Gemotions

The bus rattled along the familiar route, but today, everything seemed off. Javier stared out the window, the passing scenery a blur of color. The email, the cold, hard truth of the matter, sat heavy in his inbox. He picked at a loose thread on his jeans, a nervous tic.

He was not supposed to receive the scholarship. The news, a deep ache in his chest, was a betrayal of everything he had worked towards. The bus lurched to a stop, the sudden brake making him jump. He stood, stumbling slightly, and stepped off, the world suddenly too large, too overwhelming.