There is an event that happens, usually in the summer or fall, in almost every small town in America. It's name is Founder's Day. Bluebell was no exception from this rule. The Founder's Day Parade was one of the biggest events during Bluebell's festivities and everybody pitched in to help make the floats and decorations perfect. The mayor's float was the most important (and best) one of all and Wade, as the mayor's best friend, was enlisted to help make it.
Near the end of September, a few days before Founder's Day on October 1st, Wade had still not started that damn float. Which was not a thing Lavon Hayes would like to hear. He decided the best thing to do would be to go down to the Rammer Jammer, drink a few beers, and maybe get some inspiration through his slight buzz. That should work, right?
As he parked his car in the lot, a group of men and women dressed up for Founder's Day practically danced by him, taunting him for having not started the float yet.
"Oh, my God," thought Wade, "Founder's Day's hauntin' me."
He waited until they were a good twenty feet in front of him before he continued his entrance into the Rammer Jammer. Before he had gone three feet inside, he was called over to a table by...oh..Lavon. If he asked about the float, Wade would have to do some fast talking.
"Wade, my boy," Lavon smiled, "How's the float comin'?"
Shit. Okay, Wade. Think of something. Quick!
"I'm just, uh, puttin' on the finishin' touches."
Yeah. Just like that. Perfect.
Lavon seemed to buy it and gave Wade a big smile. His damn conscience made an appearance yet again. He would work through the night, if he had to, to get that float done. Wade looked around for something to talk about and noticed Zoe sitting at the table. He'd been so consumed with panic about Lavon finding out he hadn't started yet, that he hadn't even noticed the lovely lady.
Shelley had told Wade just this morning that Zoe was the illegitimate daughter of Dr. Wilkes! He couldn't imagine how she must have been feelin'.
"So, Doc. Hear you're stayin' in town," Wade began, smoothly, with a megawatt grin, "You ever need a cup of sugar...anything..I'll be right next door."
She smiled and batted her eyelashes, saying, "If that line ever works for you, you tell that poor girl to come visit my office, so I can dispense the penicillin."
Wade chuckled and nodded, replying, "Sure thing."
Her family issues didn't seem to be showing on the outside. Zoe was feisty and strong and didn't let people get to her and he loved that about her.
As Wade was walking up the path to Lavon's kitchen that afternoon, Zoe came bursting out the door, looking very determined. He grinned at her and she just rolled her eyes, made a sharp right, and began walking toward her house.
"Hey, Lavon. What's up with that girl?" He asked as he walked in the kitchen.
"She's too stubborn to agree that the only way to fix her latest medical mistake," said Lavon, putting the finishing touches on his sandwich, "is to ride on my float in the parade."
"What'd she do now?" inquired Wade, sliding Lavon's plate toward himself. Before he could pick it up, Lavon scooted the sandwich back toward himself, saying:
"She misdiagnosed Cole Maliska. She thought he had Gillanbory or something. I guess it's a really bad thing and people usually die from it. She called an ambulance, but before it got there, Brick walked in, took one look at him, and fixed him right up. Cole just had tick paralysis."
"Tick paralysis? That's it? Jeez, that girl probably scared Cole's wife half to death," Wade said, laughing.
"I know, it's funny, but Zoe's mortified. I told her that the only way to get into the people's hearts is to let them know she wants to be one of them," said Lavon, taking a big bite out of his sandwich.
"And how's she gonna do that?"
"Well, she's gonna do it two ways. The first is that she agreed to help make the float, so you'll have a helper for whatever work you still have to do," Lavon said. Wade didn't make eye contact.
"Okay, what's the other way?"
"By riding on my float as the Yellowhammer," replied Lavon matter-of-factly. Wade blinked. Before a complete two seconds had passed, he was roaring with laughter, shaking the stool he was sitting on.
"You're serious?" Wade managed to ask, through his tears.
"Lavon is dead serious. Once the people see her up there, in all the Yellowhammer's glory, they'll love her and patients will start pouring into her office."
"And she agreed to this?"
"Well...no. That's what she's being stubborn about. She doesn't want to dress up as a bird. But she'll come 'round."
"Right. We'll see how that works out," chuckled Wade, standing up, grabbing the last of Lavon's sandwich, and practically skipping out the door.
