Jake had been seemingly going crazy. Everywhere he looked, Cara was smiling right back at him. During study hall, Jake's teacher allowed them to go into the courtyard and study. The classroom had a window that looked out into it, so the teacher always saw what they were doing. Jake got up and left when the teacher asked who wanted to go outside. No one else got up. Apparently, they had all accepted her death, something he thought would be impossible. Still, he walked out into the sun and sat at a table. He began humming her favorite songs and all he could do was doodle her name in big letters on his notebook.
Jake soon heard footsteps coming up behind him. They were light, like a girl was walking on the grass. He listened more closely; yes, definitely a girl, but who? He turned around to see the beautiful Cara behind him, but then he blinked, and Cara's smiling face, and her big brown eyes were gone. In their place was Isabelle, who looked an awful lot like Cara.
"Hi Jake. Mind if I sit?" she asked timidly, like she had more to say than that.
Jake was about to say yes, but then he remembered he was mad at her. "Hmph."
"Jake, you don't have to talk. But I do. I was thinking the other day, the way I acted at Cara's funeral was wrong. I should have supported you, not try to tell you to suck it up. I'm really sorry about that."
"Well, it's okay, I guess. I'm sorry the way I acted towards you. I shouldn't done that. I just feel . . . so alone, ya know?"
"Yes, I know the feeling," she smiled. "If I had someone to love maybe I wouldn't act like that, but what guy would want me?" she asked.
"Well," said Jake, suddenly realizing she could pass as Cara, "I could change that."
Isabelle's face lit up entirely. She gave him a hug and ran off to tell her small group of friends.
"Dude, what was that about?" asked Tyler.
"I'm going out with Cara," Jake replied, with a smile on his face.
"No, that's Isabelle. Are you feeling okay?" Tyler playfully checked Jake's temperature.
"I know it sounds wrong, and it probably is, but she's my surrogate for Cara. She will fill Cara's place. Dude, it's the best thing I have come up with, if you ask me." Jake smiled at his friend, but Tyler seemed to find it wrong anyway.
