Author's Note: Hello. I hope that wasn't to long a wait. Thank you all so much for your input, and I hope you like this chapter. I know it is not as long as some of the previous chapters, and I apologize for that. As per usual, a longer author's note will be at the end.

To Those Who Reviewed:

Jessie, Thank you. That is so nice to hear. I have done that too, and I know that you have to really be into a story to do that, so it makes me feel good to know that you did that.

Thank you. That is so sweet. (I use the word sweet a lot, but so many of my reviewers are exactly that).

Your review is specific, which I like, and I appreciate your appreciation.

Thank you for your critique. I will look into the visual detail thing and see what I can do. I mean, not for this chapter, because I already wrote it, but in the future.

Thank you for responding to my plea. Your suggestion was taken into consideration, but more on that will be addressed in the author's note at the end.

I really like Lemon/Wade friendship as well, and while I would never want to see them as a couple, I really like their couple name; Lemonade. It's just so cool. You made some good points for Lemon. As for Ruby, well, like I said, I will address my decision in the final author's note.

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing.

Guest, Thank you so much. That is so sweet, and I am flattered that you liked it so much that you read it in one sitting.

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing

M, That is an interesting suggestion. Somebody else brought that up too I think, and I've seen the concept in stories. It has its merits, and it's drawbacks, but I will give it some thought.

Is this; "Kiss-a-Boy-for-the-First-Time" the wikipedia link?

Thank you for reading and reviewing.

Mollie, always good to hear from you, and you are welcome.

Thank you. Dialogue isn't always my strong suit. It usually depends on how well I know the characters, but I feel like I have a good handle on the Hart of Dixie people, or at least Wade. I am glad you seem to agree.

Yeah, thoughts are part of the fun of a story that you don't get so much in a show. And jealousy is always fun, especially with Wade. Wilson just does jealousy so well. I should add a thank you to cast and creators for giving me such great material to work with.

Wade is often the victim. He is a very sympathetic character, which I think is a large part of why he is so popular among fans. If it came off like that, then I did a great job of capturing his character, so thank you.

Yeah, if you like those little moments, I think there is a moment in this chapter you are going to like. (I assume the moment you meant was when she was walking with Jesse and caught herself thinking about Wade?)

Thank you so much for weighing in on the double date conundrum as you called it (good word by the way). You are not useless; you did your best, which is all anybody can as. As far as my choice, I will go into that in the final author's note.

Thank you for reading and reviewing.

Simone, thank you. That is so sweet, and yes, there is more, much more to come. I have plans, big plans, evil plans. Okay, I'm going overboard.

Thank you for reading and reviewing.

Janiee, Oh, thank you. That is so nice, (and Smallville reminiscent. 'Worth the wait.' If you know the show, you'll get the reference).

Thank you, it is nice to know I am not alone in that.

Thank you. I am glad you liked it.

I agree, I think they have chemistry, and in a world without Wade, who knows? In a world with Wade though, no brother is that cruel (hopefully). Jesse definitely likes Zoe, at least as a friend if nothing else, but I think he does find her attractive. He may not be sure where he stands himself.

In some ways, I guess. I mean, I can see where you're coming from, but the thing about George was that he was unattainable, where as Jesse is completely attainable, meaning she can explore the things that are not on paper. It is definitely a different dynamic, but, again, I can see what you mean. There are some similarities (though, for the record, I never thought George only made sense on paper).

Thank you for responding to my plea for input. I took what you said into consideration, and it will be addressed at the end of the chapter author's note.

Guest, thank you for your input. I really appreciate it.

Thank you for reading and reviewing.

Amber, Thank you so much. That is such a sweet thing to say.

I'll do my best.

Thank you for reading and reviewing.

Guest, Thank you so much for your input.

Chapter Fourteen

"Hart, Zoe."

"Here" Zoe said, looking up briefly at her math teacher before tuning him out and returning to her book. Since she did not know many people, there were some classes, such as math, where she knew nobody, so she had begun carrying a book with her to pass the time before class started. She wasn't really reading it today though. What she was really doing was trying to figure out how to tell Harley about her date with Jesse. Or ask? Did she ask? Did she need his permission? Would he stop her from going if she asked the wrong way?

The fact that it was a double date should alleviate some of his concerns, all though the fact the one half of that double involved Wade might not help her case. Even among the adults, Wade had a reputation, despite the fact that, as far as she knew, he had yet to get a date for Saturday.

She wished it was sooner. She was going crazy thinking about it. It was in her nature to over think things, and this was a pretty big thing. Maybe she could as Jesse to move it up to earlier in the week? Or would and make her seem to eager? And how would Harley feel about her going out on a school night?

"Jennings, Taylor?"

Zoe's head shot up. Did he just say-?

"Here." Zoe looked over at the girl two desks down from her. She looked different from the picture in Wade's yearbook, and not just because there wasn't a giant black X across her face. She was pretty, though not breathtaking, but she had nice hair and a friendly smile. Zoe could see traces of the nine-year-old in the fourteen-year-old's face.

"All right, partner up and work on the problems on the board. I will be collecting these so please, please try and write legibly, and remember to show your work."

Zoe shot up and headed over to the girl's desk, "Hi, um, I'm Zoe."

"Taylor." The girl said kindly.

