Author's Note: Okay, now that the new episode has premiered, we finally have some answers. Lavon was four years ahead of Lemon, Wade, and Zoe, meaning he would be a freshman in college when they are freshmen in high school. I will stay true to that, but I am going to try and find a way to bring him in. Now I wrote the first part of this before the premiere aired, and the second part tonight. I hope you like it.
Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers. Mollie, you are such a sweetheart. Thank you so much for the things you said. I wish you had an account so I could respond to you.
Gilmoregirls1197, I am glad you think so.
P.S. At the end, after the author's note, I have put a long rant responding to the premiere, for those interested.
Chapter Eight
By the time Wade got home, it was already a quarter to four. He was still wet and he smelled like lake water. So what, he thought. So what if her stupid city sensibilities would judge him for it? It was a nice, natural, Bluebell even as he thought it, he was starting the shower up.
He picked up the phone and dialed Harley's number.
"Hello."
"Dr. Wilkes. Hey. How are ya?"
"I'm fine Wade. And yourself?"
"Good. Listen, is Zoe there?"
"Zoe? Yeah, she's up in her room."
"Well, could you let her know that-"
'Did you call me?' Wade heard her ask in the background in that smooth, sexy voice of hers.
'No, but, you're timin's great. Phone's for you.'
He waited a minute, "Hello?" she sounded cautious, but friendly.
"Zoe. Hey, it's Wade."
"Oh." And just like that, her voice was ice again.
"Listen, I was just callin' 'cause, well, I got a bit held up, so I'll be a little late. But, I should definitely be there by four thirty."
"Fine whatever."
"Nice to hear you're so enthusiastic."
He could practically hear her rolling her eyes.
"Just don't be late. I don't want to wait around forever."
"Can't wait to see me, huh?" he joked.
"I'm hanging up now. Just be here at four thirty."
The line went dead. Crazy, crazy, crazy girl. Why was she such a pain in the ass? Okay, so she had not been so bad during that phone call. In all honesty, he had been more upset about how cold she had been to him. She was all detached and apathetic. He got why, now that he knew what Lemon had told her, but it still bugged the hell out of him. And he hated that. He hated that he cared what she thought about him. He hated that he felt the need to shower and look nice before seeing her. It wasn't like she was a queen or something. She was just some girl he had known barely a week, part of which she had spent not talking to him. He wanted to just show up sloppy and not care that she looked at him with disgust. But he would care; he knew that. Her disgusted face was adorable and hilarious, but he wanted her to not be disgusted by him. And he really, really hated that.
"Wade's coming over. That's okay, right? I, um, forgot to run it by you." it was weird, running that type of thing by somebody who you barely knew. She still did not know how to look at him. She already had a father, so it felt wrong looking at him like that, but then how was she supposed to look at him. So far, every interaction had been awkward and as short as she could possibly make it.
"Sure. Wade's a nice kid." Zoe went to the cupboard to grab a bowl of cereal, "What's he coming over for? You two have a date or something?"
Zoe was glad she had not started eating yet, because there would be milk and Frosted Mini-Wheat pieces everywhere. Instead, she just burst out laughing, "A date? With Wade? You have got to be kidding. "
Harley looked at her and shrugged, "It's not so bizarre. You two are around the same age, and you seem to be spending a lot of time together-"
"Only by unfortunate coincidence. For example, now, he is coming over to work on a school project, and believe me, if the teacher had not partnered us up … well, let's just say I'd rather do this project with anybody else."
Harley nodded, "Has he done somethin'? I mean, should I be comin' after him with a bat?"
Zoe giggled. Okay, so Harley was kind of funny, and he was protective, which was nice, but that did not make him her father. No, your DNA does, she thought. "No, nothing like that. He's just a pain."
Harley nodded, "So, what's this project about?"
"Getting an inside perspective on who people really are."
Harley nodded again, "Ah. The Great Gatsby project." She looked at him questioningly, "I got a lot of patients at the high school, and they've been doin' that project for at least the last ten years."
