CHAPTER 27: The Blue Rose
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Hopping on one foot while trying to fit the other sandal, I bounced my way to the car. My guts were being twisted as I revved the engine, my hands aggressively handling the steering wheel. A truck came out of nowhere making me swerve to the right where a short girl with a dog was strolling by innocently. I turned sharply to the left. Other drivers cursed me as I cut lanes but I couldn't care less.
Well, not until I almost hit the car in front of me.
Okay, I did hit the car in front of me.
I think I just created traffic. A long queue of vehicles inconveniently appeared behind me. Apparently, the car tried to turn right as I drove left and the result was the last thing I needed in this moment. The sides of our vehicles slammed to each other but out of luck, we did not have much damage. We got stuck right in the middle of the road though, two cars facing opposite directions.
I climbed out of the car and a police officer who came out of nowhere approached me, looking concern.
"Are you alright ma'am?" he asked frantically.
My hands touched the part of my head that slammed to the window. It's a little sore but I could tolerate the pain. "Yeah, I think so. No concussion."
"We'll bring you to the nearest hospital. May I get your parent's number," he asked politely. His partner was talking to the other driver, taking notes as he spoke.
"No need for hospital. I'm fine. I'm actually in a hurry and I have to go somewhere," I uttered and the officer shot me a look of disapproval. I glanced around the area and notice I was almost at my destination. "It's just around the corner. You can escort me there if you want to."
"Where are you headed?" he inquired. "We need to file a report after we have you checked. It seems that you caused this accident. "
"Police station," I answered truthfully. "I have to meet someone as soon as possible and after that, I'll deal with the accident report."
"No ma'am, we have to deal with this first," he insisted.
I groaned. "Fine."
They had me transferred to a police car and brought me to a hospital just a few blocks away. A doctor checked my head and ran a few tests. I sooo did not need this. He gave me prescription meds and some pain relievers. My dad arrived an hour later along with his pretentious parental words in front of the doctor, scolding me and telling how dangerous it was to drive like that.
When the doctor left the room he sighed loudly, losing the act. "So are you okay kiddo?"
I snorted. "Of course I am. Don't worry dad."
"Your mother is going to kill me," he said in horror.
"Not if she didn't know," I said in a wicked voice.
My dad's eyes glinted evilly. "Sometimes I forget you're my daughter. Of course your intelligence came from me. Deal."
We bumped our fists.
Dad went to the cafeteria and left me on the room and I figured I should talk to Jace's brother. Realizing I forgot my phone in my car, I decided to look for a payphone somewhere, my vision starting to swirl. I slapped my cheek lightly and focused on the faces of people I passed by.
I was walking around in circles. There was not a single payphone anywhere on this floor. This was turning to a really lucky day. With a grunt, I climbed up the stairs and started looking for the lobby. Why hadn't I thought of the phone used by the nurses in the first place? My head had been badly hurt then, since I couldn't think clearly.
The halls in this floor were deserted. Not a soul wandering around, except me. Where was the bloody lobby? It should be here somewhere. I turned around the corridor and met a dead end. Great. Just great.
"Excuse me?" someone called from behind, "Are you here to visit Mr. Gray again?"
I blinked at her. Gray? Oh right, I was actually here earlier this morning. The real Chase was confined here. "Uh, I was just about to..."
She was holding a huge vase with blue roses. "You were with his brother earlier right? I saw you two. Come with me."
I nodded reluctantly and followed her. The thought of the real Chase lying on the bed flooded my mind, threatening to make me throw up. The reality couldn't sink in that fast.
"Are you a friend of him?" she asked?
"Kind of," I said, smiling uncomfortably.
"His brother was here all the time. He loved him so much," she said. "Jace was one lucky guy. I hope he wakes up soon."
She called him Jace. The real Jace exchanged their lives completely. It must have been easy since they looked exactly alike. How did he ever do all of this without getting caught? It seemed like no one knew they switched places. Maybe not even their parents.
"I would leave now. Just call for me when you need something," she instructed then left the room.
I turned to face the real Chase, my fingers brushing his hair. "Please wake up. I want this to be over. I need someone to make sense of all of this. I trust your brother, I really do. But I need to know the whole story. I know we're not friends but please Chase, come back."
My fingers touched his cheek and then his brow. Feeling his existence made things real and concrete and scary. I put my hand over his and prayed. Prayed that soon he'd wake up to fix every mess that's going on in my life.
Before I left, I took a blue rose from the vase and promised the sleeping boy that I would visit him again.
With the help of the kind nurse, I was able to come back to my room where a police officer was waiting for my arrival. He asked questions after questions. My dad talked to him and after a while I was off the hook.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, I finally arrived at the precinct. A huge guy with beer belly was seated at the small desk on the side of the receiving area. He was busy munching his flakes and didn't even bother to look up as I stood in front of him.
