Disclaimer: I don't own Hart of Dixie.
A/N: Not my first story for HoD but I hope this one turns out better. In the end of the chapter, please review so I can get some feedback. Thanks.
Chapter One - Wrong Percentages
Zoe was entering the Rammer Jammer when she saw her cousin, Vivian Wilkes, leaving the restaurant/bar. You could see that happening very often, now. Wade and Vivian were, as Zoe hated to name it, kind of dating. They were casually meeting each other in Bluebell and they had been talking, out in public not afraid of anyone seeing them, for a long time. Zoe had seen them a few times talking by town's square and Joel had said "Look how happy they look", the type of comment that Zoe rather not to hear, but she had to admit - only to herself - that they really looked happy together. And they weren't even... dating, really dating.
Once her thoughts flew away, she looked again to Joel who was still talking about his new novel. She nodded her head, walking to an available table, pretending to hear every word coming out of Joel's mouth.
"I think this is going to be a huge book, a best-seller maybe and you know why?" Joel laughed, and shook his head in disbelief with himself, like he was thinking 'how come I never thought of it before?'. Zoe looked at him and arched her eyebrows, waiting for his answer "Because I'm basing this story on life. Our life, this town... everything is coming up wonderfully together,"
"What do you mean?" Zoe shook her head, confused. She really has to start listening more to what Joel says to her, and stop thinking about things that don't deserve her time - Wade and Vivian - or one day Joel will notice she doesn't listen to him and things will get ugly.
"I can see you were distracted," he smirked and continued to explain the whole meaning of his new story. And, once more, Zoe wasn't listening but this time she wasn't thinking about Wade; she was thinking about Joel. He was such a great guy, and Zoe was aware of it. He was mature, and a totally different guy. He could have a normal conversation with her and when she was in a bad mood, Joel would take care of her and put up with her for the rest of the day. He was everything she once dreamed of, and she finally had it but something was wrong. She had that feeling that she didn't deserve him. 'Maybe I don't. And I will end up losing him if I don't stop thinking about Wade and start listening to him' she thought.
"And that's how I came with this idea for my new book," Joel stop talking, breathless. Zoe just smiled.
"That's a great idea, honey," she said in a soft voice.
"Thanks, I'm really excited for this," he smiled, proud of himself and Zoe stared at him for a brief moment "What? Do I have something in my face?" Joel started to rub his face.
"No, nothing. I just... I love you" Zoe smirked and kissed him in his cheek.
"Maybe I should come back in a few minutes," Zoe heard the familiar voice of Wade right beside her. She sat straight in her chair and took a hold of the Menu pretending that he wasn't there. Wade. Ruining her best moments since she was in that town. She could feel her blood boiling in her veins, with anger.
"I will have some pancakes," Zoe said in a casual tone. She looked at Joel, with her eyebrows arched, trying to avoid Wade's presence "And you baby, what do you want?"
"Hm... Some waffles and a cup of coffee," he said, watching Wade taking note of their orders.
"Alright. Doc, would ya like something to drink with ya food?" he asked her and she kept her head down.
"A cup of coffee please," she said. She heard him walk away and looked up again "So, what are you planing to do, today?" she asked Joel.
"I'm just going to stay home, you know, writting. And then maybe we could have dinner here later," Joel said. The idea of returning to the Rammer Jammer again later didn't please Zoe very much, but still she nodded.
"Okay, eight o'clock I'll be here waiting for you," Wade arrived with the food and Zoe got up.
"Where are you going?" Joel asked, holding her wrist.
"I will drink this in the practice, and I need to get to work."
"But... and your pancakes?"
"You can eat those, I'm not so hungry." Zoe kissed Joel's forhead and smiled "See you later,"
And without looking back, afraid of meeting Wade's eyes, she walked out of the Rammer Jammer. She was lying to Joel, she was starving, but if she was going to have dinner later in the Rammer Jammer, she to needed to spend the shortest amount of time possible in there, in the morning.
She shook her head 'Get yourself together Zoe,' she said to herself, walking with her head held high 'Joel is going to start noticing your behavior. And what a behavior! You are acting weird, girl. What's wrong with you?' Zoe considered the idea of going back to the Rammer Jammer and eat her pancakes, like nothing happened. But that would be even more weird. So she continued her walk towards the practice, trying to compose herself from her previous behavior.
"I'm sorry Shula but there's nothing I can do. I'm not a veterinary, I can't see what's wrong with your cat," Zoe said, for the fifth time to Shula Whitaker, who was holding her cat firmly against her chest.
"But you are a doctor, aren't ya? So, see what's the problem with my cat!" Shula insisted, approaching the red cat over to Zoe. She sighed.
"Alright, put the cat on the table" once Shula laid the cat on the table, Zoe looked at her "Why did you brought...-"
"Prince Purrfection, the second," Shula nodded.
"Why did you brought Prince... Purrfection, the second here?" Zoe asked, feeling completely idiot naming the cat. What could she do? People of Bluebell were like this.
"Well, he hasn't eaten. He doesn't want to play with any of his brothers. I tried, but he doesn't want,"
Brothers. Zoe closed her eyes and swallowed tightly. This was going to be a harsh day. She grabbed her stethoscope, putting it at the same time in the cat's belly.
