A/N: Sorry xmillion for the long wait. The wait for chapter eight might even be longer. Unfortunately, the computer that I had chapters 9, 10, and 11 saved on CRASHED, and we had to go get it fixed, and I'm not allowed on it until we get this whole virus program ma-jigger installed. I'm not even entirely sure that 9,10,&11 are still on the damn thing. Side note: I was kind of disappointed by the number of reviews. Lots of alerts and hits, but few reviews me sad not inspired to write. Not like I should complain though, because it's not going to stop me from writing. Anyways, this is me shutting up.
Disclaimer: I bought it last week and I own it now. Also, I'm a compulsive liar.
I Wish
Chapter Seven: The Truth
Nicole squealed, excited, and jumped up again, the smile never leaving her lips. All three girls were ecstatic and bouncing around the boys' dorm room. Logan seemed a bit stunned, his eyes almost bulging out of his head, not believing what he was hearing. He took a step back, trying to take it all in as Nicole continued to explain.
"Next Saturday!" She yelled, turning to Zoey as the two hugged and jumped at the same time. "I'm so excited!" Lola didn't seem to share quite the same enthusiasm as the other two females in the room though, probably because she and Dana had never met.
"What?" Logan asked to himself, furrowing his eyebrows. He backed up a bit more, thinking about it. He looked downward as if he was looking to the floor for an answer. Clearly he was confused.
"She just called me!" Nicole confessed, still shouting excitedly, "And she never calls unless its really really important, well, unless I have something really really important and I ask her to call," She paused, thinking, "But it kind of depends on how late it is there, you know, six hour time difference and all, and then if she's in class or I'm in class, or if it's-"
"Nicole!" Chase cut her off, "We get it."
"So… Dana's coming back?" Michael asked, more to himself, trying to take in the sudden news just like Logan.
"Yep!" Nicole squealed again, "Her plane leaves next Saturday," everyone nodded as she continued, "She said that it's about a seven hour flight, and it leaves at eight in the morning from Bordeaux, you'd think she'd be here at three in the afternoon, right? Well, that's what I said, but she was like 'Nicole, you-"
"Nicole!" Chase called again, repeating himself, "We get it, seriously."
Nicole huffed a bit before continuing on, telling the group of six what Dana had told her. Chase and Michael seemed interested, relatively excited about their friend's return. Lola was excited as well, probably more so to meet the famous 'Danger Cruz' everyone had mentioned several times since she'd started at PCA. Nicole was through the room ecstatic, and Logan seemed shocked, clearly not believing what his ears were telling him.
"Well, because of the six hour time difference, she said she'd be getting in at LA international airport at around nine thirty, give or take, and then it's an hour drive to PCA." Nicole smiled. She looked as though she might shake with anticipation.
"She- She's going to be here. Here?" Logan asked, trying not to get his hopes up, "In a week. One week? Seven days?"
"I know!" Zoey shouted, just as much excited as Nicole was, "Isn't it exciting!"
"Oh yeah… real… exciting," Logan answered slowly, thinking about it as he spoke.
What was he going to do now; he had a week to wait. She had been gone for well over two years and he was going to see her in one week. The thought both excited him and terrified him at the same time. What would he do when he saw her? How was he going to react? What should he say? He was almost certain he couldn't greet her with a simple "Hey, your back." That just would not do. Then again, he was worried he'd spill when he saw her. Coming back from Paris and hearing "I've missed you, I love you, never leave me ever again," from your worst enemy probably wasn't something she wanted to hear. Hell, it was definitely something she didn't want to hear.
He was screwed, completely and utterly screwed. However at the same time, he was overjoyed. He was going to see her again, and hopefully this time she wouldn't get up and leave. The last time he'd seen her he hadn't even gotten a proper goodbye. She hadn't even told him she was leaving.
It had been June of eighth grade, the very last day of the school year. Everyone was packed up, saying their goodbyes and waiting for their parents to pick them up for the summer vacation. The group of six consisting of Zoey, Chase, Michael, Nicole, Dana and himself had gotten together to hang out just one last time. Logan thought it would be the last time before summer, little did he know it would be the last time for a while.
