Gemotions

The university’s financial aid office was a blur of harsh lighting and hushed voices. Chloe waited, clutching the paperwork. It had been three weeks since the email, and the knot in her stomach had yet to loosen. Her palms were slick with sweat.

She watched the woman behind the counter, her face impassive. It was a mistake, a regrettable error. The scholarship was meant for someone else, the woman explained, her tone devoid of emotion. Chloe felt herself starting to tremble.

The room seemed to tilt slightly. She concentrated on steadying her breathing, focusing on the rhythmic in-and-out. She imagined herself back home, back in the quiet fields of her childhood, but the image wouldn’t hold. It flickered and dissolved into a swirl of uncertainty.