"Alright Mr. Purrfection," 'If you want to belong here, you have to put up with this Zoe' she said to herself "Take a deep breath," she continued saying that for a minute. She did some tests to the cat like she would do to a real person and then she looked to Shula.
"So? What do ya think?" Shula asked in a worried voice.
"Everything's fine," Zoe smiled and pet the cat "He's just a bit tired. Let him do things for his own, in a week if he keeps this odd behavior you should take him to a real vet."
"Oh, those are great news doctor Hart! Thank you very much for your help," she smiled and hugged the cat "Here baby, let's go home so you can do your thing."
Once Shula was out of her office, Zoe sat on her chair, and sighed. That day she was feeling more tired and without patience than usual. If Shula had appeared yesterday in her office asking her to check her cat, Zoe had done it with will.
"I can see that you are now a vet." Brick entered in her office and Zoe looked up to find him laughing.
"Alright, laugh all you want," Zoe straightened herself in the chair "At least, I can say that my patients really trust me to do... everything they ask for,"
"Yeah, you can say it like that. It does really seem better said that way." Brick laughed again but this time Zoe ignored him. Brick opened his mouth to say something but a sweet, too sweet maybe, voice interrupted him.
"Is anyone here?" the voice called, and Zoe could hear the high heels clicking against the floor. Finally, the woman found the door of Zoe's office opened. Zoe gazed at the figure in front of her, and she paralyzed. Brick, on the other side, looked happy to see her.
"Vivian!" he smiled, giving her two kisses on her cheeks "Is everything okay?"
"Yes, everything is okay. I just need to talk to Zoe," she said and gazed over to Zoe, who was still paralyzed and asking herself why the hell was her cousin there. To talk to her. Just why? "Is that okay?" Vivian looked again to Brick. He looked surprised but he nodded.
"Of course, I'm leaving you two alone so you can chat," he said. He stopped by the door of Zoe's office and looked at Vivian again "Nice to see you. You look good."
"Thank you," Vivian said, with a smile appearing in her face. Once Brick was out of the room, Vivian turned to Zoe, who was still sitting by her desk. "Hey Zoe."
"Hello... What's up?" Zoe said in the most casual tone she could put up. She raised from her chair and walked to the front of the desk.
"Nothing... nothing special. I just wanted to ask you something," Zoe noticed that Vivian looked a bit nervous and that was not normal. Usually, it would be Zoe that was nervous talking to her, since she ignored the Wilkes for a long time. But now, the roles were reversed. Vivian gazed at her hands, rubbing them constantly, and Zoe waited for her to say something, with a serious expression.
"I'm sorry I'm so nervous," Vivian laughed nervously "It's just... Huh... Well, me and my family are going to throw a dinner party. For everyone. You should come. I don't say this only by me, but for all of us. We all want you there," she said with a smile. Wow. Zoe didn't see that one coming. Damn it, why did she had to be such a good person? Now Zoe couldn't hate her. 'Why would you then?' a little voice said inside of Zoe's head.
"Of course," she blurted, not thinking twice "That would be awesome."
"Great! I'm so happy you want to join us. Bring Joel with you, and maybe the mayor? And his girlfriend too. You are all welcome there," she smiled "Next week, friday night. Don't be late."
Zoe nodded and she walked away. Zoe sighed when she left. Bringing Lavon and Annabeth? Of course Wade would be there. Great, just great.
Zoe entered Lavon's kitchen and closed the door with strenght. Lavon and Annabeth looked at her, obviously scared by the sudden appearance of Zoe, and by the noise. They kept looking at her and she walked through the kitche, without saying a word, and sat by the counter. She grabbed an apple and bit it.
"Well nice to see you Zoe!" Annabeth said, with her eyebrows narrowed "How are you today?" Lavon looked at his girlfriend and shook his head. He knew that his bestfriend was about to start and endless speech about what was wrong in her life.
"How are you today? How... are you... today?!" Zoe repeat Annabeth's words through gritted teeth "I am fine, just fine!"
"Well I'm glad you are alright," Annabeth said, smiling. She realized she had done a big mistake by asking Zoe was she was.
"I'm not alright!" Zoe let her head fall between her arms, in the counter "Can someone please hand me a glass of wine? No, a bottle please!" Lavon appeared on the room with a bottle of white wine in his hands a few seconds later. He gave it to Zoe who immediately opened it and poured the liquid in a glass. She drank that glass instantly. "Maybe you wanna slow down a bit with that," Annabeth said trying to take the bottle of Zoe's hands, but Zoe grabbed the bottle with strenght.
"No, I want to forget that I'm alive," Zoe said, pouring more wine in her glass. Annabeth took a deep breath and sat beside Zoe.
"Can I know what's wrong with you?" Annabeth asked slowly, trying to not sound offensive. She was woman, she knew that women have tough days and all they need is a shoulder to cry on. Or a girl friend to talk it out with "Maybe I can help you,"
Zoe raised her head and looked at Lavon "Leave," Annabeth said to Lavon and he left the kitchen "Now, what's wrong?"