"Do you maybe want to take pity on the new girl and be my partner."

"No problem, take a seat."

Lemon headed towards her locker. The bell was going to ring soon, but she didn't really care about that. She retrieved her backpack and surveyed the halls to plan her best escape route. Classrooms 204-207 were supposed to be empty for the next two periods, but Janitor Monty sometimes snuck gullible tourist bimbos in, telling them he was a professor or principle (like those were impressive, high paying jobs) and try to sound all smart until they swooned and let him have his way with them. He was supposedly quite the Casanova back in the day; he had been the quarterback and he knew how to work it. Unfortunately, if he was "working it" in one of the classrooms, the windows were out. Sure, he would only be using one, but she would have to look, and if he saw her, he might turn her in. He also might let her sneak off. It was hard to tell with him.

He wasn't a bad guy. In fact, Wade and Lemon had both been forced to 'do time' helping him out with pipes, repairs and garbage as punishment after one scheme or another. Lemon had found the whole thing disgusting, but Wade had taken to the repairs and pipes right away (not so much the garbage though). He had learned a couple things from his dad over the years, but most of it was just natural born skill. Monty said Wade had a gift, and had proceeded to show Wade the ins and outs of being Mr. Fixit. Lemon also had a suspicion that Monty had passed on his playboy playbook to Wade, because even with Wade's good looks and natural charm, you had to learn that stuff somewhere, and as nice as Wade's father was, Lemon had trouble picturing Earl Kinsella as ever having been a ladies man.

Actually, now that she thought about it, Lemon had not seen Wade's father in a while. Maybe she should go visit him. He must be so lonely now, after losing his wife. Yes, she would bring him a pie and invite him to spend the night of the dance with her and her father. He might like that. Earl and Brick had never been close because they came from such different social, and financial, worlds, but they had both just lost the loves of their lives, and they might be good company for each other. Plus, if Earl was at her place, Wade could sneak off with some girl without worrying about his dad or curfew or any of that crap. She figured he'd appreciate that.

"Hey, Lemon!" Speak of the devil, "Wait up."

She slowed and turned around. He headed toward her, taking his sweet time now that she wasn't moving, "If you want me to wait up, you could go a little faster. You're gonna make me late for class."

Wade snorted, "Since when have you cared about that?"

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Lemon responded, smiling at Wade who had caught up to her. He smiled back. They both knew she was kidding around. Then, Wade's face got serious.

"Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"I assumed as much." Lemon said as she started walking again. Wade fell instep with her. "What's goin' on?"

"I heard you wanted Zoe to, well, spy, on Ruby Jeffries for you." Lemon stopped. How did he know that? And what business was it of his anyway, "And, I get it. You hate that girl, and you got good reason, but the thing is, Zoe's still pretty new and I don't think she needs to be gettin' in the middle of a blood feud before she even knows all her teachers names. She may not be the best choice for this … mission of yours."

"Do you have any clue what Ruby Jeffries said to me at church?" Lemon said, growing angry. Wade interrupted before she could answer her own question though.

"I'm sure it was horrendous. I just don't take Zoe as the type cut out for that sort of intense warfare."

"And why do you care?" before Wade could make up an excuse, they saw George approaching.

Perfect! Wade thought. If anybody could talk Lemon out of a scheme, it was George, and if it turned out George couldn't talk her out of it, well, then god help Zoe because the most Wade could do at that point is wish her luck.

"Hey guys, what's goin' on?"

"I was just askin' Lemon for a small favor." Wade said with a shrug, trying to pretend he could not see the death glare Lemon was shooting at him. "See, she asked Zoe to spy on Ruby Jeffries for her, and I didn't think-"

"What?" George said, turning to Lemon.

"It's not such a big deal as you boys are makin' it to be. I just need info is all, and as new girl with no defined loyalties, Zoe is in a prime position to befriend Ruby just enough for me to make the girl bleed … metaphorically of course."

"Of course." Wade echoed. Lemon shot him another glare.

"Sweetie, you think maybe that's askin' a lot of Zoe. I mean, she's only been here a little over a week, and she doesn't seem the subterfuge type. Maybe for now we could just be her friends."

"Once Ruby knows we're friends the opportunity is gone."

"Well, Wade or I could -"

"The whole point, is that Ruby does not know Zoe's loyalties. She has mystery." Lemon said condescendingly, "George, everybody knows we're together, and that Wade and I are friends."

"Well, what about AnnaBeth?" Wade offered. Lemon shot him a shocked look, "I mean, everybody knows how you just dropped her, callin' off a lifelong friendship over … whatever it was. You two could do a secret makeup. It wouldn't be a hard sell that the girl was spiteful after how you ended things."

Lemon snorted, "If I thought that prissy goody two-shoes would be willin' to engage in these sort of things, I would still be friends with her. She's far too prim and proper, would say it's not dignified and what would people think and all that shit. Girls like that craze me. They're all just a bunch of mini-belles, waitin' to become the pride and joy of Bluebell 'cause they're not qualified to do anythin' else. It makes me sick, and if AnnaBeth wants that life, she can have it, by I'll have no part in it, thank you very much. That is not what I want in life, and it is a stupid way to behave."

"You used to want it."

Wade knew it was a mistake before the words even escaped his mouth. He had awakened the beast. