Gemotions

Maya chewed on her thumbnail, the chipped polish a pale reflection of the anxiety blooming in her chest. The email had arrived an hour ago – a curt notification that her scholarship was under review. A review? After three years of stellar grades, perfect attendance, and a glowing recommendation from her professor? She felt a cold dread creep down her spine. The university's financial aid office was a maze of bureaucracy, and she knew navigating it could swallow her whole. The small apartment she shared with her mother depended on this. The thought of losing it made her stomach clench.

She reread the email, her eyes scanning the words as if they held the key to her salvation. They didn't. Just cold, impersonal legal jargon. She slammed her laptop shut, the metallic sound echoing in the small room. The books piled precariously on her desk seemed to lean in, judging her. Maybe she should just go for a walk, clear her head. The sky was the color of lead, mirroring her mood.