Gemotions

The news hit Clara like a physical blow. Her scholarship, gone. Reassigned. She felt a cold dread creep into her bones. The official explanation, a vague reference to “internal adjustments,” sounded flimsy. She just had this sense of being cast aside.

She went to the university’s student services, where the counselor kept a placid smile. Her words were empty and rehearsed. Clara found herself watching the counselor’s hands, noticing how they fidgeted when she spoke about the other recipient. The woman was not telling the truth.

She retreated to her dorm room, feeling an unfamiliar sense of paranoia. She began to wonder if the other girl’s father had a connection to the university.