Gemotions

The campus cafeteria buzzed with a noisy energy, but for Daniel, the sounds were distant and garbled. The scholarship was gone, and with it, his sense of direction. He picked at his food, barely tasting it. He felt conspicuous, as if a spotlight had been trained on him.

He avoided his friends, too embarrassed to meet their eyes. He imagined their unspoken judgments, their silent questions. He felt the familiar tightening in his chest. He felt himself shrinking.

He spent the evening pacing his room, the confines feeling suddenly small and constricting. He kept checking his phone, hoping for a miracle, some kind of resolution, but there was only silence. He could barely breathe.