15. Founder's Day

"And don't forget, tomorrow's Founder's Day and because of the Founder's Day Parade we'll have a half-day tomorrow. However, you still have to come prepared for class on Friday, we'll have a test."

The bell rang out as soon as Mrs. Growan stopped talking and Zoe got up from her seat and walked over to Annabeth.

"Hey, AB. How's the float coming?" she asked when she caught up with Annabeth.

"Oh, dear, do not mention that goddamn thing. I swear to God, one of these days I'll actually kill Lemon"

Zoe laughed as they reached Annabeth's locker.

"Seriously, she's got us all running the routine over and over again for hours, and now we got to practice in costumes, but because we can't show the routine off before the parade we have to do it in some old barn and it's all filthy and not big enough so we're all crashing into each other, it's a disaster, Zoe."

This just made Zoe laugh even harder. "I'm so glad my dad didn't force me to be a Belle, even if it's in my blood or whatever."

"You and me both, because it could only have two possible outcomes. You and Lemon would've killed each other ages ago and I would've been left friendless or you would've become friends, and that could only mean hell on earth"

"Thank the Lord for the kindness of Dr. Harley Wilkes" Zoe said in between laughs.

"Yeah, but I gotta run, go get my costume and rush to that stupid barn, I'll see you tomorrow, if my feet haven't simply stopped working" Annabeth said jokingly as she walked away.

Zoe continued laughing to herself as she made her way towards her locker and got out the books she needed for her homework and then headed off to the medical practice.

Zoe was buried in her homework when she heard the front door of the practice open. She wasn't in a hurry to look up, it was Bluebell, nothing serious ever happened here, so she felt justified to at least finish her sentence.

"Yo, James Bond Jr., do I need to have the whole arm cut off to get your attention?" Zoe was so startled by the voice that came from just above her head that she nearly fell backwards in her chair. The owner of the voice started laughing and she looked up. That dark hair and hazel eyes looked familiar but she couldn't quite place him, but then remembered his James Bond comment and it all clicked.

"Whitney, god, you startled me. What are you doing here, I didn't think you lived in Bluebell"

"I don't. Got a project I'm workin' on with Kyle"

"Oh, something interesting?"

"Yeah, we're makin' a study on how best to throw a football" he said smirking.

Zoe just shook her head. "That's ridiculous. That can't possibly be a university assignment"

"Well, the assignment isn't specific to throwin' a football. I took your advice from the other day and signed up for an engineerin' class and we're supposed to use some engineerin' to help with somethin' in our daily lives"

"And you thought to apply it to football, putting the assignment in a familiar environment, that's really smart" she said, smiling up to him.

"Why, thank you. That means so much, comin' from the young superwoman, covert doctor agent" he said, smirking at her.

Zoe just laughed at him.

"But I don't understand how your here, I mean, Kyle can't be taking your engineering class. I know he's your friend and all, but that boy is dumb as a chair"

"Hey, how do you know that chairs are dumb?"

Zoe just looked at him, not finding his joke amusing.

"He's the one throwin' the football. I could've done it, but it's better to have somebody else do it, and there's more open space down here than in Mobile"

Zoe just nodded and they were silent for a second. She could feel that he was looking at her and when she looked up at him he had a weird look on his face, almost like he'd been studying her. She could feel her cheeks warming up and silently cursed them.

"So, you decided to become an engineer then?" she asked, wanting to break the silence that was starting to grow awkward.

"Nah, not firmly. After our talk the other day I started thinkin' about it and the idea kind of grew on me, but I don't know, maybe I won't like it and will move onto somethin' else"

"At least your giving it a shot, that's good, rather than wasting time, don't wanna become Van Wilder, do you?"

"No, that I don't" he said, laughing. "Didn't picture you as a girl that has humor for movies like that, though"

"Well, if I'm honest I didn't really laugh at the scene were the guys were eating dog semen, but it's got some moments. Though I probably wouldn't have watched it but because my boyfriend made me"

"A boyfriend, huh?" Whitney said, his voice dropping a little, without Zoe noticing any difference.