Wade spotted Zoe sitting at the bar, blowing bubbles in her drink. He loved the spark her eyes made when she was annoyed, so he figured now would be a good opportunity. He walked over, while throwing down the rag he'd been wiping down the bar with.
"Oh, hey, Doc. I'm glad you're here. My head - my head has just been killin'me today," he said, leaned against the counter. She looked up, pursing her lips.
"So?"
"So? So what are you doin' just sittin' there? Call the hospital! I must need brain surgery!" exclaimed Wade. Everybody sitting at the bar roared with laughter. Zoe sighed and sat up.
"Okay, alright, we don't get ticks in New York City, okay," Zoe said, turning around in her seat to address the rest of the bar. As she twisted around to face Wade again, she added, "Kinda like how you guys don't get movies that aren't made by Michael Bay!".
Everyone around her and Wade reacted with loud Ohhh!'s and looked to see what Wade would say back. Before he could say anything, though, she was standing up, grabbing her bag, and throwing up her arms. "It was an innocent mistake!", she said, before walking out of the Rammer Jammer.
"Lord, Wade, she sure is somethin'," a man at the bar remarked.
"Sure is pretty," said the always-young-looking Tom Long, nearly falling out of his seat staring at the door Zoe had just left through.
Pretty? Try supermegafoxyawesomehot! thought Wade. Even though he knew Tom didn't have a snowball's chance in hell with Zoe, he still felt the boiling jealousy within him.
That's how Wade found himself sitting outside a barn, on a hay bale, drinking a beer, and waiting. Lavon had offered to let Zoe ride on the float. All she had to do was help make it...and she was late. The float was just sitting there, waiting to be decorated and the decorations were just sitting there, waiting to decorate. Jeez, that girl liked to upset people.
At that moment, Zoe came around the side of a tractor. She stumbled a little when she saw how little had been done to the float. With eyes wide open, she called to him, "You barely started!".
Wade grinned. She was annoyed. Perfect opportunity to rile her up some more. He stood up and walked by, saying, "Mm, well I heard I was gettin' a helper. Figured I'd wait. I do remember how capable those hands of yours are."
She turned around and said disgustingly, "Ugh. We just kissed! All I did with my hands was go, 'Why am I so stupid'." She punctuated each word with a slap to her forehead. She stopped mid-slap, though, and looked over Wade's shoulder. Wade looked backward and noticed George looking at them sideways. Of course. She had the hots for Golden Boy George.
"That why you stopped our little frolic the other night?" he asked, all traces of joking gone, "You got googly eyes for Golden Boy George?"
"I stopped our little frolic," she said, all traces of her sass completely present, "because I was half-crazed, full drunk, and your breath smelled like generic beer." Ouch. That hurt. "Can we just build this and get it over with?" She looked around at the tools and decorations, "What is all this chicken wire for?"
Wade decided to look past the insult and move on. He moved over to lean against the hay bales next to where she was standing. "You never built a float before?" he asked, taking a sip from his "generic beer."
"Is that surprising?" she replied, sounding honestly curious.
"Well," Wade said, putting down his beer and taking the blueprints out of his pocket, "This is what Lavon wants. It's, uh, a red wave. An actual crimson tide. The mayor will surf it." He handed the papers over to her and picked up his beer again, backing away. "I'm gonna, uh, run and get some paint. Think you can handle that?"
He walked away with her looking slightly dazed and confused. Almost like a deer in headlights. It was a little bit cute.
Many hours later, Wade was sitting at home, playing guitar. No, he hadn't gone back to help Zoe. Little Miss New York City can do everything on her own, after all. Plus, she had George to help her. They were probably finishing up right about now. She would flutter those long eyelashes at him and thank him. And George, the gentleman, would tip his hat and say, "It wasn't any trouble, ma'am."
The jealousy that consumed Wade right then almost made him break the strings on his prized instrument. He had to do something - anything - to get her attention away from George and onto him.
For some reason, Wade liked Zoe. There wasn't any way around it. Wade liked Zoe and he had to have her. But how did he do that? Women usually threw themselves at him, so all he had to do was pick. He never had to work for his girlfriends. That's what made Zoe different. That's why Wade HAD to get Zoe.
Halfway through one of his favorite songs, he heard stomping up the porch steps outside. Ahh, he thought, she's here. Sure enough, she appeared in his open doorway seconds later.
