Brittney is young, healthy, so she’s not worried. She and her friends gather in each other’s apartments, sharing beer and restlessness, missing Real Life.

Then Brittney’s neighbor—the retired kindergarten teacher she buys groceries for—tests positive.

Finally the headline sinks in: Brittney and all her friends could be carriers.

Jennifer L Freed mostly writes poems, which have appeared in various journals and anthologies. Her website is jfreed.weebly.com