Zoe nodded, "I'm gonna go get some reading done. Wade should be here in twenty minutes, but I don't know how punctual he is, so …" she shrugged. "Anyway, I'll be upstairs."
She got up and headed for the stairs, "Uh, Zoe?"
"Yeah?" she asked, turning.
"Are you … that is, do you like it here? Are you doin' okay?"
"I like my room. It's nice." She knew that probably was not what he meant, but she did not want to talk about what he was likely referring to. She hurried up the stairs before he could clarify.
When she got upstairs, she looked at her closest, all the boxes. She knew what was in them; pictures she would not be able to look at without breaking down, old presents she was not ready to see, clothes her mom had gotten for her from some famous designer who was all the rage in France, even though nobody in America had heard of them yet. Her mom always made sure she wore it before it was trendy, so she could claim it was her look first, even though it wasn't. Zoe had never really cared much; sure, she liked clothes, but she did not give a lot of thought to being a trendsetter and who got credit for fads. Still, that stuff had always been a big deal to her mom. One whiff of perfume or a Chanel scarf, and she might break. She wasn't ready. She wasn't ready to face her past. And she definitely was not ready to put stuff in drawers as though they belonged here. Because that would make it real, and despite what she wanted people to believe, she just wasn't there yet.
It was four twenty seven when Wade got to the Dr. Wilkes' house. He had showered, and thrown on a clean pair of clothes, but that was it. They were not some fancy clothes; they were the same kind he always wore. His hair was clean, but he had not styled it any different than normal. He was not going to turn into some chick just because some New York princess thought she was to good for him.
He rang the doorbell. When nobody answered, he rang again. He heard footsteps, the kind that can only be made by tiny little feet, and then he saw Zoe through the screen.
"You're early." She said when she opened the door. She was wearing the same clothes she had been at school. She had not showered or done anything special to prepare for him coming over, not that he had expected her to. Still, a little effort on her part would have been nice.
"You gonna invite me in?" he asked, leaning his head down to her level. He caught a whiff of her perfume. It was fruity and made him woozy.
"Yeah. Sure, come in."
He followed her inside, "So, this is where the good doctor lives, huh?"
"Yep."
Wade sighed, "Listen, I think I need to clarify somethin' for you. See, um, George told me about you're little chat with Lemon-"
"I guess this town doesn't do confidences."
"I'm sure he would've kept it to himself if you'd've asked 'im. He's good like that. Anyway, I don't really give a damn what you think of me one way or another, but just to set the record straight, I ain't tryin' to sleep with you." she looked at him skeptically, arms crossed, "I mean, don't get me wrong, if you offered, I wouldn't say no. You're sexy and I'm easy, but I'm not tryin' to trick you into fallin' for me or anything. The reason I was bein' nice to you is because I like and respect Dr. Wilkes. He's been my family doctor for years, and he looked after my mamma when she got sick. That first day we met, at his work, he asked me to look after you, make sure you were okay, and I told him I would. I don't break my word; I'm honest, despite what you may think. Don't get me wrong, there were a couple times I regretted makin' him that promise, but there were others … the point is, that's why. This isn't some long, carefully planned tactic to get in your shorts. I'm not plannin' some big Cruel Intentions scheme or anything crazy like that. I'm just tryin' to be a good guy an' keep my word."
"So, basically, what you're saying is, I'm a charity case."
Wade sighed, "Everything's got to be a fight with you, don't it? Can't you ever give a little?"
Zoe sighed, "Okay. Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed that you were only interested in … but you have to admit, you do have a reputation-"
"Which is clearly true, because nobody is ever misrepresented in high school gossip. You know, I think CNN always checks with us before goin' on air to make sure they got it right." Zoe laughed. "You just laugh at somethin' I said?"
"I must be delirious or something." It was not the kindest comment, but it was said without malice or apathy. And, she was smiling at him. The ice seemed to have thawed.