"Ex. We dated a couple of years back. He's off to university in California now"

"Really?" he said, his voice going back to it's cheery state.

"Yeah, didn't really work out, we were better as just friends"

"Well I'm glad" he said, smiling at her.

Zoe didn't really know how to respond to that. The way he said it and that smile on his face would usually mean he was flirting with her, but that couldn't be it, right? The guy was a few years older than her and in college, he must have girls swooning all over him. Plus, it's not like she could start seeing him now that she was dating, or whatever it was they were doing, with Wade.

Before she could figure out how to respond Brick came out of his office with his patient and nearly jumped out of his shoes.

"Dear boy, you're bleeding" he exclaimed and stormed over to Whitney. "Miss Hart, why didn't you rush this young man to see me or your father, his injury is far more impatient than Mrs. Wither's"

"James Bond's here?" Whitney said, looking around excitedly before Zoe could say anything to Brick's accusations.

"And he's delirious too" Brick said, concern growing on his face.

"No, Brick, it's a joke" she said and gave Whitney a stern look which he responded to by playing his part as the delirious patient, turning his head even more and calling out for Mr. Bond.

"He's not here, now come, let's hurry you into the exam room" Brick said and hurried Whitney into the room, giving Zoe a very stern look. She looked down at the desk, not wanting to meet Brick's eyes, but heard Whitney's voice say "Exam room, am I taking an exam? But I haven't studied, sir"

She shook her head and couldn't help but laugh a little, even though she was embarrassed. She'd completely forgot she was in a doctor's office and Whitney must've come in here for a reason other than seeing her.

Just then the door to her father's office opened and his patient, a young tourist, stepped out, followed by her father. He said goodbye to the tourist and then walked up to the reception desk.

"What was with all the commotion out here?"

"Brick was just so excited over his patient" Zoe said, not wanting to get into the fact that she hadn't done her job properly.

"Well, I'm thinking of closing up shop for the day, I'll just stick my head in there to let Brick know we're leaving" he said as he gestured towards the exam room.

"Yeah, sure" Zoe said and started to pack up her things as Harley walked over to the exam room.

His head emerged a few minutes later.

"Look's like I'm gonna have to give Brick a hand with this, but you can head out home if you want. We'll talk about your incompetence later" Harley said, his voice a bit stern, but his face gentle, saying that he understood that she hadn't meant to mess up and was sorry.

"Alright" Zoe said and took her bag of the counter, taking her father's words as a kind dismissal. She understood that if something was seriously wrong with Whitney Brick wouldn't be to keen on having her around. He had a way too serious temper for a doctor, Zoe thought as she went out the front door and headed home.

When Zoe got home she went up to her room to put away her bag. She looked out her window and saw Wade sitting at his desk, his head buried down in whatever he was doing.

She opened her window and called out: "Wade Kinsella doing homework, what has come of the world?"

His head jerked up in surprise. A smile grew on his lips as he saw her laughing at her joke through the windows.

"Armageddon has finally come" he called back, grinning at her.

"Looks like it. I should let you get back to it, it's a Founder's Day miracle" she called out before closing her window again and turning to head back downstairs, leaving Wade grinning at her before going back to his homework.

Zoe went into the kitchen and wondered where Pauline was. She called out but didn't receive and answer. She then saw a note hung up on the fridge.

Got a call from an old friend inviting me to dinner up in Mobile, may be late.

- Pauline

Guess that answers that question Zoe thought and glanced up at the clock. Half past six. She opened the fridge and rummaged it for something to eat. She wasn't really a good cook, but she might be able to scrap something up for her and her dad. She pulled out some vegetables and sausages and then went into a cupboard for spaghetti.

When Harley walked through the front doors some forty minutes later he found Zoe sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for him. He looked around and chuckled. The kitchen was a mess, the sink was overflowing with dirty pots and pans, there were splashes of tomato sauce up in the ceiling and the floor was crawling with all sorts of bits and crumbles. On the table was the result of this massacre, a wary looking bowl with spaghetti covered in tomato sauce.

"Hey, sweetheart, where's Pauline?" Harley asked as he cautiously took a seat by the table.

