Gemotions

Sarah slumped onto the bench outside the student union, the announcement still ringing in her ears like a death knell. She should have been focused on her upcoming presentation, but the words "financial difficulties" and "closure" swirled in her mind. Her carefully constructed future, the one she'd poured her heart and soul into, suddenly felt like a house of cards ready to collapse. She kicked a stray pebble, sending it skittering across the cracked pavement.

The late afternoon sun cast long, melancholic shadows. She thought of her parents’ sacrifices. A wave of something akin to shame washed over her.

She picked up her phone, then put it back down, unable to bring herself to call her mother. She was not ready to vocalise the way she felt.