At his six-week follow-up with the doctor, Russ was cleared to return to school. His gait was still off a bit, and he still needed the knee cages, but at least he could get his life back.

Russ returned to school after Christmas break. The first day went pretty well. He got a lot of welcome backs and smiles. Beth had moved on to another football player and essentially ghosted him. By the end of day two, Russ had discovered what being a nobody was like. He could count the number of people who even spoke to him on one hand.

His therapy was scheduled for after school that day....