Gemotions

Eliza slammed her locker shut, the metallic clang a sharp punctuation mark on the day’s rejection. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the mocking cheers of her successful teammates. Her hands trembled as she pulled out her phone. The message was simple: “I know how you feel.” It was from Sarah, the girl who *had* made the team last year.

That night, she found herself staring at the training schedule, a web of lines and notes that had once been her lifeline. Now, it was a map. A map to their exhaustion, to their vulnerabilities. She would make them understand what it meant to feel her pain.