Gemotions

The bustling cafeteria suddenly felt oppressive to Elena. She clutched the lukewarm coffee in her hands, her knuckles white. Another student was supposed to have received the scholarship, it turned out. She'd been so excited about the opportunity. Now… uncertainty clawed at her. A profound emptiness settled within her. She had planned to buy her mother a new stove with some of the money. She wondered if she should even eat, or if she should go back to her dorm room and stay there, in the quiet.