"So, we better get to work. I guess I should start observin' you. You showered yet? 'Cause I'd love to observe that."
"Wade! God, you're such a pervert."
"Yeah, but at least I'm up front about it."
"Well, this is my room." Zoe said, holding the door open for him. He took the whole place in. It was nice. He spotted her bed, and had a slightly evil idea. It was too good to resist. He walked over and sat down, then looked up at her.
"I gotta say, I did not expect you to let me in your bed so soon … not that I'm complainin'."
He waited for hr reaction, and she did not disappoint; she approached him and pushed on his arm, trying to push him off the bed. He laughed at her attempt, "You wanted to feel my biceps, all you had to do was ask."
Finally, she toppled him over. He fell on the floor, landing sideways, and she laughed triumphantly.
Unphased, Wade got up and walked over to her dresser. Now that he and Zoe had 'made up,' so to speak, her outbursts and annoyance no longer bothered him. It was funny. He found he liked having her annoyed or angry with him. He liked pushing her buttons. He liked the cute faces she made when he got under her skin.
Wade opened one of the dressers. It was empty. He tried another. It was also empty.
"Well, so much for a panty raid." Zoe rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Where're all your clothes?"
Zoe blushed a little, "Oh, yeah, well, I haven't exactly finished unpacking yet."
"A bit in denial, are we?"
"No." Zoe said, in a way that clearly indicated a different answer, "I'm just … taking my time settling in."
"Uh-huh." Wade said skeptically, "So, where are your, what, boxes then?"
"Um, closet." Wade made his way over, "What are you doing?"
"Goin' to take a look."
"You can't just 'go take a look.' " Zoe said indignantly. Her use of air quotes caused him to smirk, "Some of that stuff is private."
Wade nodded, "All right then. How about you get some of those boxes out here so we can look at 'em together."
Zoe sighed, but complied. She went over to the closet, opened it up, and pushed a couple boxes out, "Okay. Here is how this is going to work. I am going to open a box to check what is in it. If I am okay with you looking in it, then I will say so. If not, you leave it be."
"What, you got some naked pictures a yourself in there or somethin'?" Zoe looked at him annoyed, and he smirked. "Relax, you can keep your dirty little secrets. There's probably pretty boring anyway."
"If you think you can reverse psychology me into showing you all the boxes, you are sadly mistaken."
"Um … reverse what."
"Look at me, acting like I'm dealing with some criminal mastermind and not some moron from the middle of nowhere."
"Hey, wait a minute-"
"Hand me that, would you?" she said, pointing to one of those blades used to cut through tape on boxes. Wade did not move, "Didn't you hear me?"
"Oh, sorry. I guess I'm just such a moron that I could not figure out what you wanted me to do. Now, what does the word hand mean again?"
Zoe rolled her eyes, "I didn't say you were brain dead, but, come on, you aren't exactly winning any awards for intelligence either."
"Do they even have those?" Wade asked with a laugh.
"Sure. The Nobel Prize, The Lasker Award, The Alfred Stock Memorial Prize, The Albert Einstein World Award of Science-"
"What, do you memorize all those from a list or somethin'? Because, no offense, but that sounds like a royal waste of time."
"I think you and I have different ideas of what constitutes time wasted and what constitutes time well spent. Now will you please pass me the freaking cutter thing?"
"I think the word you're lookin' for is utility knife. And you know, in the time it took you to lecture me, you could have just come over here and gotten it."
Zoe sighed in exasperation. Wade smirked, but he picked up the knife and handed in to her. Zoe took it, and leaned down to cut the boxes, which gave Wade a very enjoyable view. She stood back up and turned before he had the chance to look away.
"Well, this one's … were you just doing what I think you were doing?"
Wade shrugged, "Depends on what you think I was doing"
Zoe glared at him, "Were you checking out my ass?" Wade nodded, and chuckled at the look on her face, "You have no shame."
Wade shrugged again, "Girl with a nice ass bends down in front of me, I'm gonna look. Any guy would."
"That is not true. Some guys have some class."
"Let me tell you something, sweetheart, the only difference 'tween guys like me, and the guys you're talkin' about is I'm upfront about it. Those guys know girls like you will react with disgust, but their thoughts are just as dirty and perverted as mine."
"Somehow, I doubt that's possible." She said, and Wade just smirked, "Anyway, this box is fine if you want to take a look."
"Why don't you bend over it again first, take another sweep and make sure it is secret free."
Zoe groaned, "Don't make me regret forgiving you earlier. Just get over here."
"Whatever you say." Wade said, and squatted down next to her, "So, what treasured memories you got in here?" Zoe leaned forward to pick something up for him to look at. Her hair had fallen when she leaned down, and it was millimeters from his nose. It smelled sweet, probably like some shampoo she used. Without realizing it, Wade found himself closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. Something about the smell was just so … Zoe. It made him woozy, and he hated to admit how much he liked that. Then, it was gone, and Wade opened his eyes in confusion.
Zoe had sat up; she was looking at him quizzically, "Are you okay?"
Wade mentally slapped himself, blinked a couple times, and then said, "Yeah, you were just takin' a while. Guess I started to doze."
Zoe rolled her eyes, and when she looked away Wade let out a small breath of relief.
"Well, here." she handed him a book.
"Um, okay… what am I looking at exactly."
"It's my Latin/English dictionary."
Wade raised his eyebrows at her, "You're kidding me, right."
"I told you I'm going to be a doctor. The names and terms in medicine … basically all of them come from Latin root words. In fact, a lot of the words we use stem from Latin. It's a good language to learn. My dad used to say that …" she stopped talking.
Wade could guess what was going through his mind, "You gonna have a breakdown again? 'Cause if you are, let me know. I'll go and raid your fridge until you're done."
Zoe looked at him, shocked, "Um, insensitive much?"
"I seem to recall somebody makin' me promise I would never feel sorry for her. I'm just tryin' to keep my word."
Her face softened a little, "Anyway, it's useful."
"What is?"
Zoe looked at him like he had asked a stupid question, "Latin. The dictionary."
"Oh, right, that." Wade put the book down, "You got anything else in there?"
"No, I used a box the size of a television to carry one paperback." Zoe said sarcastically. Wade smirked. Then, he reached in and grabbed randomly.
"Let's see what we got?" he said and he looked at what he had pulled out, "Hm, an elementary school diploma for one Miss Zoe Hart." He smirked, "Why would you keep a thing like that?"
Zoe shrugged. "I didn't know I had. I guess it just ended up with a bunch of the junk the social service people gathered up from my house." She said it so nonchalantly, but when Wade looked at her, he could see the sadness in her eyes. "I'm not really a sentimental person."
Wade nodded, "Well, I guess makin' out of elementary is impressive. I mean, not everybody does it."
Zoe raised an eyebrow at him, "In this day and age? I mean, high school, sure. Middle school, maybe, but elementary? Who doesn't make it out of elementary?"
"People who die before they make it to ten." It slipped out so naturally, he did not even realize until it was too late. Wade stood up, his eyes a little dark, and walked over to her window, turning his back to her so that she could not see his face. He had not meant to say that, not meant to go there, but once something comes out…
"What … ?" Zoe did not finish the question, but she didn't have to. Wade knew that one way or another, they would get there now that he'd let it slip. It might as well be now.
"I, uh, used to have another brother. Older, by about two years. When he was eight, my dad was drivin' him to some kid's birthday party. He had been drinkin' … got in an accident. He didn't drink a lot back then … it was just one of those freak things. Tore my mom up. She made my dad swear up and down he would never so much as take a sip of alcohol for as long as she lived. I guess you could say he kept that promise, but I doubt she meant he should head straight for the booze the second she was in the ground."
Zoe looked at him stoically. He turned around, "You know, that whole, no pity thing, well, you ain't the only one who hates gettin' those kind of looks."