I cleared my throat. "Hi, I'm Sacred Mendez. Do you happen to know if there's someone who might be arrested this morning? Uh... Jace, I mean Chase. Chase Gray?"
He looked up then and tilted his head to the side. "And who you might be?" he asked without swallowing the food he's chewing, spattering bits of flakes with each word.
I hesitated for a moment but ended up saying it anyway. "I'm his girlfriend."
The man raised his brows. At first I thought he wouldn't believe me and just throw me on the streets. Picking up his trash from the table he gestured for me to follow him. We went to the hall to the right, passing a few offenders behind bars. Was Jace confined too? That's horrible. I felt a prickle of fear but it melted away as the officer let me enter a small room at the end of the hall.
Jake, Jace's brother was sitting on the edge of the table, arms crossed in front of him. He stood up when he saw me. Brenton was here too, though I had no idea what he was doing here.
"What took you so long?" Jake asked and I just shrugged.
"What's going on?" I asked instead of answering his question.
They just stared at me.
"Where's Ja-Chase?" I quickly corrected myself. I'm the only person who knew that Jace was pretending to be Chase.
Jake sighed morosely. "See for yourself."
He stuck up his thumb to his side and I saw a glass window I didn't notice as I arrived. It took up almost half the wall. Really? How come I didn't see something this huge at once. I inhaled sharply as my eyes focused on the person seated in the next room. Jace was there, slumped on a chair, his elbows on the table in front of him. He was looking directly at me. No, scratch that. This was a two-way mirror. He was actually staring blankly at his reflection.
"Can someone please tell me why Chase was sitting like a criminal there?" I asked to no one in particular.
"Easy there, tiger. I already signed up his papers. He's getting out as soon as the officer in charge comes back." He paused for a second then turned to Jace. "You need to talk to him. He was out of his mind. Luckily I talked to Dylan's parents and they wouldn't press charges."
My mouth hung open for several seconds before I could form a response. "Why are Dylan's parents involved in this?
Brenton and Jake glanced at each other.
"What?" I asked again.
"It may have something to do with a little commotion at the coffee shop," Brent admitted.
My brows knitted in the center. "What do you mean?"
"Well," he hesitated. "I was with Rielle this morning. We were at Starbucks. Dylan arrived a few minutes after. I didn't think he noticed us in the corner. Then Chase entered the shop like a mad dog and attacked Dylan. It was like watching an action movie."
"He what?" I asked in utter surprise and dismay.
Jake pinched the flesh between his eyes. "Apparently, my genius of a brother decided to act like a knight in shining armor for someone," he said, looking at me knowingly. "He made that guy Dylan a human punching bag. Did I mention my brothers were both black belters?"
Brothers. He said brothers. He meant Jace and Chase.
There was a pinch in my heart.
"That's awful," I commented. "Where is he now?"
"Probably licking his wounds," Brent joked and I shot him a warning glance. This was not the best time to play some dumb jokes.
"He was brought to the nearest hospital," Jake finally answered. "I called her mother and found out they were coming home later today. Nothing serious, just a minor injury and a couple bruises."
The door opened and we all turned to see the officer in charge of Jace's case. He went to talk to Jake and I opened the door to the next room. It was obvious that Jace was surprised to see me. Was he guilty? Or would he defend himself?
I stood in front of him.
I saw everything in slow motion. Chase's eyes travel from my feet going all the way up, stopping at my face. His face remained stoic, eyes void of any emotion.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey," I replied.
I was starting to feel uncomfortable. I didn't know what else to say. I was startled when he reached out and held my hand, rubbing my palms with his thumb.
"I don't regret what I did," he said, still looking at me in the eyes.
"I know," I said truthfully, knowing his now genuine hatred toward Dylan. I supposed it was my fault. Everything was all because of me. I pulled my hand away and hurt was registered in his eyes. I almost grabbed his hand back to console him but decided against it. What he did was completely wrong.
"You're mad at me," he said. It's a statement. Not a question.
"Maybe," I replied, unsure of what to think.
"But you are," he insisted.
"Can you blame me if I am?" I asked. "I told you not to do anything that could put you in a bad situation, and yet here we are."
"He took advantage of you." he explained, fingers gripping the edge of the table. "I can't just let him get away with it."
"You shouldn't have beaten him up." I replied, reaching for his arms in an attempt to lessen his anger. "What good would that do?"
"I just wanted to protect you. I wanted to make sure it doesn't happen again."
"I don't need a hero, Jace" I whispered, so no one could hear I called him by his real name. "I don't need someone who dies for me. I don't need someone who acts like he knows what's best for me."
For a moment I thought he wouldn't respond. For a moment I thought he would yell back and continue to start a fight. But he stood up and spoke in a calm voice. "So you don't need me."
"That's not what I meant," I said quickly.
