Gemotions

The email icon blinked, a malevolent eye staring back at Maya from the laptop screen. She’d been staring at it for a good ten minutes now, the cursor frozen over the preview pane. Her fingers, usually nimble and quick on the keyboard, felt thick and clumsy. She took a deep breath, the air catching in her chest.

Her stomach churned, a cold knot tightening with each passing second. Maya finally clicked the email. The subject line, bold and stark, slammed into her. “Scholarship Application Update.”

She scrolled down, the words blurring before her eyes. The formal language felt like a slap in the face. Rejection. The word stood out, a dark stain on the bright white page. She slammed the laptop shut, the sudden click echoing in the quiet room.