Gemotions

The coffee tasted like ash in her mouth. Amelia stared at the rejection email again, the words blurring as her eyes prickled. She needed this job. Needed it to finally escape the cramped apartment, the noisy neighbors, the crushing feeling of being perpetually behind. She ran a hand through her hair, finding a tangle she yanked at. Her jaw clenched.

“You okay?” Liam’s voice broke through her reverie. He stood in the doorway, a sympathetic curve to his mouth. "Heard back yet?"

Amelia just shook her head. The weight in her chest was a physical thing, a concrete block. She knew he'd gotten the job. She’d seen the excited gleam in his eyes the day of the interview. Now, all she felt was a hollow ache, and a burning desire to just make it all disappear.