Author's note: I know that Zoe's birthday is in October in the show but I wanted her to arrive in Summer and I had mentioned it was just before she arrived in the previous chapter. I have the next chapter written and will upload it later today. If anyone has ideas for how Bluebell would celebrate 4th of July, feel free to message me and let know your ideas and I might incorporate them. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Walking towards the Rammer Jammer, Zoe was surprised to see that it was nothing but a bar. She stopped in her tracks before they entered. Wade turned and looked at her, confused.

"Uh… Are you sure we are allowed in there? It's a bar and we aren't 21?" she asked in a panicked voice. Wade rolled his eyes.

"Relax, this is Bluebell. This is the only place to hang out unless you count the Butterstick but I don' think Agnes would be too happy with a hoard of teens swarming her small establishment. We ain't gonna be drinking. Just come on." Zoe looked at him like he had 3 heads but followed nonetheless. Wade made his way through the restaurant towards a table where a blonde girl and two guys were seated, greeting other teens sat at different tables as he went along. Zoe could tell that he was popular and she noticed many of the girls stared a little too long as he walked past them. She stayed hovering in the doorway, unsure if she should follow him or if he expected her to go her own way and make friends herself. She got her answer when he made his way back to the door, grabbed her hand and maneuvered through the tables. The girls who had stared at him when he first walked in were now glaring at her.

"Guys. This is Zoe, Dr Wilkes'daughter. Zoe, this is Lemon, George and Lavon," he said motioning to the 3 people at the table. They greeted her warmly as Wade pulled up a chair for her. They ordered lunch and Zoe was quiet during the meal. She was observing her surroundings and their interaction but answered questions that were posed to her and tried to keep up with the conversation. It was clear that they had all been friends for a very long time and knew each other well. Another thing she noticed was that George and Lavon both seemed besotted with Lemon but she was oblivious to their affections. The friends laughed and joked around, Wade often being the center of attention. She couldn't help but think how different this place was to New York. Her friends in New York would never sit around eating burgers and drinking milkshakes. They would be too worried about the amount of calories and what the boys around them would think. She was snapped out of her daze when Wade stole a fry from her plate.

"Hey! Get your own!" she said while trying to grab the fry. She was giggling as he held it out of her reach with a smirk on his face. Lemon, George, Lavon and every other girl in the bar was watching this exchange. After a few minutes of this, Zoe finally gave up and Wade shoved the fry, along with a few more he stole from her plate into his mouth. He gave her a victorious smile.

"I knew I'd win" he said with his mouth full of food. Zoe gave him a disgusted look.

"Say it, don't spray it Kinsella!" she said as she wiped the front of her shirt causing Lemon, Lavon and George to burst out laughing. Wade wasn't fazed and joined in with their laughter after he'd swallowed. Zoe soon discovered that Brick, Harley's partner at the practice, was Lemon's dad. Zoe knew they would never be friends in New York but she wasn't in New York anymore so she wasn't about to push anyone away who was willing to be her friend. It was quite a change from what she had been thinking when she met Wade. She wasn't sure why she had been so mean to him when they first met but she was glad he hadn't let her get away with it. So far, this was one of the best days she's ever had. Maybe Bluebell wouldn't be so bad after all.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with the 5 of them laughing, Zoe finally feeling comfortable enough to join in the conversations. They were telling her stories from when they were growing up, including one about the day Jimmy Praboo put itching powder into George's jock strap. That story in particular, or rather the way Wade had told it, had Zoe laughing so hard, her sides hurt all while George cringed at the memory. Wade always made sure Zoe felt included and if there was a reference she wouldn't understand, he would explain it to her before the story continued, whether it was him or someone else telling it.

A few hours later, Lemon dragged Zoe off to the bathroom for some girl talk. While Zoe was reapplying her lip gloss, Lemon asked what was going on with her and Wade. She had just laughed and said they had just met and were neighbors and he was just "bein' neighborly" as he had said earlier. Lemon tried to disagree but Zoe quickly changed the topic by asking what was happening with Lavon and George.

"It's so complicated. I really really like George. He is the perfect gentleman but Lavon is so… passionate! I know they both like me but I can't decide so I am just pretending that I know nothing until I make up my mind."

"That doesn't sound like the best idea Lemon, it seems as if one of them is going to get hurt."

"I know but it's so hard! They are both such great guys. Maybe you can take one of them off my hands? That will make life so much easier!"

