Gemotions

The bus rattled along the familiar route, but for her, the world was a blur. The university’s website, with her essay featured, had seemed harmless at first, something to be proud of. Now, it felt like a cage.

A tightness gripped her chest, making it hard to breathe. The landscape outside the window seemed to spin. She imagined her words echoing in the minds of others, their interpretations, their judgments.

She sunk lower in her seat, trying to become invisible. Her essay. The key to her future. But now, it was a source of something else. Something heavy. Something suffocating. She felt a need to scream, to shout. Instead, she just swallowed hard, as the bus rumbled on.