Zoe got up, walked towards him, and before Wade knew what she was doing, she had her arms around him. At first, he was surprised, stiff. But then he relaxed into the hug, wrapping his arms around her tiny little body.
"I'm so sorry." Zoe whispered.
Wade liked the feeling of having her in his arms. He liked that fact that she had been the one to hug him; that she cared. He liked having her head just below his nose where he could drink up her scent.
But he also wasn't really good with touchy/feely stuff, and this moment was becoming a little too Lifetime Movie for his taste, "So, you don't think I just told you that to get pity sex?" he said, trying to come off as cocky and obnoxious as he possibly could. She stepped out of his grasp and slapped him playfully.
"Let's get back to work," she said, turning back to the boxes. He missed the warmth of her body instantly. He knew he had been an idiot to say something that he knew would make her pull away, but it had also brought things back to normal. Back to light and playful and slightly annoying, which was way closer to his comfort zone than deep and sorrowful.
After Wade left, Zoe started on some of her other homework. It was a little hard to concentrate though. She kept thinking about Wade. Not in a sexual way, or even a romantic way, heaven forbid. More in a "Why is he so god damn confusing?" way. Sometimes he was sweet, sometimes he was a jackass, sometimes he was sensitive and vulnerable, sometimes he was crude and arrogant, he valued keeping his word, and for some reason, he seemed comfortable confiding in her, and she him, despite the fact that they barely knew each other. It was a mystery of Sherlock Holmes proportions.
She looked up at a knock on her door, "Hey, I don't want to bother you if your studying, but the phone's for you."
Zoe nodded, hopped out of bed, and headed downstairs to pick up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Zoe?"
"Yes?"
"Hey, it's Jesse. Wade's brother."
"Hi. Yeah, I remember who you are. You should not identify yourself as Wade's brother though. It's selling yourself a little bit short."
Jesse chuckled on the other end, "Yeah, well, listen, I hope I'm not catchin' you at a bad time or anything."
"No, I was just doing some homework."
"It's Friday." She could here the surprise in his voice.
"I'm still new, and I have a lot to catch up on. Besides, it's not like I have anything else to do." After she said it, she realized how pathetic it had sounded. He did not seem to notice though, a fact that she was grateful for.
"Okay. Great. Listen, I was wonderin' if you had any plans this weekend."
"Um, nope. Being the new girl doesn't exactly invite a very active social calendar."
"Well, I was thinking of catchin' a movie, and since you're free, maybe you want to come with me?"
Wow. Okay, out of the blue, "Um, you mean like a date?"
"Actually, I was just thinkin' we could hang out. You seem cool, and I think it'd be fun to get to know you. Plus, the effect you have on my brother is worth the price of every ticket in the theatre." She heard him chuckle.
Zoe chuckled awkwardly, "So, Wade's gonna be there?"
"Well, I wasn't plannin' to invite him, but if you want-"
"No. No, I'm good. I already have to spend enough time with him working on that dumb project."
"Cool, so, I'll meet you at the theatre on Saturday, around six?"
"Um, sure, I guess, yeah. That sounds, sure."
"Okay then. Goodnight Zoe."
"Goodnight."
Zoe hung up the phone and just stood there, staring at it. She had not been asked out on a date since, well, a while. A few guys at from her middle school in New York showed interest when the breasts came in, but she always said no, so eventually they just stopped asking. Embarrassed as she was to admit it, she had never really been on a date. She had been to a few dances, but she usually went with a girlfriend, or a guy who was just a friend. She had never been on a real, honest to goodness date before. Was this a date? Jesse had said it was just 'hanging out.' He had seemed so … nonchalant. What did that mean; that he wasn't interested? That he was, and was trying to downplay it?
Zoe needed a girl to talk to. For a moment, she thought of her mother. They had never done the girl talk thing, but didn't a girl usually turn to her mother when it was time to start dating. She mentally shook herself; the last thing she needed was to think about her mother. Lord knew where that might lead. She thought of her friends back in New York. She had not seen or spoken to any of them since the accident. For all she knew, they had no clue what had happened to her. She felt bad, but she knew she could not deal with them. They were a part of her old life in New York.
