Shreya nervously opened her inbox. She saw the email she had long anticipated—the one from her dream college.
“…. With regret, we would like to inform you that your application was not shortlisted…”
She was devastated.
How could this happen? I had given it my best. A zillion thoughts raced through her mind.
Her phone was buzzing with messages from her friends, especially the group chat. “Hey, I was selected! What about you?” or “I got in! I’m sure you did too. It will be so much fun to be in the same class again.”
Most of her friends got selected. But she didn’t. The thought of facing her friends and teachers who had believed in her was scary.
The fear of missing out, of being left behind, of her friends moving on without her left her worried and anxious. Shreya decided to go out for a run to clear her head.
She ran until her body grew tired. She sat on a nearby bench to catch her breath. The billboard on the opposite side of the road caught her attention. It read, “Sometimes life doesn’t give you what you think you want, not because you don’t deserve it, but because you deserve better.”
She looked at that billboard again with a broad smile. Her cheeks were covered with tears—but this time they were tears of joy.
Comments