Page 58

“I don’t know. I woke up in the middle of the night and he was just gone.”

“You look for him?”

“Half the night.” That was close enough.

“Sorry, Piper.”

“He’s disappeared overnight before. That was a long time ago, but he came home just fine that time. He was never the smartest dog. He welcomes strangers and barks at friends.”

“Sounds about right.”

I kept telling myself he’d come home again. I needed it to be true.

Coach Ben nodded toward the track. “Two easy laps. Then stretch.”

“I just ran six miles.”

“I know.”

“I think I’m sufficiently warmed up.”

“Two easy laps.”

I sighed and started toward the track.

“Easy, Piper,” Ben called.

“I know what easy means.”

“I've seen very little evidence of that.”

I smiled and started jogging. Actually jogging. Mostly. The rest of the team had begun arriving by the time I rounded the second turn.

One of the girls took one look at me. “You already ran?”

“Six,” Coach Ben answered for me from across the track.

“Miles?” She sounded horrified. “Before practice?”

“It wasn’t practice,” I called out flatly.

She stared at me.

Coach Ben called, “You’re just encouraging her.”

She sent him a disgruntled look. “I wasn’t.”

“You looked impressed.”

“I was disgusted. It’s too early for this shit.”

“Better.”

I laughed and bent to stretch my hamstrings. For a little while, I felt almost normal.

Then somebody shouted from the football field. A man’s voice. Deep. Carrying. I didn’t catch the words.

For one strange second, I couldn’t tell how far away it was.