The sun was shining brightly and the weather was warm, but not too hot. The six of them had met over by Sushi Rox, so that Logan and Chase could grab their last paychecks before vacation. Zoey's dad was going to be coming early to pick up her and Dustin, so they all had decided to get together at around nine. They walked around campus, doing what they usually did, except for a few things, like play basketball, because the courts were closed early before summer.
As the day passed, Zoey, Nicole and Michael's parents had come to pick them up, leaving Chase, Logan and Dana behind.
Dana tapped her foot, rolling her eyes and looking around. Logan raised an eyebrow at her as she dropped her bags off near the front of PCA's campus. Her parents were supposed to pick her up at five, and it was now six thirty. To say the least, she was pissed.
"What are you all anxious about?" Logan asked her, watching as she continued to tap her foot.
"My parents are late," She sighed, offering a half smile to him, "again."
"So?" Logan smirked, "That just means you get to spend more time with the Loganator."
"Ha!" she laughed, "You know, I didn't think you could get any lamer, but you've topped yourself."
"I agree," added Chase, laughing, as he waited with the two. His parents had asked him to call when he wanted to be picked up because he lived a mere thirty minutes from Pacific Coast Academy.
"Oh whatever." Logan rolled his eyes, "you know you'll miss me."
Dana's face softened slightly, looking to Chase. She'd told Zoey about leaving, and she'd ended up telling him. Nicole, Michael and Logan hadn't known, mostly because Dana didn't want it to become a big deal. Just then, Dana's dad pulled up in a black convertible mustang.
"Dana!" He yelled, getting out of the car and walking around to grab one of her bags and place it in the trunk, "I'm so sorry. Your mom's out of town, and I had a big meeting in L.A, and then I had to find a sitter for Andrew, and drive out here." He said, looking up as he closed the trunk, "I came as quick as I could."
"Oh, who're you?" Mr. Cruz asked, coming to stand next to his daughter as he looked over Logan and Chase.
"Oh! Dad, these are my friends," She smiled to her dad, "Chase and Logan." She pointed each of them out as she said their names, "Guys, this is, uh, my dad."
"Nice to meet you Mr. Cruz," Chase said, shaking Dana's father's hand.
"Uh, what he said," Logan answered, shaking his hand as well.
"Sorry dad," Dana smirked, "you'll have to excuse Logan, he's slow." Dana's dad laughed, nodding to the boys as we walked away, getting into the car. He started it up again, waiting for Dana to get into the passenger's seat.
"Well, uh, I've gotta go," Dana said awkwardly, standing there. She moved forward a bit, not sure whether to hug them goodbye. She was grateful when Chase initiated the action, seeing Dana was unsure.
"I'm going to miss you," Chase said, pulling her into a hug. She smiled, answering that she would miss him too.
"Guys, its just two months," Logan rolled his eyes, awaiting his hug. She looked at him awkwardly, just as she'd done with Chase, unsure about the hug. Logan didn't move to hug her, so she stepped back, opening the car door.
"Right, well…" She started, standing there, "Bye Chase, and uh, I'll- I'll see you around Logan," She said before entering the car and shutting the door.
I'll see you around Logan. Those were her last words to him. Not even a goodbye.
Looking up, Logan returned from his memory to see that he was leaned against the island. Chase was beside him, and the rest of the group was watching television from the couch.
"I was wondering when you'd snap back into it," Chase said quietly. Logan turned to him, wondering just how he knew exactly what was going on.
"What?" Logan answered back, just as quietly, trying not to attract the attention of the rest of the group.
"Thinking about Dana?" Chase asked, raising his Blix to his lips and taking a sip. He raised his eyebrows and Logan, and turned his head to steal a glance at him
"Yeah," Logan admitted, "When she left."
Chase just nodded, remembering the last day of eighth grade when the three of them had stood there, waiting for Dana's father to pick her up.
"I didn't even get a goodbye, and she goes gallivanting over to France." Logan sighed, sinking down into a barstool. Chase copied his actions and did the same, sitting next to him.
"And now," Logan lowered his head into his hands, "I mean, I've spent two years dealing, knowing she's not coming back, and now…"
"She does." Chase finished, trying to help out his friend.