"She went into Mobile to grab dinner with an old friend."

"So, you decided to cook dinner?"

"Yeah, I wanted to make up for screwing up with Whitney earlier, how is he anyway?"

"Oh, he's just fine. He had a nasty looking cut on his forearm and it had started to take an infection, but between Brick and me it was handled very well and he should take no permanent damage, except for maybe a scar"

"Oh, that's good" Zoe said, relieved. She'd been anxious to know how he was doing, partly because she'd blame herself if anything serious was wrong and partly because she liked him and hoped they might become friends if they ran into each other more often.

"You know the boy?" Harley asked, noticing her reaction to his news.

"Not much, he's a friend of Kyle's, Annabeth's big brother, and I met him the other day when we went to the movies"

"I see. He seems like a good kid"

"Yeah, he's alright"

"So, should we dive in?" Harley asked, trying not to let Zoe know how frightened he was of the dish in front of him.

"Yeah" Zoe said, excited, as she put a big load of spaghetti on her father's dish and then another one on hers. Harley carefully took a bite and had to contain himself from spitting it out. How on earth she had managed to ruin such a simple dish was a mystery to him, but she'd done it. It was horrible. But for the sake of being a good father he put up a brave face and ate on.

After a few more bites Zoe couldn't torture her father anymore. "Dad, this is disgusting. I never should've even tried. I'll never be able to cook anything, let's just throw this out and call Fancies for take-out"

"Well, there's no need to give up just yet, you might get the hang of it someday. But that day is not today, so yeah, I'll clean up and you'll call Fancies"

The school bell rang out at noon, leaving the students free for the upcoming parade. Wade lingered in the classroom, not in a hurry to go anywhere. When he got out into the halls they were almost empty, everyone had rushed off to go get ready or head out to town square too get a spot with a good view of the parade.

He walked down the hall and found Zoe putting her things in her locker.

"Hey, you not rushin' off to join the parade?" he said as he approached her and leaned his shoulder up against the locker next to her.

"Over my dead body. The day I'll join the Belles is the day hell freezes over" she said laughing as she turned to face him. "How about you, you technically are a part of the football team, they've got a float"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm not a part of the team anymore, haven't shown up for practice since last year"

"Why? Doesn't every teenage boy love football?"

"Oh, I've got nothin' against football, just the jackasses on the team"

"Common, they aren't all that bad, you and George are friends, right?"

"Tucker's alright, but he ain't worth it"

"Oh, well, if you're not in the parade, wanna watch it with me?" she said as she closed her locker and turned to head out.

"You'll definitely know hell has frozen over if I turn down a pretty girl" he said smirking as they walked out of the school and headed for town square.

When they got there Wade dragged Zoe off to the side.

"Wade, were are you going?" she shouted, feeling confused.

"To get the best spot" he said, matter-of-factly.

He dragged her towards a back ally behind the hardware store. There he stopped and started climbing up the fire escape.

"Wade, what the hell?"

"Trust me, the best view is from up here"

Zoe reluctantly followed up the fire escape, her head spinning with all the possible ways she could die. But when she got up on the roof all her thoughts on untimely deaths vanished as she took in the view.

"Wow, you can see the whole town from up here"

"That's kinda the point" Wade said as he sat down on a wooden chair. "Take a seat" he said and beckoned for the chair next too him.

"How come I have never been up here before?"

"Because you're a goody-two-shoes that doesn't usually go climin' on the town's roofs"

Zoe laughed at him but was a bit hurt. Did everyone really think she was a goody-two-shoes? Was she? She didn't want to break the rules, but that was just because the rules are there for a reason, not because she didn't have the guts to brake them, right? She'd done regular teenage stuff, like have a sip of alcohol and stay out past curfew. That surely must mean she wasn't a goody-two-shoes. Or was it just implied with being a teenager.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of trumpets, indicating that the parade was starting.

Wade and Zoe watched the parade from the rooftop, really more making fun of it than admiring it, laughing at the ridiculous Belle costumes and their routine. When the parade was over they got up to go back down. Wade was already half way down the fire escape when he noticed that Zoe was still standing on the roof looking down with a horrified expression.