Realizing her only option, she picked up Harley's phonebook and began looking. It did not take long to find what she was looking for; one of the advantages of small towns. She dialed the number quickly before she had time to second-guess her chosen confidant.
"Hello?"
"Hi. Um, Dr. Breeland. It's Zoe, Harley's … anyway, is Lemon there?"
There was a pause, "Um, yeah, hold on a minute." She could here surprise and uncertainty in his voice.
There was a little fracas in the background, and then, "Hello?"
"Lemon? Hey, it's Zoe."
"Well I know that. My dad told me. Why you callin'?"
"Um, is this a bad time?"
Lemon chuckled, "Did I say it was a bad time? Now, what're you callin' about?"
"I kind of need a girl to talk to."
"Should I assume this involves a member of the opposite sex?"
"Um, yep." Zoe replied awkwardly.
"Shoot."
"Well, this guy called, and may or may not have asked me out. I'm not really sure."
She waited for Lemon to respond.
"Hm. Well, I'm gonna need to dissect the situation. It'll be a little hard to do over the phone," she was quite for a moment, "Tell you what, I can't get away. I'm watchin' my sister, but how 'bout you come over. We can dissect and girl talk."
She thought for a minute. She had not really wanted to go anywhere, but this was more of an in person kind of conversation.
"I'll go ask Harley for a ride. See you in a few."
Lemon sighed as she hung up the phone. She was glad Zoe had talked; she did not really have any girls to hang out with, and Zoe seemed cool. There were some people, like AnnaBeth, whom she used to be kind of close with, but after her mom … she didn't need those girls anymore. They were dead weight, and they had no clue how to have fun. Zoe seemed to be more fun anyway.
She looked down at Magnolia, the tiny bundled up baby in her arms. She looked so innocent. She had no clue that her mom had up and left her without a backwards glance.
Lemon placed her sister in the crib and walked over to the radio. She would not get sad. She would not cry. Breelands did not cry. Breelands were strong. She would find some fast song and dance until she was too dizzy to see.
After a couple songs, she still felt kind of off. She looked at Magnolia, making sure she was safe, and sound asleep, then headed for her fathers study. He would not be home for a few hours.
She picked the lock on the liquor cabinet, and took out a bottle of whiskey. Her father did not drink the stuff, but he always made sure he was stocked for company, a fact Lemon was grateful for. She took out the cork, took out a glass, then thought better of it, and put the bottle up to her lips. It was cold and smooth going down.
"Hey." Zoe said, nervously.
Harley looked up at her. She did not usually start the conversations. He was surprised, but hopeful.
"Hi."
"Um, I was wondering if you could maybe give me a lift-"
"It's pretty late."
Zoe nodded, "I know, but Lemon and I were just talking and she invited me over."
"Like a slumber party."
Zoe nodded. He considered. He wanted Zoe to be happy, enjoy herself. He wanted to her to be safe. He wanted her to feel comfortable with him. He had never been a father before. He did not know the rules for this sort of thing. But it was not a school night, and she looked so nervous. He did not want to be the guy that made her nervous.
"Um, yeah, I guess that's all right. You got an overnight bag?" Zoe shook her head, "I'll get you one."
Lemon heard the doorbell ring once, twice, "Coming!" she called. When she opened the door, she saw Zoe, whose eyes widened at her disheveled appearance and flushed cheeks, "Well, there you are. I was wondering what happened to you."
"I, um, needed to find an … overnight bag." Her voice was confused, unsure, but Lemon was too drunk to notice.
"You're stayin' the night? That's just wonderful!" she jumped up and down and clapped her hands like a child.
Zoe followed her inside quickly, hoping that the car was far enough away that Harley could not see how drunk Lemon was.
"So, who is the cutie who asked you out?"