"What am I going to do? To say?" Logan asked, looking up to Chase, trying to find some sort of answer.
"Well, you could start with, 'Hey Dana,' and a hug couldn't hurt," Chase smiled, which Logan mirrored.
"We're going to head out," Lola smiled, getting off the couch and walking over towards the other boys, "Going to Sushi Rox, you can come with if you want."
The other two girls stood from the couch, along with Michael, and walked over towards the island. They gathered up whatever they'd brought with them, and headed towards the door, getting reading to leave. Chase muttered a 'No thanks,' as Zoey kissed his cheek, and Michael shook his head. The girls left, leaving the boys to their Friday night.
"I'm uh, going to go out for a while," Logan started, "To think. I'll see you guys later." Both chase and Michael nodded, as he headed out the door.
Michael took a seat on one of the barstools next to Chase, looking ad him oddly. "What's up with him?" He asked, nodding towards the door, telling Chase that he was talking about Logan.
"He's just… Confused about some stuff," Chase answered, not sure if Michael knew about what was going on.
"Dana?" Michael asked. That answered Chase's question as he nodded.
"So you and Lola, eh?" Chase asked, waggling his eyebrows at his friend, getting off the topic of Logan and Dana. Michael's eyes widened a bit as though he thought Chase hadn't know about his crush.
"Uh…" he started, but then gave in, "Yeah, just, don't tell anyone." He laughed. Chase nodded, agreeing to the terms.
"I should get Logan to write in his notebook to get Lola to like me," Michael said jokingly, earning a laugh from Chase, "Seemed to have worked well for you and Zoey." Chase stopped laughing suddenly and snapped his head up to look at his friend. Michael stopped laughing as well when he caught a glimpse of Chase's face and then realized what he had said.
"What?!" Chase yelled, his eyes wide, "You mean, Logan wished this." You could clearly tell he was angry at the situation.
"Uh, well" Michael tried, hoping to somehow calm Chase down and take back what he'd said. Chase, however, was having none of this. He stood from his chair and walked over towards the door. Opening it, he stated, "I've got to find Zoey," and then left without any more words, leaving Michael alone in the room.
Chase ran down to the end of the hallway and pressed the elevator button at least twelve times. He was extremely impatient as he waited. Finally once the elevator came, he pressed the "L" button, but unfortunately, the elevator made a stop on each floor.
"Oh come on!" He yelled to no one in particular as it stopped on the second floor and he waited for the people to get in and the doors to shut.
As soon as the doors to the Lounge opened he raced out, and stopped for a minute, thinking. Where had Zoey and the girls gone? Finally he remembered they'd mentioned Sushi Rox, and he bolted there as fast as he could, hoping that they would still be there. When he was on his way, he saw the three girls just leaving and rushed over.
"Zoey!" He waved to her as he ran up to the group. He stopped for a moment, bending over with his hands in his knees catching his breath. She looked at him, confused, as did the other girls.
"I ran all the way here," He explained, panting, "We really need to talk."
"Um, alright" She said, hesitantly, "I'll catch up with you girls later." The girls each mumbled 'alright,' before heading off, presumably towards their dorm room.
"Chase, What's wrong." Zoey asked, grabbing his arm lightly to gain his attention.
"I-" Chase began, not sure of how to start, "We- We cant do this." Zoey furrowed her eyebrows questioningly, as she looked Chase in the eyes.
"What do you mean?" She asked, a frown starting to form.
"I just can't do this… us," He said regretfully. She looked at him again, searching for an answer in his eyes.
"Did I do something?" She asked, trying to understand what was going on with him.
He looked at her, a frown setting upon his features as he looked down to meet her gaze, "No," he said, "Your perfect." She let her lower lip tremble slightly as he brought his hand up to her cheek. He kissed her once, lightly, and looked her in the eyes. "Trust me," He answered, "this just isn't right, not now, not like this." He turned to walk away from her, unable to stand there as his heart plummeted into his stomach.
"Chase?" She called to him, and he turned around. She stood there, falling apart in front of him. He took a step forward, pulling her into a hug. She pulled him closer to her and she let a few tears make their way down her cheeks. "Why?" She asked him, pulling away to look him in the eyes. He saw the look in her eyes and couldn't stand to lie to her.
