Reading these back again, I wish I hadn’t been so angry at him. I wish I had picked up the phone. Maybe then everything would be different.
-- Julie (chapter 1)

Importance: Julie is overwhelmed by guilt and regret in the immediate days and weeks after Sam's death. She blames herself for not picking up the phone and having the chance to speak to him one last time. This is the primary reason that Julie grows so attached to her secret phone conversations with Sam because she is able to escape momentarily from her guilt and grief.

Mika leans into the table, her voice low. “Julie, I know this whole thing’s been terrible for you. It’s been terrible for me, too. But you can’t avoid this forever. You should come, pay your respects. Especially now.” Then, in almost a whisper, says, “Please, it’s Sam—” Her voice cracks at his name...
-- Mika (chapter 1)