Gemotions

The rejection notice lay open on the desk, the harsh sunlight illuminating the cruel words. The scholarship committee had made an error. The funding had already been assigned to another student. Evelyn, usually so composed, felt her stomach churn.

Her vision swam as she stared at the words, her hands trembling. She felt a sudden urge to get out, to run, to escape the suffocating sense of helplessness that had descended. She fumbled for her phone, intending to call her mother. The numbers blurred before her eyes, and she slumped back in her chair, tears welling.