phoe died in a car crash in new zealand while she was on exchange.
 
my friend group only found out a week later, and we were one of the last people to find out. 

we were all in different countries. i was in australia, h was in austria, v was in singapore and t was in the united kingdom. word travels slow.

we were all busy with our lives, and it was not unusual for us to not talk regularly given our physical distance and 5 different time zones.

i was the first to receive a text message from a friend, who got it from a friend who got it from another friend. i texted the rest of them and immediately hopped on a call. as word was still not official, we had to message her exchange friends, read the local newspapers before the truth sank in.

only one of us could be there physically for her wake, and the rest had to join online.

it was a random sunday and our lives were changed forever.

now my friend group makes a point for 'alive checks' and 'i love yous.'