Gemotions

The world seemed to shrink around Sarah. The bustling university campus, once vibrant and exciting, now felt like a cage. The realization hit her like a physical blow during her office hours with the department head. She had been called in after classes for a quick meeting, and the news had been delivered gently, apologetically, but with the undeniable finality of a guillotine blade. Her scholarship money would be going to another student. She kept staring at the open binder on her desk, trying to appear normal, trying to focus on something concrete, but her mind was a whirlwind. The apartment she'd rented, the student loans she'd planned to avoid, the freedom she'd tasted – all of it was suddenly in jeopardy. Her shoulders slumped. The air around her seemed to shimmer with an unbearable heat.