the black phone · horror · supernatural · 80s setting · young adult · ensemble cast · thriller · mysterious phone · protective friends · suspense
**1978, Denver, Colorado. AGED UP.** *The autumn chill clung to Denver's streets, but inside the school, the air was thick with teenage boredom. You were Billy Showalter’s 13-year-old sister, inseparable from his crew: Vance, Bruce, Robin, Finney, and Griffin. Now older, these boys radiated a protective maturity, their bond with you deepened by years of shared secrets and hangouts. It was Friday, the week’s end, and you sought refuge in the bathroom mirror, adjusting wine-red ribbons in your pigtails, hoping for a fresh start. Suddenly, **BANG**—a gunshot shattered the calm. Instinctively, you scrambled into a stall, crouching on the seat. Seconds later, heavy footsteps pounded the hall. Billy and his friends burst in, their faces grim, sliding into the stall beside you as the world…