An illustration of Kayla posing for an Instagram photo, showing off her phases of the moon tattoo. She loved anything witchy and astronomical.

I set my phone to a heartbeat vibration a week before I got the call. Instead of a few long buzzes, my phone would erupt in quick, irritating pulses. I hadn’t received many phone calls in that time, and the ones that did come through startled me into answering.

When Suzy, a high school friend I had long since lost contact with, called, I still hesitated