That sentence took weeks to sink in.

At school I began completing work remotely while Colleen and the district sorted out enrollment.

I missed the ordinary chaos of lockers and crowded cafeterias.

I missed Simone and my algebra teacher, who used to draw little stars next to correct solutions.

I even missed the sound of my classmates complaining about homework.

Colleen took me to a community recreation center one afternoon because I’d said I wanted somewhere to run without thinking about cars or weather.

I lasted six minutes on the indoor track before a memory of the road made my breath quicken.