Three Miles From Nowhere

Marcus hit the pavement at 5:47 AM, running like something was chasing him. Maybe something was. The whole town felt like a mouth about to swallow him whole — same dirt roads, same dead-end conversations, same everything.

"You'll come back," his dad said every time Marcus brought up colleges out of state. "Nobody really leaves."

Bull.

Marcus's lungs burned in that good way, the way that meant he was still alive, still fighting. Cross country was the only thing that made sense. Three miles of just him and the road, no expectations, no weird pyramid scheme his brother was trying to drag him into, no nothing.

The sun started coming up over Miller's field, turning everything gold and purple. Marcus's phone buzzed in his pocket — probably another text from Jenna asking if he was going to Jessica's party Friday. He'd been ghosting her for two weeks.

"Just busy," he'd said. Which was bull and they both knew it.

Truth was, he didn't know how to be the person everyone thought he was — smart kid, track star, college material. Most days he felt like a fraud. Like any minute someone would tap him on the shoulder and say, "Sorry, mistake, you're actually average."

The old abandoned mini-golf place came into view, the fake pyramid looming over dead grass and cracked concrete. Marcus and his friends used to sneak in here freshman year, daring each other to climb it. Back when everything felt possible instead of just heavy.

He stopped running, hands on knees, heart pounding against his ribs like it wanted out. Out here, nobody expected anything. Out here, he wasn't running toward or from anything — he was just running.

"Screw it," Marcus said out loud. He pulled out his phone, thumbs shaking a little, and texted Jenna back.

"Yeah. I'll be there. Can I bring someone?"

Three dots appeared immediately. Then: "Finally. Yes."

Marcus started running again, slower this time. Three miles to nowhere and everywhere all at once. For the first time in forever, he wasn't sure what was chasing him anymore.

Maybe nothing was.