Gemotions

“They picked him,” Sarah said, her voice flat. “Of course, they did.” The words hung in the air between them, heavy and unspoken. John, her friend, her competitor, had secured the role.

She retreated to her room, shutting out the world. The walls seemed to close in around her, suffocating her. Her phone buzzed with congratulatory messages that she ignored.

She sat on her bed, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. The silence was overwhelming, broken only by the frantic beat of her own heart. The future she had envisioned suddenly seemed impossible to reach.

She closed her eyes, imagining herself fading away. The darkness offered a strange comfort, a temporary reprieve from her self-imposed exile.