Cybergrade

My thumb scrolls up on the screen as countless faces flash by. I stop when I see someone I recognize. John has posted wedding pictures with his wife, Rachel. He was such a player in university, I could never picture him with one girl. Double tap. The heart flashes on the screen as I Like the photo.

The beeps from the microwave break my concentration. I get up and pull out my dinner. I sit down at the table and look back at my phone, eating with my one free hand.

I keep scrolling, then pause again. I chuckle when I see how much David has changed. He’s got a full-on beard now. In high school, he tried so hard to grow out his facial hair but never got further than a little peach fuzz. Double tap.

I lie down in bed once the lights are off. I can still taste mint toothpaste at the back of my throat. I squint at the blue light, taking a last look at my phone.

I stop as soon as I see Sam’s face. They’re posing in front of a haunted house with fangs and some fake blood trailing down their neck. A black cape hangs behind them.

It hurts, but not in the pit-in-your-stomach kind of way. Not even in the numb-all-over kind of way. It hurts when I breathe in and breathe out in an I-don’t-know-them-anymore kind of way. Sam never used to like dressing up for Halloween. Double tap.