"I should have known you would try to pull a stunt like this," She said, sounding incredibly upset. She walked across the room and stopped in front of Wade, who was still playing, "You are the most irresponsible person I've ever met."
He grinned and muttered, "You seem a bit more upset than the situation calls for, Doc," he looked up at her and cocked his head, "It is just a parade."
He watched her grind her teeth and take a big breath.
"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but it's the Founder's Day Parade," she said, crossing her arms, "Lavon is counting on us. I'm counting on us!"
He looked at her and sat up, putting the guitar pick in his mouth as he set his beloved guitar aside. She continued speaking as he held the guitar pick against his mouth.
"For some reason, I need the people to think that I fit into this town. Or I can't get patients. And I will lose the practice that I inherited only four days ago!"
He stood up (wow, he was much taller than her. He'd never really gotten a good look). She was still on a roll. Zoe didn't seem to be speaking to him, but more to herself.
"And ruin my dead father's legacy! Not to mention, the fellowship I have worked for my entire life and -" Enough was enough. He leaned down and kissed her, putting a hand at the back of her neck and in the small of her back. She kissed him back with both hands on his biceps for a second, but then pushed him away.
"What are you doing?" she exclaimed.
"Well, you were freakin' out! I thought I'd snap you out of it with my generic beer breath," he said sarcastically, letting go of her. He walked by her as she looked at him with a completely stunned expression.
Turning around, he looked at her like she was nuts, "What are you gapin' at? We got a float to build, don't we? Come on!"
With that, he walked out of the house, down the steps and got into his car. He watched her wipe her lips and stare into space, thinking.
Excellent, he thought to himself, she was thinking about him.
"Frederick Dean..He has two first names..I mean, somethin' about that is just so old school cool," sighed Rose Hattenberger. In a minute, Wade was going to shoot himself with the stapler gun. All he had been hearing about for the entire night was this Frederick Dean kid. Rose had a huge crush on this guy for some reason and he, apparently, didn't know she existed.
"And, ohemgee, I saw he was readin' Chew the other day. That's like my favorite comic book, but I didn't know how to tell him," she said, shaking her head.
Wade was fed up. Looking over his shoulder at her, he said, "Kid, do I look like iCarly to you? If I hear the name Frederick Dean one more time, I'm gonna hot glue your lips together."
She gave him a deeply condescending look and asked dramatically, "Where is your sense of romance?"
"What happened?" asked a voice from behind them. They both looked toward the entrance to the barn.
"You fell asleep," explained Rose to Zoe, who had evidently just woken up, "Good shot for the Bluebell Blog, though." Rose made sure to snap a picture, capturing Zoe in all her morning beauty. Well, he thought she looked sexy with her hair all messed up like that, but Zoe was bound to think she looked hideous. Women always thought they looked bad in the morning.
"Very doctoryly," teased Wade, jumping down from the float and offering his hand to Rose, who jumped down, too.
"You guys," said Zoe, looking at the float and sounding awed as Rose and Wade walked over to stand by her, "It looks..."
"Astonishing," boomed a deep voice from behind them. Lavon stepped in between Zoe and Wade, admiring the float. He laughed giddily, "Wooh! It's better than I could have imagined. Wade, my friend, I knew I could count on you."
He walked by them and turned to face the tired three.
"And Rose Hattenberger. Well, since you are joinin' us on the float, will you do me the honor of wearin' the Alabama costume?"
"That is a GREAT idea!" Zoe piped up immediately. Rose looked beyond excited.
"Wow! Ye-es! I'd..be honored," she said, smiling.
"Good," Lavon said, "Why don't I take y'all out for some pancakes to celebrate the big day?"
"Yes! I am starviinngg!" said Zoe, excitedly. Everyone started walking to the car, but Lavon stopped Zoe. Wade and Rose kept walking, but listened as they walked.
"Now, hold on Zoe," Lavon cleared his throat, "Lavon Hayes has a rep to pro-tect? You best go on and get yourself a shower before you ride in town with me, girl."
Wade and Rose, who were watching from his car, started laughing hysterically at the face Zoe made. Lavon made his way over to them and sighed at their laughing.
"Come on, you two, get in the car. It's not that funny."
"But it WAS!" Rose exclaimed, wiping tears from her eyes. She and Wade had to hold each other up to keep from falling on the ground.
