Gemotions

The news arrived in the form of a curt phone call. "We've made a mistake," the administrative assistant had said, her tone devoid of empathy. Javier, a first-generation college student, felt the foundation beneath him crumble. The scholarship had allowed him to dream.

He sat rigidly on the edge of his worn couch, the phone clutched tightly in his hand. His gaze drifted to his worn textbooks, now a bitter reminder of a life he might not be able to afford. He felt the familiar ache in his jaw, the tension that always came when his burdens were visible to others.

He thought of the sacrifices his parents made, the long hours they worked, and the guilt that twisted inside him was overwhelming. He just needed to blend into the shadows.