THE PARTY WAS IN FULL SWING, and billie found herself half-distracted, scanning the crowd for valerie. she hadn't seen her in a while, which was unusual. valerie wasn't the type to just disappear, especially when they were finally in a good place.
spotting danah and quen near the bar, billie weaved her way through the crowd toward them. "hey, have you guys seen val?" she asked, trying to sound casual, though the edge in her voice betrayed her.
danah frowned, exchanging a glance with quen. "not for a bit," she said. "last time i saw her, she was heading toward the balcony with... odessa, i think?"
billie's stomach tightened. "odessa?"
quen nodded, her expression uneasy. "yeah, but that was a while ago. someone said val was crying when she left."
billie's heart sank. "wait, what? she left?"
quen nodded again, more slowly this time, as if weighing her words. "yeah, i overheard some people talking. they said she looked upset, like... really upset."
a cold knot of worry settled in billie's chest. without another word, she pulled out her phone and called valerie. the line rang once, twice-then abruptly went to voicemail.
frowning, she tried again. same thing.
"she's not picking up," billie muttered, more to herself than anyone else. her thumb hovered over the screen as she sent a quick text. hey, where are you? are you okay?
but as soon as she hit send, a red error popped up: message failed to deliver.
confused, she tried opening valerie's profile on instagram. it didn't load. her chest tightened further as realization dawned. she switched to snapchat. nothing. instagram. nothing.
"no," she whispered, her voice barely audible. she opened her contacts again and tried calling once more, but the call didn't even connect.
"what's going on?" danah asked, her tone cautious.
billie stared at her phone, her throat dry. "she blocked me," she said quietly, disbelief thick in her voice.
danah's eyes widened. "wait, what? why would she-"
"i don't know," billie cut her off, her voice sharp with frustration and hurt. "everything was fine. we were fine."
her mind raced, replaying their last interactions. had she said something wrong? done something wrong?
"maybe she's just overwhelmed," quen offered gently, though her tone lacked conviction.
but billie wasn't listening. the thought of valerie-crying, leaving, blocking her-was too much. she felt like she was grasping at straws, desperate for answers.
the rest of the night passed in a blur. billie barely registered the conversations around her or the music pulsing through the room. her mind was stuck on valerie-on what could have gone so wrong, so fast.
when she finally got home, she collapsed onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. sleep didn't come easily. all she could think about was valerie's smile, her laugh, the way she'd looked at her during their last date.
and now, just like that, she was gone.
billie turned her head, staring at her phone on the nightstand. for the first time in years, she felt completely powerless.