"Zoe, you comin'?" he called up to her.

"It's way more terrifying to climb down, you know"

"There's nothin' to be afraid of, the stair's ain't gonna fall down under you, you weigh like five pounds"

She laughed at his ridiculous comment and hesitantly started making her way down.

Wade got down in a few seconds and just stood there, watching Zoe carefully make her way down, every step taking her a few seconds of pondering whether it was save to put her foot down there. He didn't say anything, just watched her with an amused look of admiration.

When she finally got down she was almost shaking. Wade walked over and wrapped his arms around her.

"See, nothin' to be scared off" he said and she just laughed nervously. They stood like that for a minute, Wade with his arms around her and she snuggling up against his chest when suddenly Wade realized that he was hugging her in a back ally and he tensed up and awkwardly let her go and took a step back.

Zoe was a little sad when he let her go, but shook it off, this was all so new, neither of them really knew how to act.

"I've gotta head over to the Rammer Jammer, it's Thursday, I gotta work" he said apologetically.

"I'll walk with you, I've got a craving for fries and a milkshake" she said grinning at him and they made their way out of the allay and across town square which was crawling with townspeople.

When they got to the Rammer Jammer a voice called out to Zoe. She turned around and saw Whitney and Kyle walking towards the Rammer Jammer from another direction.

"Whitney, hey, how are you doing?"

"Never better, when I could finally go in to see the doctor" he said, in a jokingly accusatory voice.

"I'm so sorry, I don't know what got over me, of course you'd need to see a doctor if you walked into a medical practice"

"Hey, it's okay, no harm done" Whitney quickly said, cutting her off before the rambling would go onto a new level.

"Who's your friend"

"Oh, this is my..." she paused. Her first instinct had been to say boyfriend, but he wasn't really her boyfriend, was he? And if she said it Wade might freak out. When they talked on the phone the other night it had been sort of established that they were exclusive, though it hadn't been really spelled out, but it was implied, but exclusive wasn't the same as boyfriend and girlfriend. But if she just said friend maybe he'd be hurt too, thinking he should be something more to her than a friend. But she couldn't really go on and introduce him as the boy she really liked and had kissed a few times, gone on one date with and hung out with a lot when they had the time. That was way to much information for a new acquaintance.

"I'm Wade" Wade said when Zoe had just been standing there with her mouth half open, caught up in some messed up tangle of thoughts.

"Nice to meet you, Wade, I'm Whitney, a friend of Kyle's from college" Whitney said and nodded towards Kyle as he grabbed Wades hand.

"Kyle, yeah, Annabeth's brother, right?" he said, looking over at Kyle as he shook Whitney's hand.

"Ouch, not the way I like to be known, but yeah, that's the case"

Wade laughed at his joke but then excused himself with work and headed off inside. He looked at Zoe, her face was bright red from being caught in an awkward moment earlier, but she was quickly tuning back in, laughing at something that Whitney had said. He didn't like the way that guy looked at her. He'd said he was in college, couldn't he find girls there, why did he need to come down here and steal the one girl in this godforsaken place that was more than some popped up Belle?

"So, you got really awkward there, he's your boyfriend or somethin'?" Whitney asked when Wade was out of hearing range.

"Something like that, don't know what to call it yet" Zoe said, starting to blush again.

"He's kinda scruffy"

"Is not" Zoe said back, like a little schoolgirl.

"Jeez, chill out, I'd like to hold onto my head" he said, all three of them laughing.

"Were you heading in or just accompanyin' your or somethin' guy to work" Kyle asked, beckoning towards the Rammer Jammer with his head.

"I thought I might grab something in there, yeah" Zoe said, still grinning up at them.

"Well, why don't you join us?" Whitney said, smiling back.

"Yeah, sure, if you guys don't mind"

"Not at all, a pretty girl is always welcome to tag along" Kyle said as the three of them headed inside and grabbed a table.

Trina, the waitress, came up towards their table.

"You guy's ready to order?"

