"Chase?"

All eyes were transfixed on Zoey and the person who so very much resembled Chase. Zoey's heart was beating so fast she felt as if she would have a heart attack soon. She stood up, pushing her chair back so fast that it fell over. She walked over to where Chase was standing and…

"Sorry," Tony said, looking confused. "But… this isn't Chase. It's Jake. Jake Thomas."

Nicole and Michael exchanged glances. They both gave Zoey a look with their eyebrows up. Zoey felt colour rush into her cheeks. Of course it wasn't Chase. How could it be? Chase was dead. But yet… this Jake fellow looked so much like him that she swore… she swore that she saw it in his eyes that…

"You must be Zoey Brooks," Jake said, interrupting her thoughts. He smiled and stuck his hand out for her to shake. "I've heard about you from Tony who heard about you from Nicole…" He laughed.

Zoey stared at him. His voice was like Chase's except it was a bit deeper. His smile and his laugh made her feel faint just as it did with Chase. How could it not be him? It had to be… it just had to be Chase Matthews. Her first love Chase Matthews.

"Chase," Zoey whispered. "I…"

Jake glanced at Tony and Logan nudged Zoey in the ribs. "Shut it, Zoey. That's not Chase!" Everyone's eyes were on the heart pounding Zoey. She felt as if her world had been turned upside down. She felt tears gather in her eyes and suddenly she broke out into sobs and ran out of the kitchen.

"Zoey… wait!" Nicole called out, quickly running after her.

Gasping for breath, Zoey locked herself in the bathroom. It was a joke, a cruel joke. How could this Jake not be Chase? Everything about him… it was as if Chase's mirror reflection had walked out and introduced himself. Zoey felt hurt and confused. She wanted so badly for him to be Chase that…

Nicole was knocking on the bathroom door. "Zoey… open up, it's me." Her knuckles rapped against the wood of the door. "Zoey… c'mon…"

Zoey sighed and unlocked the door. Nicole walked in, looking sad. She embraced Zoey in a reassuring hug. Zoey felt tears roll down her cheeks again. She started to cry softly, her eyes squeezed shut. Nicole just held her until Zoey had calmed down a little.

"It's Chase," she whispered. "It has to be Chase."

"Zoey," Nicole said, her voice pained. "How can it be Chase when we know that Chase is gone?" She sighed lightly and sat on the edge of the bathtub. "He's not Chase, Zoey. His name is Jake Thomas and he works with Tony at the supermarket. I know he kind of looks like Chase, but…"

"He doesn't kind of look like Chase!" Zoey cried. "He is Chase! I can tell from his eyes. That's him, Nicole. Please… please believe me." She was crying again, her shoulders shaking. Her tear stained face was blotchy and her eyes puffy and red.

"Zoey, I wish I could believe you," Nicole said. "But… how can I?" She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Zoey, but Chase is gone and… he's not coming back." A single tear fell down her cheek. "So please… put him behind you."

"How can I?" Zoey was yelling now, anger exploding inside her. "How can I put him behind me, Nicole? How? I can never forget him… I've tried. Don't you think I've attempted to go on with my life as if he had never died? I wish I could move on, Nicole. But most of all, I wish he was back. And when I see him I know that… that…"

"Zoey," Nicole whispered. "I'm telling you… we're all telling you. That's not Chase."

"But he looks… he sounds… he smiles… just like him." Zoey's voice had died down into a small strangled whisper. "His eyes, Nicole… I can never forget those eyes. And those… those were his."

"Zoey, we all think that Jake resembles Chase a little bit," Nicole said softly. "But let's face it. It's not Chase and…" She paused. "It never will be Chase."

"Why not…" Zoey whispered. "Why can it never be Chase?"

"You know it can't be, Zoey," Nicole said. Her heart was hurting so badly, seeing her best friend in such a state. Zoey had always been so together, so in control. Now she was a mess, falling apart before her very eyes.

Zoey just shook her head and slumped down against the cupboards where Nicole kept spare toilet paper. Nicole came and sat down beside her. Zoey waved her away, hoping she would leave, but Nicole didn't budge.

