Author's note: So I know it's been a while! Sorry, I've been working on another story which I'll put up next week and I kinda got stuck. I knew where I wanted to go, I just wasn't sure how to put everything together. This chapter is kinda short but it's an important one. Will try update early next week! Thanks for all the reviews, faves and follows! They make me happy!

"I got in, I got in!" Zoe shouted, running into the Rammer Jammer. Wade looked up and saw her approaching and managed to put his tray down just in time. She flung herself into his arms, knocking the air out of him.

"I knew you would, Doc!" he said into her hair, squeezing her tight.

"Oh my gosh, I am so excited! Maybe over Spring Break we can road trip and you can see where I'm gonna be spending the next few years?"

"Sounds great! But listen, I better get back to work. How bout I take you for dinner in Mobile tonight to celebrate?"

"Ok! I'm gonna go get ready!" She kissed his cheek and turned to leave.

"But it's only 11am? We're only going tonight!" he called after her.

"I know but I'm just so excited about everything! I'll see you later!"

At 6 that night, Wade came home from work to see Zoe sitting on her porch bouncing her knee up and down. He got out of his car and walked over.

"Hey Doc, how long you been sitting here waiting?" She shrugged.

"Like a few hours, I'm not sure. Can we go now?"Wade chuckled.

"Can I shower first? I'll be quick."

"If you must…" she said, pouting.

"I must, I've been standing all day and cleaning dirty dishes. I'll be like 10 minutes."

"Ok, hurry!" He jogged to his house and ran upstairs, laughing at how crazy his girlfriend was sometimes. He loved her for it though. His heart clenched briefly at the thought that in a few months, she would be 15 hours away. He knew he should be as excited as she was but a little part of him couldn't help but hate that she didn't seem to be sad that she would be gone.

That night at dinner, Wade put on his best supportive boyfriend face; nodding along when she spoke about how excited she was to finally start her journey as a doctor and how this college allows for all her dreams to come true. While she was speaking, he was trying to figure out who would hire him to do odd jobs around town so that he could earn more money to visit her more often.

"I'm so proud of you, baby," Wade said, walking up her porch steps.

"Thank you. We are gonna make this work, you'll see."

"What? How did you… What are you…"

"I know you Wade. I know you are scared about what's going to happen. I promise you, it's going to work. Trust me!" He nodded and she stood on her tip toes up and kissed him gently.

"I love you," she whispered, pressing her forehead against his.

"I love you too," he whispered back. He pulled her into a hug and they stood there for a while until she went inside.

"Ok, everything for our road trip is set! Can't wait for tomorrow!" Zoe exclaimed to her dad over breakfast.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Zoe? You don't think Wade might get upset?"

"Upset over what?"

"Well, you've been lying to him for 2 months now." She rolled her eyes.

"Technically, I haven't been lying. I just haven't corrected him."

"A lie by omission is still a lie, Zoe."

"Can I still take the car or not?" Zoe said, changing the subject.

"Of course you may. I just hope this doesn't backfire on you."

"Of course it won't Dad! I'm doing this for him."

"And you are sure this is what you want?"

"Yes, I am positive! This is my dream school!"

The next morning, as the sun was rising, Zoe and Wade were putting the last of their bags in the car.

"You sure you don' wan' me to drive, Doc?" he asked skeptically. She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I'm sure! I'm a good driver!"

"Of course you are; I taught you!" She stuck her tongue out at him, walking to the driver's side.

"I'm jus' sayin', wouldn' you rather the teacher to drive, rather than the student?" Wade said, getting into the car.

"Well, the student is about to become the master. No more moaning. We have a fun road trip ahead of us! I can't wait for you to see my new school! I even made a road trip playlist!" He laughed lightly.

"Start it up then girl!"

Country music filled the car and Wade gave her a look.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Have you gone country, Zoe Hart?"

"Maybe just a bit but I blame you!"

"Well, I'm happy to take the blame." He took her hand and laced their fingers together.

They stopped in Auburn for breakfast and a bathroom break then got on the road again.

"So this is Atlanta, huh?" she said approaching the city.

"Yup, it's a pretty cool place. Maybe one summer when you come back from Baltimore, we can take a longer trip here and not just drive through it."

"Mmhmm, sure," she said absentmindedly. She turned off the highway while Wade was looking at the map.

"We weren' meant to turn off here, Babe," he said looking up from the map.

"I'm pretty sure this is right," she insisted.

"No, we are meant to stay on this highway until Charlotte."

"I know where I'm going Wade."

"You have to pee again?"

"Uh… yeah."

"You're actin' weird, Doc."

"No, I'm not! I just have to pee." Wade shrugged and looked out the window, deciding not to argue with his girlfriend.

About 20 minutes later, they still hadn't stopped for Zoe to go to the bathroom.

"Zo, I thought you had to…"

"We're here!" she interrupted, pulling into a parking lot.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"My new college," she stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She climbed out of the car and Wade followed.

"But… but isn't Johns Hopkins in Baltimore?"

"Yup," she said nonchalantly walking to him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"But we're in Atlanta?" he asked softly.

"We're at Emory University to be exact. Ranked 21st in the country so it's still a great medical school but most importantly, it's only 5 hours and 42 minutes away from you."

"I don' wan' you givin' up your dream just for me, Zoe," he whispered pulling her close. She shook her head stubbornly.

"This is my dream Wade. Go to a good medical school AND be near you. This way, it's the best of both worlds. A 5 hour drive is easy enough for us to spend weekends together when we want to and it won't be too expensive either!"

"It's closer to a 6 hour drive actually," he said with a smirk.

"So you're not mad I kept this from you? I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Of course I'm not mad. But are you SURE this is what you want?"

"Yes! I promise! Now come on, let's walk around." She grabbed his hand and they walked around the campus. Zoe's eyes were shining with excitement when they went into the library and when they saw some lecture halls.

Later that night, they were having dinner at a local café.

"You are sure this is the school you wanna go to?" Wade asked, for the millionth time that day.

"Wade, come on! You have to stop asking me that. I swear, this is it! I am so excited! The campus is great and everything seems amazing!" She squeezed his hand across the table.

"I'm sorry I keep askin', I just don' want you to regret this."

"I will never regret this! You saw how amazing this campus is, I am so excited!"

"Ok… I love you so much, Zo. I am so glad you chose this school!"

"Me too baby. I love you too!"

The rest of the week was spent exploring the campus and getting to know the local hang outs. When they made their way back to Bluebell, they were both happy with the choice Zoe had made. They both knew that this was going to work and Wade was really excited to have her so close by. Her surprise just made his senior year that much better.