The nearest furniture store is forty minutes away. Only used furniture is available in Athens-another of the 4,724 reasons I want to escape this town.

 “Hey Madison,” Adrian greets when our FaceTime connects near the end of September. “How’s college life treating you?”

“I love my methods classes. The professors are cool. How’s everything in Athens?” I wonder if the camera angle shows I’ve put on a little weight. It might only be five pounds, but I see ...