Gemotions

The clipboard in her hand seemed to grow heavier with each passing minute. Maria sat on the bleachers, watching the final tryout scrimmage. Coach Rodriguez's gaze kept flitting over her, lingering for a beat before moving on. That's when her stomach started to feel off. Her heart beat with a rapid-fire tempo.

She tried to concentrate on the game, but her vision swam. The shouts of the players, the squeak of sneakers, all seemed distant, muted. She felt a growing sense of detachment, a feeling that she was observing a play she was about to be forcibly removed from.