Chasing you | ✓

Chapter 16 - Are you into him?

"So, what's up with you and that guy?" Dani asked as we walked back to the dorms after dropping off Sierra and Finley. "Are you into him or something?"

I kicked a pebble on the sidewalk, wondering if I should tell her about my interest in Jack or not. I was afraid that if I told someone, it could lead back to Jack. For some reason, I didn't want him to know what I knew about him and Cade until I was sure what it meant.

But Dani was quickly becoming my best friend here, and I felt like I could trust her. At least, I wanted to trust her.

"Remember the friend I told you about?" I asked nervously. "The one who died?"

Dani nodded and encouraged me to go on.

"I think him and Jack are twins."

"Wait, what?" Dani chuckled. "Are you serious?"

"I mean, I'm not sure, but they look identical... and they have the same birthday."

"Wow," Dani breathed. "That's crazy. Okay, then I get why you were so interested in him. I just thought you were into him. Some people find the bad boy thing irresistible."

"Trust me, I don't."

As soon as I uttered the words I started to wonder if they really were true. I couldn't make myself stay away from Jack. I had just figured it was because he looked like Cade, but maybe there was more to it than that.

"Just..." I paused. "Don't tell anyone about that. I don't know for sure and I haven't exactly talked to him about it yet."

"Don't worry about it. I won't tell anyone."

~ ~ ~

When I woke up the next day, the party and everything that had happened felt like a strange dream. I tried not to think about Jack and I kissing, because thinking about it only left me feeling confused and conflicted. 

On the one hand, thinking about the kiss made me feel warm inside. But then his harsh words echoed in my head, followed by the guilt that he wasn't actually Cade.

My head felt heavy as I lay in bed. Even though it was Sunday, my roommate's bed was empty. The sun hit me in the face, and I realized that Leigh had pulled the curtain up. I guess I couldn't complain. My phone told me that it was almost eleven already. I couldn't remember the last time I slept that long.

The notification on my home screen made my heart sink. 

"Happy birthday, Cade," I muttered.

I didn't know what to feel. Everything just felt so... empty. For once I actually wanted to cry, because I missed him so much and there was no one around to see me anyway, but my eyes remained dry. 

It was Cade's birthday, his first birthday since he died. He was my best friend, and I couldn't even cry. I didn't understand why, because I usually didn't have any problem with that. Everything inside me just felt so empty now. The space he'd left behind was a hollow void.

I pulled up my phone's photo album, feeling my heart beat faster as I scrolled back longer than I had in a while. I usually didn't want to look at the old pictures, after he died I'd been close to deleting them all. Call it a hunch, but I knew I'd want to look at them one day.

Seeing his beautiful, smiling face stare back at me was enough to make me cry. I didn't know if it was sadness that brought the tears to my eyes or if it was guilt. He was the best thing that had happened to me and now I had a whole other life in California without him.

And Jack... how could I ever have thought that he could replace Cade? He'd never be anything other than a bad copy to the warm-hearted and incredibly kind person I'd known and loved. 

Thinking about the kiss with Jack brought on more waves of guilt. I buried my face in my pillow. Kissing Jack had been a mistake. Cade was the one I loved. Cade was the one I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with. 

I didn't want to feel the guilt anymore. 

My phone vibrated in my hands. It was a message from Dani.

I am DYING. I need coffee and a Starbucks sammy PRONTO. Meet you down there in ten?

I smiled at the phone, wiping the drying tears away from my face. It was like she had sensed I needed to be dragged out of bed, and out of my own head.

You read my mind! See you there.

I made my way to the shower room and took a quick shower to wake myself up. 

When I stepped into Starbucks twenty minutes later with wet hair dripping onto my shoulders, I was surprised to see that Dani wasn't there yet. 

The place was quite packed so I went to stand in line to order. When it was my turn, I looked around and wondered if I should order for Dani as well. But with her mission to try everything on the menu, I had no idea what I should order.

"A grande nitro cold brew, thanks."

"Make that two!" Dani's voice hollered as she rushed up to me, almost knocking over a display of coffee mugs in the process.

"Hey," I said, looking at her in confusion. "What's up?"

"Oh, god," Dani panted, doubling over. "Bad idea to run with a hangover. A really bad idea."

"Why are you running?"

"Because I have news," she panted, straightening up. She could barely speak for her giant grin. "Sierra's brother lives in Venice Beach and she just called me and said that a whole street has been blocked off for the shoot of the new Step Up reboot."

"Oh, that's cool," I said, still unsure why Dani was in such a state.

"No, no. That's not it." Dani held her hands up to silence me. "She said that they're hanging by the set and heard rumors that the crew is short on backup dancers. Apparently they are desperate to hire and are willing to pick people off the streets! She told us to hurry our asses over to try to get an audition!"

Her words and jumping up and down in excitement made me almost miss that they were calling out our drink order.

"Oh my god, we have to go down there!" I said as we hurried out of the busy coffee shop.

"I know! We should head over there pronto. Even if it isn't true, it could still be a fun day trip."

I stopped in my tracks.

"But wait, how do we get there? Do you have a car?"

"No," Dani said, a strange twinkle in her eye, "but I have scored us a ride."

~ ~ ~

~A/N~

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please vote or comment to let me know if you did. I'm always super happy to hear opinions from you readers <3

So, who do you think their ride is going to be? Check in on Friday to find out <3