"Ha ha, very funny. Besides, even if I agreed to your ridiculous solution, which one would you give me?"

"Um…"

"Exactly. You gotta work it out before they get too invested. Let's get back, I should be heading home anyway," Zoe said. The girls headed back to the table, Lemon with her arms folded with a disgruntled look on her face. When they got there, there was a girl sitting in the seat Zoe had been occupying. She had one hand one Wade's arm and the other on his leg. Zoe caught the end of what the girl, who had way too much cleavage she noticed, was saying.

"Come on Wade. You were so keen last week."

"Sorry Joelle, not tonight. I got some stuff I gotta do." George and Lavon were watching them intently. Both were confused, Wade never turned down Joelle Sugarbaker. When Zoe and Lemon got back to the table, Wade sat up straight and brushed Joelle's hand off his leg, making her get up and storm off.

"Uh… were we interrupting something?" Zoe asked tentatively. George and Lavon narrowed their eyes suspiciously at Wade. Surely he couldn't be interested in Zoe. She wasn't exactly his type. The girls that caught his interest weren't smart, they were always tall and busty and hardly ever brunette.

"No no, that was nothin'" Wade said quickly.

"Ok, well I better get going. It's getting kinda late and I don't want Harley worrying about me on my first day here," Zoe said with a smile, reaching into her purse to pull out money to pay for her meal. Wade stilled her hand as he stood up, pulling his wallet out of the back pocket of his worn out jeans.

"I'll come with you. Don' want you getting lost or nothin'. 'Sides, we're heading in the same direction. I got this," he said putting money on the table. Zoe went to protest but he held his hand up, "Don' worry about it." Zoe smiled at him and said goodbye to the others. George and Lavon exchanged looks. Wade had certainly never paid for a girl before, no matter how tall, busty or willing they were. Suspicious indeed.

Zoe and Wade strolled back to their houses, chatting every now and then but enjoying the comfortable silence. Even though she only lived next door, Wade walked her to her door which Zoe appreciated. Standing facing each other on the porch, the silence got awkward.

"Well… uh… thank you for today. I had a really good time," Zoe started. Wade half smirked at her, rubbing his hand across the back of his neck. Zoe wondered briefly if that was a nervous habit but the thought was quickly pushed out of her mind when he spoke.

"You're welcome, Princess," he teased.

"I… uh… I'm sorry about being so rude this morning. I don't know what got into me. I guess I was still upset that I had to be here instead of New York." He smiled at her and took a small step forward. Her stomach tightened as she wondered for a moment if he was going to kiss her.

"Well," he exclaimed enthusiastically while clapping his hands together once, knocking the butterflies right out of her stomach, "I best get to bed. Night Princess." With that, he jumped off the porch and hopped over the fence. Zoe stood there until he went into his house, confused by what just happened. She went inside to find Harley sitting on the couch, reading.

"Oh Zoe, I was wondering when you'd be home. I was just about to make dinner."

"You weren't worried about where I was or who I was with?"

"No, you're in Bluebell. There isn't much trouble you can get into. Did you make any friends?"

"Yeah, I went to the Rammer Jammer and on the way I met Wade. He introduced me to Lemon, George and Lavon. I had a really good day."

"I'm glad. Just watch out for Wade Kinsella. He has quite the reputation around here; I don't want you getting hurt."

"Wh… What? No, uh… Wade is just a friend. No need to worry," Zoe said awkwardly. Harley gave her a knowing smile.

"I'm not really hungry so I'm just going to go upstairs. Night Harley."

Zoe showered and got ready for bed. Her room had a bay window with soft pillows lining it so she grabbed one of the medical journals she had taken from her dad's, well Ethan's, study and settled against the wall and started reading. She could see Wade's bedroom light on but he was not in his room. There were only a few feet between their windows, something she was not used to. In New York, you could live next door to someone and never even meet them and here she was able to see exactly what posters he had on his bedroom wall.

A few minutes later, she could hear yelling, definitely an argument and it was coming from Wade's house. She saw the figure of man stumble out of front door holding what looked like a bottle but she couldn't really see much of the front of his house from where she was sitting. Next thing, Wade stormed into his room and slammed his door. He looked out the window and saw Zoe staring at him from the spot she was sitting. She lifted her hand into a wave but he didn't wave back. He walked over to the window, roughly pulling the curtains shut and a few seconds later, Zoe could tell he had turned the light off.