Gemotions

"We regret to inform you…" The sentence felt like a punch to the gut. The university's official notification, detailing the error, sat accusingly on her laptop screen. Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring the words. Her whole body felt heavy.

She wandered outside into the university's central quad. The students milling about, chatting, laughing, seemed to belong to a different world. She felt like an outsider, an impostor. The trees, usually providing shade and peace, seemed to cast shadows of judgment.

She sat on a bench, the cold metal seeping into her clothes. A coldness spread from her core, the weight of everything starting to suffocate her. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to find some semblance of comfort.