"I hated the girl on screen."
Silver's roommate had gone to some Psi U party, leaving the dorm room feeling too empty. The radiator clanked occasionally, that old Yale building sound that usually comforted her but tonight just emphasized the silence. She sat on her narrow twin bed, back against the wall, laptop balanced on her crossed legs.
The YouTube page loaded slowly on the shitty dorm Wi-Fi. Her name in the search bar felt surreal, like googling a stranger. But there they were: dozens of videos, most with that distinctive NBC Sports or ISU logo in the corner. Thousands of views. Comments she'd never read and never would.
She clicked on one from three years ago. Junior Nationals, the short program that had basically guaranteed her senior debut. The thumbnail showed her at sixteen, arms raised in her ending pose, that competition smile plastered across her face.
Her finger hovered over the play button for too long. Finally, she clicked.
