Chapter Sixteen: To Meet With The Mysterious Guy

Cara hurried into her first-period class, feeling the rush of embarrassment for not even bothering to thank Vince for the ride. She couldn’t shake the awkwardness of the situation, especially when his question about her relationship status kept replaying in her mind. Her face flushed at the thought of it.

It was probably a blessing that Vince wasn’t in her first class. She was still dealing with the discomfort of the way she’d left him, without a word or any acknowledgement of his kindness. What a strange feeling to have—being caught off guard and unsure of how to act around someone she barely knew.

But why was she feeling this way? He had simply asked if she had a boyfriend. Was she really imagining that he might be flirting with her? No, she couldn’t be thinking that. “Forget it, Cara Nathalia,” she muttered to herself. She wasn’t interested in him. "You’re just schoolmates, that’s all." She tried to convince herself, but the feeling still lingered.

“Hey, what are you thinking about?” The voice came out of nowhere, interrupting her thoughts. It was another guy, appearing before her like one of those teleporting characters from X-Men.

Cara blinked, struggling to remember his name. “Wait, what’s your name again?” she asked, though she recognized him as the neighbor who had recently transferred.

Will grinned at her, clearly amused. “You really forgot about me? Will Anderson. I’m your childhood playmate, your childhood friend, and your handsome neighbor. Maybe you were too young back then to remember me, but I’ve always remembered you. We’re the same age, after all.”

Cara’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Wait, we’re classmates too?” she asked, trying to piece it together. She hadn’t noticed him before.

Will smiled and nodded. “We’ve been classmates from the very beginning.”

“What?!” she exclaimed, a little shocked. “I had no idea.” She looked at him, feeling completely thrown off.

“You didn’t notice me because you’re always buried in your books,” he explained with a chuckle, and she couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed. He had a point—she always had her nose in her textbooks, zoning out from everything else around her.

“Right,” she mumbled, amused at herself. It was true. Jean was the only person who could ever pull her away from her books, and the only other face she noticed in class was the professor. Cara liked to call herself a loner, but she wasn’t exactly introverted. Small talk just wasn’t her thing.

She thought about excusing herself from Will, but he wasn’t letting the conversation die just yet.

“By the way, what were you thinking about earlier?” Will asked, his curiosity apparent. “It’s a miracle you’re not reading a book today.”

Cara wasn’t in the mood for any more conversation, so she silently muttered to herself, “I was about to, but you interrupted me.”

He smirked, clearly sensing her irritation.

“Were you studying me?” she blurted out without thinking, the words slipping out before she could stop them.

“No, I’m not,” he replied immediately, his tone playful. Then, with a quieter voice, he added, “I’m heading back to my seat now. Talk to you later.”

Cara realized the professor had just walked in, signaling the start of class, and that was his way of slipping away.

With that, he moved back to his seat as the professor arrived and started the lecture.

Cara settled in, trying to focus on the anatomy class, but her mind kept drifting back to the earlier conversation with Vince. She kept pushing away thoughts of him, but her phone buzzed, pulling her back to reality. A text message from Vince flashed on the screen.

“What could he want now?” she wondered, but she ignored it and refocused on the professor.

The phone buzzed again. She didn’t bother to check it. But then a few minutes later, a classmate passed her a note, which she opened to find a simple “R.S.V.P.” written on it.

She looked around the room, trying to catch a glimpse of Vince, but he wasn’t there. She shrugged and returned to the lecture, still feeling irritated by his little game.

Reluctantly, she took out her phone and typed a response: “Fine, wait for me at the cafeteria before lunch.”

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Cara moved slowly, gathering her things as a wave of nervousness hit her. Vince was probably waiting for her in the cafeteria, and she wasn’t sure what to expect.

“Hey, are you trying to dodge me?” A voice came from behind her. It was Will again.

Cara turned to him and sighed, trying to explain, “I need to meet someone in the cafeteria. Let’s catch up later, okay?”

Before she could walk away, she remembered something her mother had mentioned to her. She turned back to Will and handed him a slip of paper with her number on it.

“Call me later,” she said. “My mom wants you to help me recall some childhood memories.”

As she left the classroom, her mind raced. Why had her mother insisted she reconnect with Will? Wasn’t she the one who had told Cara to forget her past, especially the parts involving Will? Still, she had her doubts.

Arriving at the cafeteria, she scanned the room, her eyes landing on a group of girls giggling and laughing. As she drew closer, she saw Vince sitting with them, the only guy in the group.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively turned to leave, not wanting to be the center of attention. But just as she was about to walk away, she heard Vince’s voice.

“Cara!” he called out, and she froze, her face flushing red as she realized he had already spotted her. The last thing she wanted was to draw attention to herself, but now, all eyes seemed to be on her.

Feeling like an idiot, she continued to walk out of the cafeteria, trying to avoid Vince and the girls around him. She felt like she was being a jealous girlfriend, hurt by his playful charm. What was wrong with her?

“Cara!” Vince’s voice echoed behind her again. She stopped and turned to face him, her heart racing. She didn’t know what to say to him.

Instead of asking her anything, Vince simply grabbed her hand and led her outside.

Cara felt a sudden rush of familiarity, a strange sense of déjà vu. Wasn’t this the exact same scenario that had played out in her dream? But as soon as she tried to remember the details, they slipped away, leaving her feeling more confused than ever.