Zoey took a deep breath. She would have to be outside her apartment in less than ten minutes to greet Logan and Dana when they arrived to pick her up. She stood in front of her full length mirror and turned around to try and catch a glimpse of every part of her. She wanted to look perfect, but casual at the same time. This was harder than it sounded. At first she chose an outfit that looked much too sophisticated. Then she picked some clothes that made her looked like she was ten years old. Finally she had settled on a pair of simple blue jeans with a faded pink t-shirt and a white zip up. She picked up her purse and carefully stored her wallet, a pad of paper, and a pen in it. She tied her hair up into a very loose ponytail and pulled on a pair of white socks. When she looked into the mirror again she groaned. Now she looked too much like a teenager. She was an adult now and couldn't afford to go around dressed in a zip up and jeans!

Just as she was about to change, she caught sight of the clock and yelped. It was nearly 6:30 and she had to be outside. Quickly grabbing her jacket and keys, she slipped on her shoes and hurriedly left, locking the door behind her. She took the elevator down to the first floor and quickly rushed out to see a red convertible pulling up. The front window rolled down and a curly haired head popped out.

"Zoey, come on!" Dana said excitedly, waving. Zoey smiled and waved a little before going over to open the door of the backseat and clambering in. As soon as she slammed it shut, Logan, who was driving, pulled the car back on to the road and then… they were off. Zoey felt her pulse start to quicken. She was in Logan and Dana's car. She was going to see her best friend. She was going to… She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew that during their reunion, memories of Chase would be mentioned. She sighed lightly and opened her eyes again.

"Zoey, I haven't seen you since graduation," Dana said grinning from ear to ear. Dana's hair was still a chestnut brown with gold highlights. It bounced on her shoulders when she walked. Her eyes were aglow with excitement and her cheeks were a very faint pink. She wore five gold bracelets on one arm and a silver watch on the other. On her ring finger of her right hand she wore a beautiful diamond wedding ring.

"You look great," Zoey said a little absent mindedly. Her eyes were transfixed on the ring. If Chase was still alive, would she be wearing one too? She shook the thought out of her mind. It was much too depressing to think about. Instead, she forced a grin and said in a mock cheerful voice, "So, Logan, how about you? Still bringing in big money?"

Logan grinned and caught a glimpse of Zoey in the rearview mirror. "You know it. I'm a film maker just like my dad was." He chuckled a little. "Logan and Dana Reese- I film, she acts. Is that a couple made in heaven, or what?" He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. She laughed and gently swatted him away.

"Eyes on the road, Logan," she said, but her eyes held a dreamy look in them. They sparkled in the sunlight that shone through the car windows. Zoey felt happy for them. They had always argued when they were at PCA, but awhile before graduated, they had gotten together.

"So Dana, you act in movies now?" Zoey asked, trying to bring up a light conversation. She wondered what Chase would be doing if he was still alive? He would probably be a clown in a circus… or an entertainer at kids' birthday parties. She smiled to herself.

"Yep," Dana said cheerfully. "I took tonight off. I'm supposed to be filming my new movie right now, but a movie star needs to relax." She laughed. Zoey noted that her laugh sounded like bells clanging together. Dana had changed since their PCA years. She was more… bright… happy… together.

Logan and Dana chattered for a long time. Zoey started to tune them out. Her thoughts drifted elsewhere. She had changed as well. When she was in her teen years she was always so optimistic and creative. Now she was self confined and quiet. She had dug herself a hole and had stayed in it. Now it was time to come out… but how could she when there was no Chase to greet her at the light?

Suddenly the car jerked to the right as a drunk driver swerved to the wrong side of the road, nearly crashing into several cars. Zoey screamed and grabbed on to the seat in front of her and squeezed her eyes shut. A light flashed before… many lights. Ferris wheel lights. She found herself getting sucked into a picture… a memory.

It was the end of the year carnival. Two years before their graduation. Chase had asked Zoey. She had agreed, but didn't think of it as a date. When she met him in front of the hot dog stand, she was shocked to see that he had bought her a bouquet of roses. They were beautiful, the reddest flowers she had ever seen. They sparkled in the moonlight and water droplets clung to a few petals.

"They're… for you," Chase mumbled.

"Wow… Chase thanks," Zoey said in awe as she took the bouquet of flowers in her hands. When she held them, a thorn scratched her on the arm. She yelped a little in surprise. Chase immediately took the end of his shirt and pressed the cloth down on her arm where drops of blood were starting to form. She stared up at him, shocked.

"Uh… Chase… your shirt…" she said stupidly.

"That's ok, you're more important than my shirt," Chase said. His cheeks suddenly turned pink. He coughed loudly and the two of them stood there for awhile, not saying much. They listened to the light sound of carnival music and watched people pass by, eating cotton candy. Finally Zoey broke the silence.

"Want to go on the roller coaster?"

