Gemotions

“Did you hear back?” Mark asked, his voice bright, almost irritatingly so. Maya avoided his gaze, fiddling with the frayed edge of her resume. He had the confidence of a seasoned pro, she thought bitterly.

She mumbled something noncommittal. The knot in her stomach tightened with each passing hour. The rejection email arrived the next morning, a polite brush-off. She deleted it without reading it a second time.

She skipped lunch, finding no appetite. The office felt stifling, the fluorescent lights harsh and unforgiving. Everyone else seemed to know exactly what they were doing. She felt like a ghost, fading into the background.

She locked herself in the bathroom, staring at her reflection. She saw no future reflected back at her. Only a stranger.