Their eyes met. Elena gave a small, trembling wave.

Sophie stared at the screen. Her chest felt tight.

She thought about her when she practiced her Torah portion— Parashat Vayishlach , about Jacob wrestling with the angel—because Elena used to sit on her bed and quiz her with flashcards. She thought about her when she picked out her shoes (silver flats with a small heel) because Elena had promised to lend her the sparkly hair clips from her own bat mitzvah. She thought about her every time she saw an empty chair at lunch, even though she’d started sitting with the drama club kids, who were loud and strange and didn’t ask about the past.