Before any of us could say any further, Jace's brother entered the room. "That's enough, both of you. We're leaving."
Jake insisted they'd drive me back home but I told them that Brent and I would go to the mall and meet Rielle. They brought us there instead. Jace and I never spoke again after the incident though I wanted to clarify things with him. I had no idea what's going through his mind and explaining my side to him would only end up in a heated argument.
"Now what?" Brent asked as they drove away. "Are we really meeting Rielle today? 'Cause I remembered clearly that she mentioned her mom dragging her to a family lunch at a relative's house earlier."
I looked at him pointedly. "Of course we're not meeting her. I just don't want Chase to know that I'm crashing at your apartment. Do you want to be a human cookie dough after he's done punching you?"
Brent cringe. "Okay. Good thinking on your part. When are you coming back at your own house anyway? As much as I like having company, I'm not really a fan of having an audience every time I come out of the shower."
This time it's me who cringed. "Well in that case, said audience wasn't and never will be a fan either."
"So are we going home now?" he asked, scratching his head.
"Yes. I badly needed a good sleep. But first, I need a vase for this rose."
**********
The prom was the talk of the whole school on Tuesday. It was a long weekend actually and I spent my free days brooding and sleeping at Brent's apartment.
Students were all busy finishing up requirements for graduation and all those last minute entries for college applications but they still found time to gossip. I couldn't decide whether to be amazed or not about their multitasking abilities.
By lunchtime the news of Jace AKA Chase beating Dylan to a pulp spread out like a plague. The entire cafeteria turned to a huge gossip fest. These people needed new hobbies, ones that didn't involve me preferably.
Jace wasn't sitting by the council table as he usually did. He sat alone in an empty table near the window. My next move was really crucial. I needed to show him that I would stand by him no matter what. I just didn't want him to get hurt. He could sit on a corner doing nothing but still be the hero in my eyes nonetheless.
The moment that I was visible for everyone to see, the loud chatters turned to whispers. The anticipation of a drama made everyone excited. Ignoring them, I walked up straight to Jace's table and sat in front of him. A girl from a nearby table coughed and choked on her muffin. The others were just shamelessly gawking.
I couldn't imagine what everyone else was thinking. They knew I broke up with Dylan to be with who they thought was Chase. Then after a few weeks, I dumped said Chase to get back together with Dylan. Now, I was sitting with that Chase after having Dylan as a date to the prom the previous night.
I looked like a total player, jumping from one guy to another, then hopping back to the same guy, then getting my claws to the other guy again.
Honestly? I couldn't care less. They didn't know the whole story. This was my man. And I would do everything for our relationship to survive.
Jace just stared at me. I noticed that he didn't even touch his food. The last few days were difficult for us both and knowing that the real Chase was in a hospital didn't make matters better. He got a lot on his shoulders right now and I wouldn't want to add up to his baggage.
"Have you slept at all? You look like a cross between a zombie and a week-day old raisin bread," I said playfully to lighten the mood. I failed though, his face remained nonchalant.
He drank water, ignoring my comments.
"Are you okay?" I asked in full concern. "Why are you so quiet?"
He just shrugged.
"Is this about what happened the day after the prom?" I inquired, starting to get worried. "Look, I'm not mad at you okay? That day was full of revelation and it was a lot to take in. We were both shocked and obviously we couldn't think clearly. I don't blame you for what you did. Please, just talk to me."
He still wouldn't talk to me.
"Come with me," I said as I stood up and grabbed his hand. Good thing he didn't fight to stay in his seat because I was ready to turn amazona on him if he refused to come with me.
I dragged him toward the council room then locked the door behind us. He still had no reaction. What's wrong with him?
"What else do you want me to say before you believe me that I wasn't angry at all?" I asked in frustration. "Come on, Jace. What do you want me to do?"
It's official, I was talking to a rock.
Fine, this was my last resort. This better work.
I pushed him to a chair then sat on his lap, facing him. This time he finally had a reaction, his eyes widened as I held his face with both hands.
I kissed him.
Gentle at first, then slowly getting hungry for it. No scratch that, I was starving for it. I missed this guy's lips. The warmth of his touch and the scent of his skin. It's intoxicating. I didn't ever want to stop.
The sound of the bell pulled us apart. We were both breathing heavily this time. I locked my gaze to his and brushed his hair with my fingers the way I brushed his brother's hair in the hospital.
"I need you," I whispered in his ear. "Don't you ever, ever, ever think I don't."
He kissed the spot between my brows.
"I'm sorry," he said sincerely.
"Shhh," I said. "I want to do one more thing."
"What's that?" he asked as he pulled me closer.
Minutes later, we were in front of Serene's locker. I opened it and placed a vase with a single blue rose, a reminder that somewhere out there, the real Chase was waiting.
Waiting for the right time to wake up and come back.
Back to my sister's arms.
Hey loves. Kisses and hugs.
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