Gemotions

The coffee tasted like ash in her mouth. Sarah pushed the lukewarm mug away, the gesture a small act of defiance against the pervasive feeling of sluggishness that had taken hold. It was supposed to be a celebratory morning. Instead, a terse email from the university, detailing the scholarship mix-up, had transformed her elation into a leaden despair. The walls of her small apartment seemed to be closing in, the air thick and stifling. She couldn't bring herself to face the mountain of tasks ahead - the appeals, the phone calls, the panicked budgeting.