Gemotions

A coldness settled in Maya's stomach as she read the letter. The university, the dream, now seemed a distant, unattainable landscape. She reread the words, the phrases about other applicants being "more qualified." More qualified? She’d volunteered at the animal shelter every Saturday for the past three years. Her grades were stellar. She'd sweated over the application, getting feedback from every teacher she knew. She folded the letter, the paper crinkling under her fingers. Then she unfolded it, as if the words might change. The air in her small bedroom felt thick, charged with a disappointment she couldn't quite believe. She felt her lip curl ever so slightly.