"Lies unravel fast."
The scraps of her mother's letter were still in the trash when Silver decided she was done letting other people write her story.
She woke early that morning, before Americus's alarm went off, before the quad filled with students rushing to class. The decision had settled in her chest overnight, solid and certain. If she could tear up Leona's commands, she could face down Carroway's lies.
The walk to Ingalls Rink felt longer than usual. February wind cut across campus, sharp enough to sting her cheeks. The Gothic towers of Yale loomed around her, their stone faces indifferent to whatever drama played out below. Students hurried past with coffee cups and backpacks, absorbed in their own worlds.
Silver pulled her coat tighter and kept walking.