"We're best friends, Zoey," she said quietly. "And when you hurt, I hurt. If you're going to stay in the bathroom and be miserable then I am too."

The two of them sat for awhile until there was a knock on the door and Dana came in. The sparkle in her eyes had died down and now a look of concern swept over her face. Catching sight of the teary Zoey and the upset Nicole, Dana crouched down in front of them and said, "I'm sorry."

"For what…?" Nicole asked.

"That Jake isn't Chase," Dana murmured. She took Zoey into a comforting hug. Zoey felt her heart drop even lower than it already had. It had all been a mistake. She had made a mistake. It wasn't Chase. It was Jake. The mere similarities between them didn't mean a thing. The biggest difference between the two of them was that Jake was alive and Chase was not.

"Are you ready to go back?" Nicole asked.

Zoey took a deep breath and nodded. She stood up and, standing at the sink, splashed some water on to her face. With Dana and Nicole on either side of her, Zoey left the bathroom and made her way back to the kitchen where the others were waiting.

"What kept you?" Michael asked. He was smiling, but a look of pain was in his eyes. He too had seen the similarities between Chase and Jake. He had been one step closer to getting his best friend back.

"Girl talk," Nicole said, smiling. She looked over at the oven where she was baking some muffins. "They're almost done… I hope you all like raspberry."

"I don't," Logan said, frowning.

"Well… too bad." Nicole shrugged her shoulders as she slid on a pair of pink plaid oven mitts. Dustin and Katie laughed. They had dismissed the Jake Chase situation very quickly for they did not want to believe something that wasn't true.

"Ms. Brooks, are you alright?" Jake asked, raising his eyebrows in a teasing sort of way. Zoey felt a big lump in her throat. She nodded and went to go get a glass of water. Remember, she told herself. It's not Chase. It's not Chase.

After dinner was served and they had all stuffed themselves silly, the whole group of them were seated around the coffee table in Nicole's little living room. They laughed and shared stories, talking about the good times they had had at PCA.

"So were you all friends at that school?" Jake asked, sounding interested.

"Oh yeah," Logan said, nodding. "The whole group is here. Well, except for Chase, but he…" Logan's voice trailed off and he suddenly became very preoccupied with putting sugar into his coffee.

There was a thick heavy silence over the lot of them. "He… what…?" Jake asked, sounding a little hesitant and cautious.

Everyone looked at Zoey to see how she would react. Finally she spoke. "He did," she said, her voice coming out clear and strong. "He and his parents were in a car accident that took their lives." She coughed slightly. "He… was my boyfriend."

Jake stared at Zoey, his eyes hard. "I'm… sorry to hear that."

Zoey smiled a little and then turned her attention back to stirring her coffee. Everyone was silent for awhile. Just as Michael was about to spring into a story about golfing, Zoey spoke again.

"You know, you remind me of him."

Jake lifted his eyes so they were level with Zoey's. "Interesting…"

"Yes. That's why I called you Chase at first." Zoey sighed. "But… he's not going to come back, is he?"

"No… I don't… think so…"

"My dad passed away as well," Zoey said quietly. Her eyes were starting to get misty again. "It was depressing. I find that often people who are close to me either drift away or perish…"

"Who wants corn muffins?" Nicole said a little too loudly, jumping up to her feet. "I mean raspberry muffins. Not corn… raspberry."

"I need to use the rest room," Zoey said absent mindedly. She picked up her purse and disappeared into the washroom with Jake staring after her.

Once inside the bathroom, Zoey put the toilet seat down and took a seat. She opened her purse and pulled out the pad of paper and a pen. Thinking a little, she started to write.

Dearest Chase,

I thought I saw you today. Isn't that funny? Ha, ha… Well, I didn't think it was quite that hilarious when I saw him. His name is Jake and he looks just like you. It saddens me to see that you… my Chase… will never be the one that I lay eyes on again. Throughout the years it always felt like you would come back to me. But now I know for sure that you never will.