Chase looked up at her, his eyes sparkling. "The roller coaster…? Isn't that too dangerous for a girl? I mean, I don't want you screaming and then throwing up on my jeans or something." He laughed.

"I can handle it if you can," Zoey teased back. She grabbed his arm and, holding the bouquet of roses in one hand, led him to the roller coaster. The one that went upside down and spun around and the one that, after they went on it, made Chase sick to his stomach.

"Told you I could handle it," Zoey said, giggling as Chase leaned over the garbage can and pretended to throw up. She grabbed him by the arm and patted him on the back. "So you can't handle roller coasters- how about the Ferris wheel?"

"Ferris wheels I can handle," Chase said, running with Zoey as they made their way to the large sparkling mechanism that was going around in circles. They only had to wait in line for ten minutes and while they did, Zoey counted the roses in the bouquet. There were thirteen. That was her lucky number.

When they got into their seat, Zoey started to swing it back and forth. Chase yelped and grabbed on to her arm. "Zoey, stop, stop, I'm serious!" he cried as they started to move upward. She stopped and started laughing. He grinned at her.

They were moving up… up… up… The stars shone brightly in the sky. Zoey wanted to grab one and keep it with her for eternity to light up the dark passages of her life. She looked over at Chase. She suddenly felt her heart do a funny little flip. He looked like a perfect photograph. His face was tilted up in just a right way so that the moonlight washed over his face. His eyes sparkled in the silvery light…

His eyes…

They were the most beautiful eyes. Zoey felt as if she could stare at them all day and never, ever get tired of them. It was as if the one thing that would stay forever and the same about Chase would be…

He turned his head, breaking the moment. "What?" he said, sounding worried. "Is there something on my face?" His hand went straight up to his cheek as he felt around for a mustard stain.

"No…" Zoey smiled. Her insides were twisting together and voices seemed to be yelling out to her. Kiss him, kiss him! She took a deep breath and leaned in to give him a kiss. Her eyes closed, she went straight for him when…

BANG!

She let out a little scream as the Ferris wheel came to a sudden halt. Her eyes were still closed. When she opened them she found herself higher than anybody else in the entire carnival. She was stuck at the top of the Ferris wheel with the boy who she realized just then that she loved.

"Zoey," Chase said, laughing. "You screamed! You got scared! You-"

He never got to finish his sentence because just then Zoey leaned in to kiss him. The kiss lasted five seconds. She quickly pulled away, her cheeks pink. "Uh…" She didn't what to say so she turned away from Chase. He was speechless himself. Suddenly a wide grin split out on to his face. "Did you just kiss me?" he asked.

"Maybe," Zoey mumbled.

Chase lightly touched her shoulder. She turned and then he kissed her lightly on the lips. This time it lasted for more than five seconds. They still had their lips locked when the Ferris wheel started moving again. That was the day… that was the day they became the happiest couple at PCA.

"Zoey are you ok?"

Zoey opened her eyes and blinked. Dana was staring at her with large eyes and Logan was muttering under his breath about drunk drivers. They were on the highway, speeding along in the Reese's red convertible. Zoey sighed. Once again she had lost herself in a mere memory.

"I'm ok, Dana. What happened?"

"Drunk driver nearly killed himself," Dana said, looking angry. "Not to mention take the lives of some innocent drivers- such as ourselves." She sighed. "But we're ok. Everyone's ok… No one got hurt." She smiled. "We're almost at Nicole's. I'm going to love seeing her again. Last time I saw her was at the wedding…"

Zoey didn't speak for the rest of the ride. When they finally arrived at Nicole's house, it was nearly 7:30. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Zoey got out of the car after Logan and Dana and took in the sight of Nicole's house.

Unlike Zoey, Nicole didn't live in an apartment. She had a small cottage like house that was painted white. A few stone steps led to a rectangular brown door which was open to reveal a bit of the living room. The roof seemed to be in good order and there was even a chimney in the far corner. A few large square windows were found along the sides and flowers dotted the front yard. Zoey walked up the steps behind Logan and Dana and waited nervously for Nicole to come greet them.

The tune of 'it's a small world after all' came when Logan pressed his finger against the doorbell. Footsteps were heard and Nicole came running out of a doorway, which must have been the kitchen, and came, squealing, to greet them.

"Dana, Logan… I haven't seen you since the wedding! No baby yet? Well… I guess not. It's only been five months!" Nicole's hair was straightened and sat on her shoulders. She was bouncing up and down like crazy and she wore a pink apron that showed a cartoon chef holding a spatula backwards. "And..." She screamed and grabbed Zoey into a tight hug. Zoey took a gasp for breath as she patted Nicole on the back.

"N-nice to see you too," Zoey said, struggling for air.

Nicole finally released her. There were tears in her eyes. "Zoey… I haven't seen you in ages. How have you been? I mean…" She wiped away the wet spots that were forming in her eyes. "I missed you, Zoey!" She pulled her into another hug, a less strangling one this time.

