What Once Was

(40) deja vu

"I hate to think that I was just your type."
-Olivia Rodrigo

"Did you see Cato's interview with Gina King last night?" asked Becca as she sat down at our usual table for lunch. Lacey, Braxton, and Jadyn were already sitting with me.

Lacey squealed while the guys and I sat in confusion. Gina King is a talk show host. Why would we care about her... and Cato Gray?

"He is just so sweet! Ainsley is so lucky..." Lacey gushed. "But I feel so bad for her after her injury."

I stayed silent but let the others ask the questions because I was genuinely curious.

"What happened?" asked Braxton.

"You didn't hear?" Becca questioned. "She got hurt playing soccer. Torn ACL and everything. Cato talked about it in the interview."

"Well, I don't keep up with Hollywood, so how would I know?" Braxton responded.

"That's not Hollywood at all. Ains is our friend," said Lacey, who sounded rather defensive.

"I miss her," Becca said after a moment of no words being spoken.

I swear, Becca and Lacey talk about Ainsley like I didn't just date her. It's honestly annoying.

"Sure Ryder can second that," Jadyn chortled.

I was just about to snap at him, but I was stopped by Georgia approaching the table. Everyone seemed to go silent actually.

We all watched in silence as Georgia sat down. The girl she was with took the seat at the edge of the table, but holy hell. Whoever she was, she was a literal copy and paste of Ainsley. Her hair was styled the same, but just a darker shade of Ainsley's. Her skin was also darker and her eyes were brown, but other than that, her face shape, mouth, nose, everything was the same.

"Guys! This is Ella, she just moved here from Washington," Georgia explained.

I noticed that just about everyone was looking towards me for a reaction, but it was honestly so weird. Ainsley leaves the school and then her lookalike decides to show up.

Slowly, everyone began to greet Ella, but I held back because I was a little shocked at the resemblance. Ella was without a doubt a pretty girl, but it was so weird how close they looked.

"Lace, Ella plays soccer and volleyball," Georgia went on to explain.

Lacey's face lit up as she turned to Ella. "That's amazing! We need another player ever since Ainsley left... for both sports. What positions do you play?"

Ella smiled softly. It was obvious that she is shy and quiet. "In soccer I play forward, and in volleyball, I prefer to be an outside hitter, but I am a little too short, so I usually get stuck playing as a libero.

We all shared looks. This girl is literally Ainsley.

"By any chance, was your dad in the NFL?" Braxton asked jokingly.

Ella looked at him with a confused look and shook her head. "No..."

-

"So what did you think of Ella?" asked Braxton as we walked to the student parking lot later that day.

I shrugged. "She looks scarily identical to Ainsley."

Braxton nodded in agreement. "Ella seemed to be eyeing you though. What do you think about that?"

"Don't care. Football is my main focus."

"Uh huh. What if Ella is the next Ainsley Sloane?" he questioned.