"Yeah, I'd like a cheeseburger, some fries, a coke and your number, please" Kyle said, his charm turned on to the fullest. Zoe couldn't help herself and burst out laughing.

"This actually works for you?" she finally managed when she seized laughing, looking up at Kyle and seeing him sending her a nasty look.

"Yeah, usually, when I'm not accompanied by some silly high school girls" he said, frustrated, but not really meaning it.

"Hey, a minute ago I was a pretty girl that was welcome to come with"

"Well, then I didn't know you'd be turning down my game" he said, trying to stay pissed but couldn't, she looked so adorable, all smiles.

"If those two are done catfightin' I'd also like a cheeseburger, skip the tomatoes, fries and a coke" Whitney said, smiling at the waitress who'd also been chuckling at the other two.

"Alright, two cheeseburgers, one not with tomatoes, fries with both and two cokes. You want anything?" she said, turning to Zoe who was still glaring at Kyle.

"Yeah, I'd like some fries and a strawberry milkshake, please"

"Alright, comin' right up" she said and walked away."

"She new here? Haven't seen her before, not that I've been a frequent visitor last year or two" Kyle asked Zoe when Trina had left.

"Nah, been here for almost a year, I think. Her name's Trina, she's from Filmore, that's all I know" she shrugged.

"Damn, you're a lousy wingman"

"That's because I'm a girl"

"Don't mean you can't be a wingman"

"Before you guys get into another word fight, let's change the subject" Whitney said, chuckling.

"Yeah, I forgot to ask, how did you hurt yourself?" Zoe asked, concerned as she turned her head to look at him.

"Yeah, that's a lame story, let's talk about something else"

"Oh, so it was something embarrassing, let's hear it" Zoe said, rubbing her hands together in excitement.

"Fine" Whitney said, giving into peer pressure as Kyle had chimed in with Zoe.

"Kyle and I were out on that field back behind that grocery store"

"The Dixie Stop" Zoe interrupted.

"Yeah, that's the one"

"What on earth were you doing back there?"

"You wanna hear the story?" Whitney said, grinning.

"Sorry, continue" Zoe said, blushing a little.

Then Trina interrupted by coming over with their food.

"Here you go, have a nice meal" she said, smiling and walked away.

"Wait, I'm missin' your number" Kyle called after her.

"No, you ain't" she called behind her shoulder and kept going.

"Interesting" Kyle said as he turned to his dish.

"So, you guys were out on the field, presumably to do your football study, and what happened?" Zoe said and took a sip of her milkshake.

"Kyle was throwin' the ball, tryin' to make it go through a hoop that I was holdin' and we were tapin' it, so I could watch it and make calculations, right, and this one time I was holding the hoop straight out to my side and as he threw it this alligator that's lyin' on the banks of this pond that's nearby pops it's head up and I freak out, 'cause it's an alligator, you know, and the ball hits my forearm and cut's it"

By the time he finished Zoe was laughing so hard she barely heard him finish.

"The pond is like a mile away from the field, what, did you think the alligator could outrun you?" she teased, barely getting the words out because of laughter.

Wade had been in the kitchen watching dishes but had come out just in time to see Zoe burst out laughing at some story Whitney had said. He felt his insides start to boil. Guess that's what it's like to be jealous, he thought. He did not like it. He wanted to go over there and tell those guys to stop hanging out with his girl, but he couldn't do that, right? He had no right to do that, and he had to trust that she wouldn't do anything, they'd decided to be exclusive, right? That hadn't been completely set in stone, but it'd been established, hadn't it? He just shook his head and went on to clear the tables.

Zoe had just finished her milkshake and the last of her fries.

"It's been great hanging out with you guys, but I've gotta get going, have a lot of homework to finish before tomorrow" she said as she got up to leave.

"Aren't you the little worker" Kyle teased.

When she stood up she noticed that Wade was clearing a table near the door.

"See you tomorrow, Wade" she said as she walked up to him and gave him a light peck on the cheek before walking out the door, leaving Wade standing there, dumbstruck with a goofy smile on his face.

Hope you liked this chapter, I at least loved writing it :D Please keep on reviewing, it is the best medicine to a heavy heart :)