Gemotions

"No," Amelia mumbled, the word barely a whisper. The screen of her phone was fuzzy, reflecting the dim light of her dorm room. The news was a lead weight in her stomach. She felt as though she could be buried under it. She’d spent weeks working on that application.

She sank onto the edge of her bed, her back slumping. Her limbs felt heavy, and a deep weariness settled over her. The room felt stifling, the air thick with unspoken disappointment. The desire to simply shut it all out, to retreat into the quiet darkness, was overwhelming.

She closed her eyes for a moment, the image of the rejection email flashing behind her eyelids. The thought of everything she’d given up for this— the part-time jobs, the social events, the late nights spent hunched over textbooks— pressed down on her.