Where we lived in Nebraska was called ‘The Between’ because it filled the great emptiness that divided civilization. There was a city three hours north from us and two hours south. East and West? That was just more Between; rolling lands of cornfield oceans just swimming with cattle. It was quiet.

Until it wasn’t.

The ego of a seventeen year old is more fragile than a bubble close to bursting. I was no exception. I still remember the buzz in the air and the chatter at lockers. Prom proposals were a spectacle I couldn’t escape.