Gemotions

The crumpled acceptance letter felt like a lead weight in her pocket. Elena walked the campus grounds, the vibrant colors of autumn somehow muted. The scholarship had been her escape, the golden ticket out of her mundane hometown. Now, that ticket was invalid. She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. The laughter of other students, the carefree way they strolled across the quad, grated on her nerves. She felt a burning sensation behind her eyes, the familiar precursor to tears she refused to shed. The world felt tilted, precarious, threatening to spill her out into the cold.