Page 49 of Mason
I’m in a bathroom on the second floor.
Duke.
Hello?
Are you there?
I’m freaking out.
Please help me.
Duke?
What the hell? I frown, turning and heading up the stairs and into the history building. I wasn’t the one who dropped her off, so I don’t have a fucking clue where her class is. I push through the crowd of students until I find a door marked Stairwell B, and while I’m running up the steps, I find her schedule on my phone. She should have been in room 248.
Bursting out of the stairwell, I race around, sidestepping other students and trying not to knock anyone over in my haste. I must look like a fucking psycho running around, dodging people. When I finally find the correct lecture hall, it stands empty. I glance around.
Bathroom, bathroom, bathroom… where’s the closest bathroom?“Lennon!” I shout, getting a lot of odd looks from people passing by. I stop a harried-looking professor, who must recognize me, even though I don’t have a clue who she is. “Where’s the closest women’s bathroom?”
The woman points three doors down. “It’s there, but you can’t go in.” She watches as I head toward the door, pushing it open. “You can’t go in there.”
I swivel my head toward her and glare. “If my stepsister is here somewhere, I will be going wherever she is.” I suck in a breath before letting the bathroom door shut and shouting again. “Lennon!” But there’s no answer. A sinking feeling in my stomach, I whirl back toward the woman, but she’s disappeared.
Fumbling with my phone, I pull up Lennon’s contact info and dial.
“Duke?” Her voice is shaky on the other end of the phone.
“I’m here. I’m looking for you.”
“I-I’m in a little bathroom h-hidden away. L-l-left corner of the b-building.”
My heart squeezes at the stutter in her voice and the ragged sound of her breathing. Locking my jaw, I take off like a shot, crossing the length of the building in five seconds flat and skidding to a stop.There.I hurry over and try to push it open but find immediate resistance. Sure enough, I glance up to find the damn thing is locked with a dead bolt at the top. I’ve seen these on public bathrooms. It’s a way to keep people out when there are plumbing issues. I slap my hand to the door and heave into the phone, “Lennon, I’m here.”
“C-can you open it?” Her voice sounds incredibly small.
Irritation fogs my mind. I want to fix this for her with a snap of my fingers. But I can’t. “I’m going to have to find someone with a key, Stella.”
From inside comes a distressed wail. “Nooo.” Another slap to the door. “I-I don’t like small spaces like this. Duke, please. I’m freaking o-out.” She hiccups through a ragged breath.
Fuck.Her desperation is coming across loud and clear. I squeeze my eyes shut. “I’m going to try to find someone to help. I’m right here. You’re gonna be fine. Hang in there.”
Five minutes later, I have a janitor hot on my heels as we hurry back upstairs. Lennon has gone quiet on the other end of the phone.
The old guy flips through the keys. “Lemme just figure out…”
I shake my head and catch his eye. “You’re going to hand those over, and I’ll find it.”
“Okay. But I have to stay right here until you give them back.”
“I have no intention of keeping your keys. Though, you should figure out how the fuck she got locked in here in the first place.” I begin trying one key after another, but there must be about thirty on the ring. My frustration rises within me the longer this takes, unsure what state I’ll find Lennon in on the other side of the door.
Our call is still connected, though I had to put the phone in my pocket to have both hands free. “You still there, Stella?”
It’s hard to tell, but it sounds like she’s breathing awfully erratically. Crying, I think. I bite down on my lip, abusing it, quite literally, and I’ll continue to do so until I have her the fuck out of there.
Finally, one of the keys sinks into the lock and turns, sliding the dead bolt out of the way.Thank fuck.“Lennon, if you’re on the other side of the door, step out of the way.”
I give her a second to move while I hand the keys back to the old man. And then I’m done worrying about anything except the girl on the other side of the door. I push it open, my eyes finding her on the far side of the eight-by-ten-foot space. There are two skinny stalls on one side, a counter with two sinks taking up the other, and Lennon huddled on the floor under a paper towel dispenser with her hands over her face. Her chest rises and falls so quickly, my heart breaks a little for her. She wasn’t kidding, she’s freaking out. A moment later, her head lifts and when she sees me, she’s off the floor and across the room in a flash, throwing herself against my chest.
