At the start of the term, Scarlett’s roommate Maryam bluntly tells her she has botched her German class. Scarlett laments having frontloaded her premed sciences and now struggling with psychology, English composition, and especially German. She wants control but is reduced to damage control. Maryam suggests switching languages or even Latin, but schedule conflicts and athletics make it impractical, and Scarlett storms out for practice early.

Scarlett contrasts her current doubts with her past status as a top recruit and junior world medalist. She recalls her NCAA finals crash during an inward two-and-a-half pike, a failed dive captured on video and followed by a painful walk from the pool. The injuries were extensive—concussion, ruptured eardrum, shoulder labral tear, and more—underscoring that diving is a contact sport.

Before surgery, her stepmother Barb warned she might never dive again. Scarlett redshirted her sophomore year, adhered strictly to rehab, and, two months prior, was cleared to train. The return has been difficult enough that she is seeing a therapist.

Arriving early at the Avery Aquatic Center, Scarlett changes and heads for a towel, then overhears Penelope telling Lukas that things are not okay and that ending it is for the best. Lukas’s low responses and imposing posture read as menacing to Scarlett. Concerned for Penelope, Scarlett approaches and asks if everything is okay.