How does Katie think about a meeting with a student and why are her thoughts pulled back to Matt?

Katie thinks back to the previous Tuesday as she sat alone in her office and was visited by a student. The student lived on a farm like Katie and has decided to quit school because her family feels she is pulling away and her boyfriend is threatening to end their relationship if she did not come home. Katie feels for her, in fact can easily identify with her, but feels it is not her place to encourage her to stay. Instead, Katie asks her to talk to the school counselors before making a decision. Katie thinks of Matt when the student leaves, wondering how things had become so unbridgeable between them.