"Lemon, are you drunk?"
Lemon thought for a minute, "Yep, I think so. Why, you want some?"
"No." Zoe said, wide-eyed.
"It's just as well. There ain't much left anyway."
"Lemon-"
"I know what we should do." Lemon said, as though Zoe had asked, "We should sneak over to Ruby Jeffries house and plant a bottle under her bed. Then tell her parents about it. She'll be so screwed." Lemon cackled. It was a scary sound, "Ruby is a bitch. She likes makin' my life hell. You haven't met her yet, but you will. She thinks she so cool." Lemon hiccupped, "So who is the guy?"
"I think you should have some water." Zoe said, looking for the kitchen "Nope. Don't need water. Wouldn't say no to vodka though."
Zoe scoffed. Like that was going to happen.
"I like you Zoe Hart. You don't BS about everything like everyone in this town. You're real." She hiccupped again.
Then, Zoe heard a wail. For a minute, she thought it was Lemon, but then she remembered what Lemon had said over the phone, "You got drunk while you were still babysitting a one-year-old!" It was sort of a question, but mostly shock.
Suddenly, Lemon started to cry.
"I am a horrible, horrible sister. I must have been a horrible daughter too. Just horrible, horrible, horrible." She started banging her head against the wall. Zoe ran over to her.
"Don't do that." she said, restraining Lemon. There was a bump, but luckily, Zoe had stopped her before she could do any real damage.
"You shouldn't a stopped me. I'm horrible. Horrible, horrible-"
"Lemon, Lemon, look at me." she did, "You are not horrible. You did something stupid. We all do stupid things."
"Nobody likes me Zoe. They all leave me. I fuck up, and then they just leave."
"Nobody's leaving, okay? Nobody's leaving." Lemon didn't day anything. She just kept crying. Magnolia was still wailing in the background. Zoe felt hung-over, even though she had not touched a drop of alcohol. "Listen, I am going to go to your phone and call for help, then-"
"Don't leave me."
"I'll be right back. I'm just going to call somebody to help-"
"No. Don't call my dad. He can't know that I -"
"I wasn't going to call you're father. I was going to call your boyfriend."
"I don't want him seeing me like this either."
Zoe sighed, thinking, "What about Wade."
Lemon seemed not to hear her at first. Zoe was going to ask again, but then she nodded.
He had been working on the car all night. He had tried to sleep, but every time he closed his eyes, he just saw her, and he could not have that. He needed to keep busy, and the car could use some refurbishing, as Zoe had oh so politely pointed out. He headed inside to get a drink of water, when he heard the phone ring. His eyes looked at the phone, then the clock. Who the hell was calling at 12:30 in the morning?
"Hello." He said, agitated.
"Wade." Her voice caused him to fumble with the phone for a second. Why was she calling? A small part of him thought maybe it was a booty call, but he disregarded that. She had made it clear that that was never happening.
"Zoe? Why are you callin' this late?"
"I'm at Lemon's. She's … well, she kind of wasted, and crying, and she keeps trying to bang her head against the wall, and her sister will not stop crying, and-"
"Whoa, whoa. Slow down, princess." Her nervous rambling was cute. She was clearly freaking out. And she had called him to rescue her. He tried not to read too much into it, "So, Lemon was babysittin' and she got drunk?" Silence, "You if you're nodding that I can't see it right?"
"Sorry, force of habit. But, yes. That's what happened."
"And how do you fit into this."
"Lemon invited me over t o hang out. She was like this when I got here. Hold on." He heard her call put that down, and heard a giggle that had to be Lemon. He could also hear the wailing in the background that was definitely Magnolia. He had heard the tike cry before; she had quite the lung capacity.
"Please come."
Wade could not help but smile, "On my way."
Author's Note: Sorry for the long time it took to update. I was having trouble coming up with stuff. I had the Wade/Zoe stuff, but if it is just them, it seemed empty, and especially after the premiere, I wanted to do some Lemon stuff. I was not intending for her to get drunk; it just sort of happened. I was hoping to do something with Ruby, but that would not really fit here, so I settled for a mention. We will definitely see her later though.
