Hey all, I am sorry with the small wait for this chapter, but honestly it took me a minute to figure out what I wanted to do with it and how I want a select few friendships to move forward. Honestly, Zade is going to have a very rocky road ahead of them moving forward throughout the whole story as that has always been the plan with those two, and after saying that I am looking forward to the possiblities it does bring forth.

Enjoy!

"Your house is back the other way, Princess," Wade smirked. "And I saw your dad is home," Wade said approaching his house seeing Zoe on his porch.

"It's a small town, makes it kinda hard to forget where one lives," she retorted. "It is his day off," she shrugged, already knowing the information Wade recited to her.

"So why aren't at home having a tea party?" He questioned, keeping his distance. All he wanted to do was enter his home and get his grounding over with, not be held up and get stuck with days added on. He did want to enjoy his Halloween and not be stuck handing candy out. "Or playing doctor?" He smirked, putting his right foot on the first step.

"Think maybe it's because I want to talk to you?" She snapped, rolling her eyes. She thought about giving up on gaining Wade's friendship, but her determination wouldn't let her give up.

"Then say it and be on your merry little way," Wade snorted. "I've got a punishment to serve."

"I want to thank you for the picture," Zoe told him, stepping closer to where Wade stood at the bottom of the steps.

"It was nothing," he shrugged, leaning against the railing. A way to pass the time where he was stuck in his room. Even if it did take more time than a random sketch would take, and a bit more research into the right skyline of New York, he wanted to use.

"Wade, it is everything," she told him softly. It is special; he spent time not only drawing it but thinking of it. She would have never thought of it, and Wade had and not only that, but he took the time to get the skyline just right of the city something you couldn't do if you didn't want to because he would have to look at pictures for it to happen.

"Yeah well, don't go making a big deal about a silly picture," he grumbled. "You helped me; I owed you and used your birthday gift as an excuse to pay you back, that's it," he stated, storming past her.

"Why do you hate me for?" Zoe asked, making Wade stop with his hand on the door knob. "If it's for the way I treated you the first day I was here, I am sorry again, for what I said," she apologized once more for something she had thought they were passed.

"Not quite princess," he stated. "That's history like everything else," he said, pushing his front door open. "Who says I hate you?" He questioned, taking a step into his house.

"What does that mean, Wade?" She asked, getting no response from Wade as he entered the house sending the door shut without looking back.

Huffing Zoe stomped her way down the steps and headed for home. She thought about going after Wade to get the answers out of him, but she thought better of it, having a very good feeling that he wouldn't tell her any ways. Wade had to be the one person in town that infuriated her the most. She had no idea what she had done wrong to make him not want anything to do with her after making amends and helping him out when she didn't have to.

"Everything okay sweetheart?" Harley asked, seeing his daughter walk into the kitchen looking lost in her thoughts.

"Uh yeah," she smiled at her dad, looking in the fridge for a snack. "Just school stuff," she shrugged. The idea of telling her dad about what transpired with Wade as appealing as it sounded to get his opinion on it all, she didn't want to bother her father with some stupid kid drama. And he would go to Jackie and Earl, and that was the last thing she needed was for Wade to be mad at her for telling her parents on his behavior, yeah; no thank you.

"I am here if you want to talk, even if it is school stuff," he informed her.

"I know," she told him, making her exit only to get stopped.

"Hold up, we need to talk," Harley told her, motioning to the stool at the counter.

"What's going on?" She asked with a frown. She couldn't recall doing anything that would warrant her needing to have a chat with her dad.

"I promise you're not in trouble," he chuckled, drying his hands. She nodded looking at him curiously. "You're cousins Vivian and Winnie will be spending the week with us," he informed her.

"Okay," she nodded with a smile. She got along with Vivian just fine; they hung out at school during recess as they are in different classrooms. Winnie was a different story as the age gap kept them from really spending time together. "When will they be here?" She asked.

"In two hours, so clean your room," Harley stated giving his daughter a pointed look.

"It is clean," she retorted. Harley said nothing, raising an eyebrow at his daughter. "Fine," she huffed, slipping from the stool. "When's mom going to be home?" She asked.

As Zoe went to school, her mom headed for the airport in Mobile needing to go back to New York for a few days, mostly to finalize the divorce to Ethan and to have a look at wedding dresses in the city. It hurt some to know that her mom is looking at wedding dresses without her, but Candice had promised that she wouldn't pick one out without Zoe being there.

"Not for a few days," Harley told her.

"You dad are one brave man for dealing with three girls by yourself," Zoe laughed, rushing up to her room to clean up what little mess, she had noticing the air mattress folded up on her bed, that needed to be inflated, the air pump next to it.

"What's going on with you and Winnie?" Zoe asked, amazed at how annoyed Winnie had become with them and stormed out of Zoe's room to find somewhere else to be.

"The joys of siblings," Vivian sighed with an eye roll. "You'll understand the day your parents decide to have another kid," she commented.

"Can't say I'd mind; I'd only have to deal for a few years before leaving for college," Zoe shrugged.

"True," Vivian nodded, looking around her cousin's room, coming to a stop at her desk. "Wade did this for you?" Vivian asked, looking at the picture Zoe had sitting on her desk.

"Yeah, for my birthday," Zoe nodded, moving to the edge of her bed.

"It's very thoughtful of a boy who does everything in his power to avoid you," Vivian said, turning to give her cousin a pointed look.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Zoe sighed, falling back on her bed. "He's just so infuriatin'," she half growled.

"What is going on there?" Vivian questioned, sitting on her cousin's bed, grabbing a pillow to hug. "One minute you two are pretty much joined at the hip and the next you guys are on the outs, and he watches from afar being your all unseen hero," she smirked, earning herself a groan.

"It's complicated," Zoe said, turning to look at her cousin. "And it is so ridiculous for a friendship to be this complicated as we're only kids. I can't even tell you what's going on. He says he doesn't hate me, but nothing else makes sense," she further explained wanting to see what her cousin has to say about the whole Wade situation.

"I say he likes you and is having a hard time coming to terms with it," Vivian said. "Obviously, he cares, look at the picture sitting on your desk. Someone wouldn't put that much thought into a present if they didn't care," she started to explain. "I just feel like it's hard for him. What happened to make him stop wanting to spend time with you?" She asked, if she had that bit of information, then maybe she could fill in the missing parts and really understand the situation.

"Honestly, I can't say," Zoe said, chewing on her bottom lip turning her head to look at the ceiling. "It's not my place to say, but um," she paused, closing her eyes. Could it really be the situation with his aunt? To be fair she tried to talk to him about it and get past whatever happened there. Maybe she'll have to try a bit harder next time she sees him without anyone around. She would now, but she couldn't exactly ditch her cousins.

"You going to finish with what you were going to say?" Vivian asked curiously, wanting to know what Zoe was going to say.

"It's nothing," Zoe told her, sitting up. "I really don't know how to handle it," she said. "Honestly, I just wanna punch him and make him talk, and at the same time I want to leave him be and give him the space he so desperately feels he wants and just let it be," Zoe shrugged.

"I can't tell you what to do there, Zoe. You have to do whatever you think is best," Vivian told her.

"And there lies my problem," Zoe sighed. "Want to play a game, we have a bunch in the den, or my mom bought me a bunch of makeup; it's the horrible kid stuff," she shrugged.

"Or we can go outside until dinner is ready," Vivian suggested. "And see if Winnie wants to join," she added.

"We can," Zoe smiled, pushing herself up from her bed. She was going to have fun with her cousins for the week and avoid anything to do with Wade until a later date when she had a better understanding and grasp on what she is going to do there.