Gemotions

"I just... I don't understand," Emily whispered, her voice barely audible. She traced the edge of the acceptance letter, a thin piece of paper that had become a physical representation of her failure. The letter sat on her desk next to her laptop, which she had opened to check her email. The email, which had the subject heading "Team Selection", now contained only the same generic lines. She’d spent every spare moment perfecting her ballet routine, dreaming of the company, and now… now, the dream felt impossibly distant. She pushed away from her desk, the chair screeching against the polished floorboards.