The Replacement Boyfriend

Chapter 17

Zayne

Okay, so maybe making-out with some random girl had been a bad idea. I felt terrible about it as soon as I was sober enough to think about what I had done. I mean, all she had done was dance with Jax. It wasn't like either of them had made a move on each other and it wasn't like he knew her as well as I did either. So I was still a front runner in the race...right? I mean, so what if he was older and good looking and knew the right words to say at the right time. He still didn't know her past and he didn't know about her anxiety issues. He didn't know that she had prescribed medication for her anxiety, which she didn't take because Dane had always been there to calm her down instead. Plus, when she had taken those pills, it had knocked her out for longer than twelve hours.

Those were the thoughts that took over my brain through the week – whether I was in class or at band practice or in my room with Asher.

"Dude, what's going on?" Asher asked on Friday while we were at band practice. "You've been spacing out a lot."

"Nothing," I mumbled, tuning my guitar so I didn't have to make eye contact with him. "Red and I are going home for the weekend. I was just thinking about how weird it's going to be without Dane around."

Well, technically, it wasn't a lie. I had been thinking about that as well. I mean, I hadn't spoken or texted Dane since the night he visited us and then left for boot-camp or whatever they called their training thing. But I guess he didn't really have internet access or maybe he wasn't allowed to use his phone. He had promised to tell me everything the first chance he got and I didn't doubt it.

"Are you sure that's all?" Asher asked, sharing a look with Yu Na who blushed every time he looked at her. Her constant blushing and nervousness was rubbing off on me and I swear I felt more uncomfortable around them since they started dating. I mean, Asher never let anyone feel like a third wheel around them but they were so careful around each other and not in the way I was being around Tace.

I probably would have mentioned my jealousy toward Tace's liking toward Jax if Yu Na wasn't there. I mean, she would go running to tell Tace the first chance she got and even if she wasn't the gossip type, I was sure it would get out to Ahana since she was her roommate and then Ahana would tell Cassidy and then eventually it would get to Tace because Cassidy didn't hide anything from Tace. It was a long process of Tace finding out which probably wouldn't end well for me.

"Yeah, man," I brushed him off. "I need to pack after practice, too. Tace and Amara are probably dying to see each other after so long."