The Girl You Deleted

The five-person road trip ended on a Sunday evening, and by midnight, my boyfriend and our two lifelong friends had dumped over six hundred photos into the shared drive.

I scrolled through the gallery twice.

Not once did my face appear in focus.

Even the vintage photo-booth strips I had waited in line for—hair curled, lipstick carefully reapplied—were entirely missing. Instead, Kelsey took up nearly two full screens: Kelsey chewing on a paper straw with faux-innocent eyes; Kelsey laughing through the wind; Kelsey looking effortlessly candid from every flattering angle.