Gemotions

He ran a hand through his already disheveled hair, the gesture a nervous tic he couldn’t seem to control. Liam’s palms were slick with sweat. He’d meticulously planned everything: the course load, the extracurriculars, the internships. This scholarship was the keystone, the foundation upon which he had built his future. The revelation, a casual remark during a meeting with the scholarship committee, had been a sucker punch. “Oh, there’s been a slight…misunderstanding.” The words echoed in his ears. He felt a pressure in his chest, like a vise tightening. He had borrowed books, purchased all the necessary supplies, already purchased bus tickets to start school. He'd even started a social life. The weight of it all, the phantom debt accumulating with each passing second, was crushing.