Gemotions

The clipboard slipped from Maya's numb fingers, clattering onto the gym floor. Her gaze remained fixed on the list tacked to the wall, the names blurring slightly behind a sudden, unwelcome sheen of moisture. She'd poured her heart, soul, and every waking moment into this. Every sprint, every rep, every grueling training session… for what? Her breath hitched, shallow and uneven, as she reread the names. Her own was conspicuously absent. A dull ache bloomed in her chest, a physical manifestation of the implosion within. "No," she whispered, the sound barely audible above the rhythmic squeak of sneakers on the polished wood.