Page 162 of Tell Me I'm Enough

I shove the phone back at Lani and frantically look for mine.

Where is it?

“Where is my fucking phone!”

Lani looks around, scared, and then finds it on the bed, grabs it, and hands it to me.

“No—no—no.”

I fumble trying to unlock it and then scroll to my recent calls and hit her name.

“Simone,” Lani tries again. “Breathe.”

“I have to call her!” I’m hitting call before my brain fully catches up. “I have to stop her!”

It rings.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Then voicemail.

Lydia’s stupid, nonchalant, mellow-toned recorded voice greets me like a slap.

I hang up and call again.

Voicemail.

Again.

Voicemail.

Again.

My thumb shakes so hard I can barely hit any buttons on the screen. I try to text her so fast that I keep misspelling everything, having to delete and retype.

Simone: Where are you?

Simone: Pick up

Simone: Lydia please

Simone: I’m not mad. I’m not mad at all. Please just pick up

My chest physically hurts. Like my heart is trying to beat its way out of my body.

“Oh my gosh,” I whisper. “I have to find her—I have to stop her—”

“Simone—”

I grab Lani by the arms, not being able to control the way I feel helpless and trapped. “Lani, she’s going to fuckingdieif we don’t find her!”

My whole body goes numb at the realization that it could already be too late.

Lani wipes at her face, trying to be the strong one here.