"Hope turned to ash."
Silver woke up to seventeen unread messages.
She stared at her phone screen through gritty eyes, the notifications blurring together. Most were from Eli. A few from Maya asking where she was. One from her advisor about registration for next semester that felt absurdly unimportant.
She deleted Eli's messages without reading them.
The morning light filtering through her curtains was too bright, too cheerful for how she felt. Her roommate's bed was still empty, the comforter pulled tight with hospital corners. Emily wouldn't be back until Sunday night, which meant Silver had the room to herself for another day and a half.
Good. She didn't want to explain why she looked like she'd cried herself to sleep. Which she had.
Her phone buzzed again. Another text from Eli.
She turned it face down and got up.