"I missed you too," Zoey said, her voice coming out rather choked. She realized that through all the years she had lived without talking to or seeing Nicole she had felt a big empty chunk inside her stomach. Now that she saw her best friend again, she seemed to be healed… but not completely. She swallowed hard. "I really missed you."

"C'mon, enough girls talk," Logan said huffily. "Let's go in! Who's already here?" He took his shoes off and walked into the kitchen. Zoey could hear yells and greeting and a loud slapping sound as Logan gave someone a high five. She gave Nicole a questioning look. Dana pulled her arm and the girls went into the kitchen.

"Michael Barret," Dana said, grinning. "It's been ages!" She walked with her arms out and Michael gave her a quick hug. He looked the same as he always did except now he wore a golf hat.

"So Michael started taking up golf," Nicole said eagerly, grabbing a wooden spoon and going over to stir a pot of chilly. She sniffed in and started coughing. "Oh… this smells awful!" She smiled sweetly at Dana. "Dana, you were always good at cooking. How about you take over for a little while…?"

Dana sighed and rolled her eyes. She pushed up the black sleeves of her dress and stuck her hand out. "Oh, alright, give me the spoon." Nicole squealed a little and passed Dana the wooden spoon to stir.

"So are we all here?" Zoey asked. Everyone gave her a slight glance. She felt as if she had been tossed into a cage and put in display at the zoo. She took a deep breath. "I mean… is… um…"

"Dustin's coming," Nicole said quickly. She grinned slyly. "He's bringing Katie."

"Oh that girl he had a crush on when he was like twelve?" Logan said as he took a water bottle out of the fridge and took a big drink. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he said, "I can't believe they're still going out."

"Hey," Dana said. "We're still going out and we've been a couple since the PCA years. And Zoey, she…" Her voice trailed off. She suddenly seemed very interested in stirring the chilly. There was an awkward silence in the air.

"Oh, by the way," Nicole said, trying quickly to change the subject. "Tony might be stopping by with his friend from work!" She grinned broadly. Tony was the boy she had been going out with. It was an on and off relationship for them and at the moment, it was on full blast.

"What friend from work?" Michael asked as he took a seat at the kitchen table. Zoey quickly sat down beside him, feeling regret in every part of her body. Why had she come? Her legs felt like jelly. She tried to calm herself down, to steady herself.

"Oh, Tony got a job at the supermarket," Nicole said. "He needed a part time job to earn some money. He's been working there for a couple of months now. A new guy just got a job there two weeks ago and Tony made friends with him." She smiled. "I was hoping we could, you know, all be friends so I invited them both. Is that ok?"

Everyone nodded and said their agreements. Nicole offered a glass of water to Zoey and she accepted. Drinking some fresh cool water helped soothe Zoey's nerves a little. She barely listened to the conversation. Michael was telling everyone about his good golf game. Dana was sharing her stories about filming movies. While Logan was bragging about the new sports car he was going to buy, the doorbell rang.

Nicole bustled out to greet whoever it was. A second later, she came back into the kitchen followed by Dustin and Katie. Zoey felt her heart leap a little when she saw her little brother. He had grown up so much!

"Zoey," Dustin said, grinning. "I missed you!" He rushed over to give her a hug. She squeezed him back, tears rolling down her cheeks as she mumbled 'I missed you too'. After she released Dustin she gave Katie a big hug as well. The two of them were like sisters and soon they would be.

"We're getting married," Katie said eagerly. She showed them the engagement ring that wasn't a sparkling diamond like Dana's was, but was still as, or maybe even more, beautiful.

They sat around the kitchen, talking and recalling good times from PCA. Nobody mentioned Chase, but everyone was thinking about him. Everyone in the room had known him. Zoey didn't talk much. She mostly drank her water and laughed occasionally. Her laughs sounded hollow and it was as if not a drop of emotion came into it.

The doorbell rang again just as the chilly was finished. Nicole jumped up and down and said, "It's Tony!" She took off her apron and hurried to greet him at the front door.

"She doesn't act any different from when she was thirteen, does she?" Michael mused. He took off his golf hat and scratched his head. Logan laughed and shrugged his shoulders as if to say 'some people never change'.

They could hear Nicole's voice at the front door. "Oh… um… hi… you must be Tony's friend… I'm Nicole. You're… um… Jake? Are you sure that's your name? Well… okay, come in… everyone's… eager to see you." There a slight pause and a shuffle of feet. Nicole came back to the kitchen, looking very nervous and confused. Tony walked in to a chorus of greetings. Then followed his friend whose name, they guessed, was Jake.

"Hi J-"

Zoey gasped. She dropped the glass of water she was holding. There, standing in front of her was the mirror reflection of the older Chase. He hadn't changed much, but she knew by looking straight into his eyes that this was her love. This was the boy she had shared her first kiss with. This was her first true love come back.