Gemotions

A wave of nausea washed over Maya as she read the terse rejection notice. Her carefully laid plans, the dreams she had nurtured for years, suddenly felt fragile, threatened. She slumped back in her chair, the flimsy plastic creaking in protest. Her breath hitched in her chest.

She blinked rapidly, fighting back tears. The thought of telling her parents, of seeing the disappointment in their eyes, was almost unbearable. She ran a hand through her hair, the strands tangling around her fingers. A headache was already blooming behind her eyes.

"No," she whispered, the word barely audible. "This can't be happening."