Part of the fun of this story is that they are all teenagers, dealing with teenager problems like first dates.
Oh, huge thing, the thing with Wade's brother. That totally just happened in the moment. I wrote the thing about not living to ten, because Wade was trying to make Zoe feel good about herself, but it seemed so pointed. I felt like it meant something, so I came up with the story. I considered taking it out, because that scene was not supposed to get so dark, but I decided to keep it. Let me know if you think I made the wrong decision.
The smart awards Zoe talks about are from wikipedia's list of prizes, medals, and awards. I am not that smart.
I was actually going to have Zoe call George, because I feel like she would call him first, and after the premiere, I kind of want to write about him, but then I realized Lemon would never want him to see her so pathetic. I know you are probably happy about that choice.
Please review.
Side note: (Do Not Read If You Have Not Seen The Premiere Yet!) Okay, so none of my friends watch the show, and I have been dying to share my reaction with somebody to the premiere. You can skip it you do not care.
First, who was laughing so hard they could not breathe during the "hostage situation." That was so ridiculous, which made it hilarious.
Second, I know a lot of you are for Wade, and you know I love both him and George, but even if you like Wade better, how could you not melt at George's speech in Zoe's office? It was so perfect. In the finale, it felt sort of like maybe Zoe's feelings for him had changed, but that speech … oh my god. He is one of those people who always knows the right thing to say. It was so perfect and beautiful and poignant. I felt so sad for him at the end.
Also, I must say, I am really relieved. I was so worried she was going to pick someone, and I kept thinking, please have her pick nobody, and she did, so yea! I know you think it's because I like them both, but that's not it. See, this was only the premiere of season two. One of my biggest problems with the Bluebell battle was I felt that Zoe found out how Wade felt for her way too early. Shows need to pace themselves. Hopefully, this show will be on the air for a long, long time. If that is the case, what are the odds of Zoe staying with the guy she picks at the beginning of season two? I am not saying it does not happen, like with Harvey and Sabrina, but for the most part, the writers would not have her only date one guy for the rest of the series. It would be too boring. George called off his wedding for Zoe. Wade got burned by Zoe at the Bluebell battle, and had to watch her pine for him for a year. Due to these circumstances, when her and whomever she picks break up, (which they would, as I just explained) I do not see the either of them forgiving her for picking the other one. After all, if you call off your wedding for somebody, and turn you whole life upside down, as George said, them running off with some other guy would not be something you could get over. And if you pine for a girl who does not know you exist for a year because she is pining for somebody else, and then you two finally have sex, and you are led to believe you have a real shot, just for her to pick said somebody else over you, you would not give her another shot. This would mean she ends up with neither of them, and I know none of us want that, whomever we ship. Zoe picking nobody leaves possibilities open. So, I was relieved.
I also loved Zoe and Lemon's friend moment. They are so going to be best friends! I have thought this from the beginning. It is not just because I love them both, (although I do). It is because I watch way too much TV and I know that when two girls/women hate each other that much, and that way in the beginning, they become best friends. Some examples: Rory/Paris, (Gilmore Girls), Rebecca/Casey, (Greek) Grace/Adrienne, (Secret Life Of The American Teenager), Taylor/Summer, (The O.C.), Dani/Kris (Wildfire), Moze/Susie, (Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide), Lauren/Val (What I Like About You), Gia/Stephanie (Full House), Amanda/Betty (Ugly Betty), and that is not even all of them. Sorry, but I have had this theory for a long time, and I had to tell somebody, even if they are cyber. I think part of the reason that they don't get along is because they are so similar. They are both strong willed, stubborn, bossy, and slightly neurotic. It can be difficult to get along with somebody when you see too much of yourself in them, especially when neither personality is good at taking a back seat. Still, I am dying for them to be friends, and if nothing else, this episode proved they have the potential.
