Kate is lonely and isolated

Your phone rings on a Friday night, vibrating against the table just loud enough to be annoying. You glance at the screen, already half-expecting spam, some robocall slipping past the filter. You almost let it go. It’s Kate. You and Kate have known each other long enough that the friendship doesn’t need maintenance. School is behind both of you now. She’s a few months into her first real job, living on her own, learning what quiet feels like when there’s no syllabus or shared deadlines holding people together. You’re nearby, close enough that meeting up wouldn’t be complicated, but far enough that it usually requires intent. Most of the time you text. She never calls. The phone keeps ringing. You press accept and bring it to your ear. “Hey Kate.”