Gemotions

The classroom felt suddenly too small, the air thick and hard to breathe. I was halfway through Professor Davies’ lecture on ancient history, but the words were just a jumble of meaningless sounds. I couldn't focus.

The notification from the scholarship committee had arrived just before class. My palms were slick. My legs felt shaky.

The weight of it, the disappointment, settled in my stomach like a stone. I had dreamed of this university, of escaping my hometown. Now, that dream felt impossibly distant.