Page 109 of Vile Boys

I nod and look around, but I don’t see her anywhere, not even near the VIP area where her brother is.Where could she be?

We check the bar as well as the top floor and several exclusive rooms, but we can’t find her anywhere.

“This is making me nervous as fuck,” Brooke says. “Felix told me to watch her.”

Brooke pulls out her phone and texts her while I watch.

Brooke: Where R U?

But Lana still doesn’t appear to have read it.

I sigh out loud and open the bathroom door and call out her name, “Lana?”

No response.

Brooke: Hello? Earth to Lana?

Brooke: This isn’t funny.

“Do you think she’s playing hide-and-seek?” she mutters.

“Why would she?” I retort, confused.

“I don’t know.”

“We must’ve missed something,” I say.

“Well, these red masks we’re forced to wear don’t fucking help either,” Brooke says, getting more and more annoyed.

So I grab my phone too and send her a message.

Me: Lana, please RE! Are u OK? You disappeared on us.

“Oh God,” Brooke panics. “What do we do? If Felix finds out she’s missing, he’s gonna kill me.”

“Calm down. No one’s missing,” I say. “We just lost sight of her. She’s gotta be in here.”

“We were gone for so long without an explanation,” Brooke says, shivering. “I should’ve told her I was feeling sick, but I didn’t wanna ruin the evening.”

She grabs her phone and begins texting her again.

Brooke: Tell me ur in the bathroom, or I swear to God I’ll walk over to your brother and tell him you’re missing. I don’t want no fuckin trouble.

She waits and waits, chewing off all her nails while she’s at it.

Lana: Sry, got sick so I got home on my bike. Don’t worry bout me.

We both breathe a sigh of relief.

Brooke: O shit. That sucks.

“Maybe it wasn’t the alcohol after all?” Brooke asks. “I mean, if she got sick too.”

“Maybe,” I respond, then focus on my phone again.

Me: Are you sure? I can come. I don’t want you to be alone.

Lana: Yeah, I’m fine. Go party! But also, pls don’t tell my brother.

---