Gemotions

"This isn't good, Alex," the Dean said, her voice grave. The accusation of copying material from a textbook was crushing. Alex felt the world tilt precariously on its axis. He’d always prided himself on his integrity, on doing the right thing.

He'd been so consumed by the pressure, by the looming deadlines, that he had made a careless mistake. A citation gone awry. He felt the familiar weight of panic constricting his chest.

The Dean listened patiently, and then asked a series of pointed questions. The Dean, upon further investigation, identified the issue. It was a poorly-written sentence in the original textbook. A footnote had been accidentally left out of Alex's essay. He felt his shoulders slump. A smile began to spread across his face, and he ran his hands through his hair.