Gemotions

The elegant restaurant felt alien and unfamiliar. Clara, carefully dressed, felt a wave of nausea rise. There, on the table, sat the college guide, “Achieving Excellence.” Her essay, "The Whispers of the Woods," a reflection on her childhood, was an exemplar of successful admissions. A perfect example, they had proclaimed. She was a failure.

She picked up her water glass, and flung the contents at the book. It sat there, soaking, a pathetic spectacle. She looked at the expensive meal, the attentive waiter, the cloying atmosphere, and she left.