CHAPTER 87
Ana
HOW FAR WOULD you go to win?
Madeline Wu asked me that right before she dropped out of The Academy.
Right before she suffered a massive injury to her ankle, an injury that crumbled her reign as the Star that year.
With only a few weeks until the Beijing Winter Olympics and newly qualified for the Games, crowds anticipated the vivacious skater’s Olympic debut, no one expecting the Gold medal favorite for women’s singles to watch the competition from the sidelines.
Meanwhile the town and rest of the public had something juicy enough to gossip about for the several weeks that followed in complete shock at the season’s gem exiting so hastily—so devasted that the infamous column chose a new Star as soon as Wu was kicked out.
And Madeline Wu had to pack up her silver and scarlet skating gowns, crystal-adorned gloves, and her years of ruthless hard work—and hope that all her stars would align some other year, at some other Winter Games.
I wiggle my toes around in my slippers on the ride over to the arena—sore, shaky, injured.
This chance, it’s rarely given to us once let alone twice, and to earn the golden spot on the coveted podium come this Winter, well, the show must fucking go on.