Elias lives in a small town where his house and his school are on the same straight road $2$ miles apart.  Elias is biking to soccer practice on a Saturday after visiting his friend, who lives on the same road.  Elias is $3$ miles from the practice field at his school when he gets a text from his mom saying he left his cleats at home.  Write and solve an equation to determine the possible distances Elias is from his house.