Approaching the house, I see Sarah speaking with Mom on the porch. It’s barely past eight on a Monday morning, a strange time for a visit. Part of me hopes it’s as simple as Sarah telling Mom more about what happened yesterday morning.

Sarah has her back to me, so it’s Mom who sees me first. And there’s this big look of surprise on her face, because she’s not expecting to see me until late afternoon. She says something to Sarah. Sarah turns, forces a smile, and holds my gaze.

I quicken my pace and cut across the front lawn. When I reach the porch, they don’t say anything.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

Sarah looks at her feet.

Mom says, “Maybe you two should talk out here. I’ll go inside.” She opens the door, steps inside, and disappears toward the kitchen.

“We should sit down,” Sarah says. “How’s your face feel? It looks horrible.”

“Looks worse than it feels. It’s not so bad.” We sit on the porch. “Sarah, what’s wrong? Is it Tank? Is he okay?”

“Tank’s fine. Well, physically he is. He’s just too upset to leave the house right now. He feels awful about what he did to you.”

“I don’t see what the big deal is. So he beat me up a little. Who cares? It’s over.” A train whistle sounds in the distance. As we listen, I close my eyes and take her hand. She squeezes hard. I caress her palm with my thumb, savoring the feel of her skin.

Staring at the empty street, she says, “Zach, don’t get mad, but my dad’s decided to take a transfer to Colorado.”

It takes a few moments to register. Then I open my eyes. The street seems to spin. After everything that’s happened the past forty-eight hours, her words are so unbelievable that I pray I’ve misunderstood them. But I know I haven’t.

As the train roars past, the porch vibrates beneath us.

“Jesus,” I say when the train is gone. I pound the bottom of my fist onto the concrete. “Colorado? Why?”

She kicks at the cement, frustrated. “Everything’s so messed up right now.” She grabs my other hand. “Zach, look at me.” I look. “It shouldn’t make a difference where we are. We’ll find a way to make it work.”

“Yeah, but why Colorado? It might as well be China.”

“He told us about the offer back in May, but he said he wasn’t interested.”

“Tank never said a word about it.”

“That’s because it wasn’t an issue.”

“Until now.”

“This whole thing with Tank has changed his mind, especially with Horton involved.” She rubs her puffy eyes. “My dad wants out of Michigan because there’s nothing left for him here.”

“What about your mom?”