Page 54 of Tell Me It’s Right

Oh God.

Unlocking it, I immediately flip it to low power mode, then freeze with my finger poised over my contact list.

Who am I supposed to call? Leo and Keava are in Philly for the wedding. Mom and Dad are in New York for some restaurant opening. Carson is at work all the way up in Newark tonight. This town is so goddamn small that no rideshare apps function out here.

I don’t…I don’t…

My breaths come in short and fast as I take in my surroundings. I don’t even know what road this is, my service is hanging on by a thread, and my battery has already lost a percent. I’m down to ten.

The only other person I know in town is Liam.

Tears sting my eyes, but I swallow them down. I can’t afford to panic.

I tap his number. It rings and rings, and with every moment that passes, my heart sinks deeper into my stomach.

I don’t have a plan B. I guess I could start walking the way Miles drove off, but a half-hour drive going like fifty miles an hour? How long of a walk is that? Twenty-five miles?

I don’t know the number for the cab company, and I don’t know if my service—or battery—can handle a Google search.

If I wait for someone else to drive by, I could be here all night, and even if someone did happen to show up, I don’t know if I could bring myself to get in the car. I’ve seen way too many crime documentaries for that.

Fuck.

Do I call 911 next? How fucking mortifying. I finally go on a date and end up needing a ride home in a police car.

“Hello?”

I nearly drop the phone. “Liam?” My voice cracks around his name, and whatever resolve I’d been clinging to breaks. Tears stream down my cheeks, and I hiccup, trying to catch my breath.

“Gracie?Gracie?Are you okay?”

“I—I—” Down to eight percent battery. “I don’t know where I am,” I gasp. “My phone is about to die.”

“Slow down, slow down. What happened? Where are you? What do you see?”

“The side of the—road. Kicked me out of—the car. I see—nothing. There’s nothing. It’s just—dark. God, I’m at—I’m at seven percent.”

I sink onto the ground and tuck my knees into my chest as I try to catch my breath.

“Gracie, I need you to listen to me. You’re going to share your location with me. Then you’re going to stay right there until I come to get you.”

I nod quickly before realizing he can’t see me. A whimper escapes me as I send the invite to share my location. My battery is down to five.

“I got it—I got it!” There’s rustling on his side. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Okay,” I whisper.

“Are you somewhere safe to wait? Is there anyone else around?”

“There’s no one here.” I shiver as the wind picks up. “There’s nothing out here.”

Except maybe wild animals waiting in the bushes to jump out and tear me apart.

The phone cuts off before he responds. I yank it away from my ear, expecting the screen to be dark, but my battery is still hanging on.

What if he doesn’t come? What if he can’t find you?whispers a voice in the back of my head.

But then my phone starts to ring, and I jump as it shatters the silence.

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