her. She wanted to scream, to lash out, to make them all feel the same pain. She’d show them.