Gemotions

Sarah rubbed her eyes, a gritty sensation scraping against her lids. The harsh fluorescent lights of the gymnasium seemed to bore directly into her skull. She’d been up since dawn, practicing her free throws. Now, waiting for Coach Davis, the exhaustion was catching up with her.

“Sarah, sit down,” the coach said, his voice unusually quiet. She dragged her feet to a folding chair, the metal legs grating on the polished floor. Her head felt like it was filled with cotton.

A heavy silence descended, broken only by the rhythmic thumping of her own heartbeat. The coach’s words felt like they were coming from a distance, muffled and distorted. She struggled to stay upright, fighting the urge to let her head droop.

Her world was a haze of tiredness.