"You sure you can keep a secret?" Zoe said. Annabeth nodded and Zoe sighed "I'm emotionally instable. I don't know what to do anymore, and I'm not telling why. That is just too much for you to handle. It is already for me. I just feel... like a mess."
"Don't think like that Zoe," Annabeth said, trying to think of something else to say, since Zoe's problems were kind of limited "You are not a mess. You have a great boyfriend and a great life here in Bluebell. Yes you have your problems, but you always find a way to solve them."
"I don't know, I feel like this all the time. I'm trying to believe that I'm never going to be happy," Zoe was a Drama Queen and everyone knew that. But this time, she was overreacting.
"Alright, Zoe, you need to end this right now. Stop acting miserably when you are not like that. Just because your day is not going fine, doesn't mean this is going to last for the rest of your life." Zoe was surprised by the sudden answer of Annabeth "Whatever your problem is, solve it, like you always do. Just stop pretending you have a miserable life when you don't."
"I can see that I've upset you," Zoe smirked and Annabeth smiled.
"Not at all. I understand you. We, women, have very sensible and we do have a lot of problems... that can be easily fixed. It's just a case of patience and will." Annabeth put a hand on Zoe's shoulder.
"But what if... my problem, today, is not that easily fixed?" Zoe asked, trying her best to not say what really was going on. Not even herself knows what she is really feeling and what is really happenning.
"Every problem has his solution. You just have to find it," Annabeth said with a shrug "Now, put yourself together and stop drinking like a maniac! Or an alcoholic, that could work too." Zoe laughed and raised from her seat. She put the glass on the dishwasher and the bottle of wine on the fridge.
"You have a lot of patience, Annabeth, thank you for that," Zoe said "I don't have a lot of patience for my problems, and it's hard to find someone who does. And when I feel overloaded with my problems, it's hard to find an answer. So, I drink."
"Have you tried talking to Joel about your problems? After all, he is your boyfriend. I talk about my problems with Lavon all the time." Annabeth said "Well, almost. There are some things we have to hide."
"This one is something I need to hide, believe me." Zoe shook her head and laughed. She couldn't believe how easily she could find problems "Now, I have to go home and prepare myself. I'm going to have dinner with Joel in a few hours in the Rammer Jammer and I need to be... the normal me. Without this messed up makeup."
"Yeah, you should." Annabeth laughed and gazed at Zoe opening the door of the kitchen "Hey, Zoe... if you need to talk... I'll be here."
"Thanks," Zoe said after a brief pause.
When Zoe and Joel arrived the Rammer Jammer, the chaos was obvious. There were tables where they could seat, but still the Rammer Jammer was filled with the people from Bluebell. A lot of them. They were by the bar, and Zoe took a brief look of Wade's face scared but still amused. Of course, whatever was happenning, that was bringing customers to the bar, and that meant that he would be making a lot of money that night.
Zoe and Joel sat in a table and looked at their Menu. "This is crazy," Joel said, looking around, covering his ears because of the noise "Look how many people are here. Important today, maybe?"
"No," Zoe shook her head "I would know. But this is odd, I never seen so much people here at the same time."
From the crowd, Wade appeared by their table, laughing about something. "Hey again," Wade said "What can I get ya?"
"Before that," Joel said "What's happening here?" Wade looked over his shoulder and laughed again. 'Obviously something really amusing' Zoe rolled her eyes.
"See for yourself, pal," and Wade pointed to something behind his back. Zoe looked carefully and she saw, between the crowd, a big poster where she could read 'Wade and Vivian - Yes or No?'.
"Is that a..." Zoe whispered in disbelief.
"Yes, something like Dash once did for the two of you." he laughed again.
"And you think that's funny?" Zoe asked, looking at Wade in the eyes, for the first time in that day.
"Yes, why would I be mad? It's funny to see. And besides people are buying me things, so, more money for me!" Wade laughed again and Zoe rolled her eyes. With that, she saw Vivian sitting in a corner of the restaurant, looking at crowd. She was smiling, amused with that too. 'What a pair of clowns' Zoe thought.
Zoe ordered her meal and Joel did that too, and Zoe kept looking at the crowd. Once Wade was behind the counter again, Zoe raised from her seat "I'll be right back Joel, stay here" Zoe started to walk towards the counter before Joel could say something. She grabbed a paper and a pen. She looked at it "Wade and Vivian are dating. The new surprising couple in Bluebell, is an yes or a no for you?" Zoe couldn't find that more ridiculous than it already was. She squeezed the pen in her hand as she looked at the paper. Then she wrote a big "No" in the whole paper. Zoe folded the paper several times and put it on a little box in front of the poster.
She returned to the table where Joel was waiting in their food in front of him "Hey babe, where did you go?"
"Vote," Zoe said, in a soft voice.
"Oh yeah? And what did you voted?"
"I voted yes," Zoe lied. She was getting better at lying, every passing day. So that was no hard job to her "I think they are cute together, really," Zoe shrugged and Joel nodded. She said that, but Zoe knew that there was no way in hell Wade and Vivian were getting in a true relationship like she once had with Wade... like she thought she was having with Joel.
