"But not Frederick Dean." Wade shook his head. "Course you'd say that. You like him. When we like someone it's natural to defend him or her when someone says something nasty. But it doesn't mean that nasty stuff isn't true. Trust me, I was 15 on-"
Wade stopped short.
"Actually come to think of it when I was 15 I was about 5'3" and I was a pimply faced stick. I spent the summer doing about a thousand pushups and situps a day trying to bulk up so I wouldn't spend yet another year of school getting stuck in lockers. Didn't do any good for like another year, which was about the time I got hit with boob brain. So maybe Frederick Dean is a late bloomer like I was and he has yet to succumb to all those hormones. Which just makes it a lot worse."
"Wade, please." Zoe shook her head. "Your theory is cute but really."
"How is it worse?" Rose asked softly.
"Because," Wade said, his voice turning soft. "Hormones making a boy stupid is annoying but he can't help himself. But if those hormones aren't making him stupid then Frederick Dean willfully picked Magnolia Breeland over you and that is the most extreme stupid there is.
"Because I'll tell you something else that's 100% true. Magnolia Breeland is nothing. Sure she's 'blossomed' and all that. She's got those dumb goldilocks curls and she buys her hand made dresses and her clothes at the mall in Mobile where they charge you $60 for a pair of jeans that aren't any better looking or comfortable than the ones you and I buy for $15 at the thrift store. And her family has owned that house and that land going back to ole Cyrus himself and that makes them some kind of Bluebell high society. The three of them parade around like they're something special and folks act like it's true. But take her out of Bluebell and she's the same white trash country hick folks in New York or Los Angeles or wherever think we all are. She's going to live her whole life in Bluebell being special and doing nothing that really matters. In the end, Magnolia Breeland is a cheap dime store chocolate Santa left over from last year. Take off the pretty wrapper and it's a melted stale mess with nothing inside"
Wade smiled softly. He knelt down and lifted Rose's chin up with his finger so they were looking eye to eye. "But you, Rose Marie Hattenberger. You aren't cheap dime store candy. You're imported swiss milk chocolate full of gooey caramel nutty goodness. Sure you might be a little stick of a thing and you wear glasses and second hand clothes and all that. But you've got substance. There's something inside you. You're smart and creative. You write stories that make the most common things sound exciting and you take some pretty good pictures with that cheap little camera of yours. You'll go places and you'll do things that will change the world. And I'll finally have a photo worthy of putting up on the wall. Cause I've got my wall of heroes OF Bluebell, but I've always wanted one for heroes FROM Bluebell and I'd be proud to have you front and center.
"One day some boy is going to come along and see how totally cool you are and he's going to fall head over heels in love with you and be the boy you totally deserve. It might not happen tomorrow, or next year or even in Bluebell. But it will happen. You just have to be patient and keep being you and not trying to be like someone who's nothing. You're better than that. And if you have to try to be like Magnolia Breeland for some boy to notice you, well he doesn't deserve you. And I'll be happy to tell him that myself."
Wade perked up at the sound of the bell over the door. He leaned up and gave Rose a kiss on the forehead. "You ladies have a good afternoon."