"Zoey, we just cant, it's- it's complicated." He sighed. Her lip trembled again, and she shifted her gaze between each of his eyes, trying to find a reason in them.
"Please Chase," She bit her lip, "Tell me."
"I cant!" he yelled, frustrated. Zoey seemed to be taken aback by his sudden out burst and stepped away from him. He could see the sadness and confusion in her eyes, and he hated to do this to her, but he couldn't go through with this. He couldn't stand hearing her say 'I love you' when it was all a stupid wish. He wanted her to love him, for him, and not because of some stupid journal.
"But Chase," She pleaded with him, staring up into his shocking green eyes, "I think I love you." She spoke the words he'd been waiting to hear her say for years. He stepped forwards, grabbing her hands and pulling her a step closer to him.
"Zoey, please don't say that," He asked. He didn't want to hear the words leave her lips if it wasn't true. He turned his head to look away from her pleading brown eyes, and closed his eyes, willing his tears not to fall. If anything, he needed to be strong now.
"D- D- don't do this," Zoey trembled, tugging on his hands trying to get him to look at her, "Please, look at me." She asked, and slowly he turned his head. His eyes were still closed as he sucked in a deep breath. "Chase, look at me," she demanded, and he opened his eyes to stare back at her.
"Zoey, I can't do this to you," He admitted, "To myself."
"Chase," She desperately searched for an answer. She didn't want to loose him, not after three years, "You can tell me."
"Zoey, you don't love me," Chase answered, "And I can't make you love me." He tried his best to explain without giving away Logan's secret. No matter how hard he wanted to tell her, he couldn't betray a friend.
"Chase, I do." She answered him; he looked in her eyes and couldn't tell whether or not to trust her. The street lamps started to come on and the campus was almost bare as the sky darkened around them slowly.
"You don't, you just think you do, but you don't." He let go of her hands and turned around. He took a deep breath, and walked a few steps away before she called his name again. He stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around.
"I'm Sorry, Zoe," He closed his eyes, "I'm sorry." With those words he did the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. He'd walked away from her, and from the one thing he loved more then anything else in the world.
He sulked back to room four seventeen in the darkness, hoping Zoey would make it back to her room alright. In the lounge there were a few students working on homework, but Chase hardly noticed them as he passed by, headed straight for the elevator. He pressed the four and waited until the elevator doors opened. He walked down the hall, reaching his dorm and walked inside.
Michael looked up from his place on the couch to see Chase walking through the door. Worried, he stood and walked over to his friend.
"What happened to you?" Michael asked, opening up the mini fridge.
"I broke up with Zoey." Chase stated simply, no emotion in his voice. He stared at the countertop and ran his hands through his curly hair.
"You what?!" Michael asked, wide eyed. Logan then walked through the door, looking considerably happier then when he'd left. He looked up, shifting his gaze between Michael and Chase.
"What happened?" Logan asked, walking over to the two.
"Chase broke up with Zoey." Michael stated, still shocked.
"You What?!" Logan yelled, repeating what Michael had said only seconds ago.
"Look, I know you wished that Zoey would like me," Chase stated plainly, "And I don't want her to like me because of some stupid wish in some stupid notebook."
"You idiot!" Logan yelled, smacking Chase on the back of the head. Chase cringed, and yelled a 'Hey!' at Logan.
"I didn't wish Zoey would like you," Logan said quickly, moving around the island and walking to the counter. He pulled out a drawer where the notebook was hidden and placed it on top of the island for the three of them to see. He flipped though a few pages before finding the right one.
"Look," he stated, "I wish Chase would tell Zoey he's in love with her already." He read, "I wished you'd tell her. Not that she'd like you, you dolt."
"What?" Chase answered, wide eyed, and disbelievingly. Logan began talking, but Chase couldn't hear anything. All he could hear were the thoughts that were running through his head at the moment. The millions of thoughts that were screaming to him, telling him that he'd just ruined his life.
A/N: CZ Fans, don't kill. Things will get resolved sooner or later. And we're almost half way done :)