"I'm glad you two enjoy my misfortune!" Zoe called from the barn.
"Always, darlin'! Always!" Wade called back. She rolled her eyes, and walked away, toward the house.
Later that morning, Wade, Rose, and Lavon were ready to go and in line to start the parade. All they were waiting for was Zoe, as usual. She came running around a corner and Wade noticed her first.
"What in the world took so long, girl?" he called to her from his spot as the tractor driver.
"I'm sorry! I had to see a patient really fast!" she called back.
The music started and the Cyrus Lavinius Jeremiah Jones High School Marching Band started moving. Bluebell's Founder's Day Parade had officially begun. Everything was going great for about 5 minutes. The sun was shining, kids were screaming and laughing, and it was a beautiful day.
Out of nowhere, Wade felt something collide with his back. He looked around and saw Zoe.
"Zoe-what? What are you doing?"
"I'm sorry, Wade, I need to create a diversion!"
"Get off of me!" he yelled, trying to keep the tractor going straight, but it was hard, considering the fact that she was trying to steer the float into a tree. "What are you doing?"
"Saving someone's life!"
What the hell did that mean? Before he could figure it out, though, she had gotten control of the wheel and driven them straight into a fire hydrant. Pressurized water shot out and rained down on their float. A bump that jolted the entire float and tractor told him that the Bluebell Belles had just crashed into their float. Men started running forward to see whether the town princesses were alright, but Wade turned around to see whether Zoe was alright. She wasn't behind him anymore, though. He saw her running toward the Belle float, but why would she be doing that?
Half an hour later, Zoe still had not shown up, but everybody else was cleaning up the fruit that had spilled from the fruit stand she had hit with the tractor. Rose was about ten feet away from Wade piling watermelons together.
"Hey, Rose," said a boy who came around the side of the float, walking toward her, "I saw the float crash. Are you okay?"
"Frederick Dean," she said, crossing her arms. Wade looked up and watched the two lovebirds. Rose looked intensely annoyed as she said, "What? Think I'm some Belle all a tizzy 'cause my hoop skirt got stuck in my hair? Well I'm not. Go help Magnolia."
With that, she threw her arms up into the air and turned around.
"Oh..okay," said Frederick Dean, sounding more than a little confused about the situation he had just walked into. Oh, no. No, no, no, thought Wade. She was not going to ruin her chances with this kid like that.
As Frederick Dean was walking away, Wade called loudly, "Uh..hey Rose. Do you have the new issue of..Chew? I was hopin' to borrow it..".
How would anyone believe that? He sounded so fake. Even Rose was givin' him a funny look. Much to his surprise, Frederick Dean turned around to face her.
"You read Chew?"
Wade smiled and left them, saying, "I'll just get it from you later," and behind Frederick Dean's back, he winked at Rose.
Walking away, he noticed a large group of people standing around a few Belles, with Lemon Breeland in the middle of it. Uh-oh, this could only lead to trouble. Sure enough, seconds later, the crowd parted and Zoe walked out of it, looking near tears.
As she was walking by him, he caught her by the arm and asked, "Zoe? What's wrong, girl?"
"Nothing. I'm not wanted here. Lemon and the rest of the town have made that perfectly clear."
He let go of her, stunned, and watched her walk off. As she passed the destroyed float, she started running toward home and he felt nothing but sadness for her and a little bit guilty of the way his town was treating her.
"But I want you here," he muttered, before walking off himself.
Hmm...I really like the beginning of this chapter/episode/installment/whatever you wanna call it, but near the end I feel like it starts to flounder. Hmm...well, give me your thoughts!
Alright, thank you to anyone who's been reading this! ESPECIALLY TO THOSE WHO REVIEW! You make my life, guys :)
So, a very big thank you to:
3Wade
Thank you :) You were the first reviewer and I love you for that(: And yeah, I watch the show and his facial expressions always get me thinking about what's going on inside his head. So...this story is a product of that!
ms. Jaicee lee
san007
msalv
southerngal22
reviewer
Your review really made me smile(: Thank you.
JaysHeartsDesire
bushy4
Cassy Lily Potter
Tharrow
I was thinking that as I typed it, actually, but hey. This is Wade we're talking about. He's unpredictable. Maybe that's how he felt since the moment he saw her :D
