Gemotions

Maya stared at the red "C" scrawled across her biology exam, the paper trembling slightly in her grasp. A coldness spread through her chest, making it hard to breathe. All that late-night studying, all the flashcards, the diagrams she meticulously drew – for *this*? Her jaw clenched. She felt a sudden urge to rip the paper in half, to shred the evidence of her failure. Instead, she slowly folded it and stuffed it into her backpack, the action performed with deliberate slowness, each movement stiff and robotic.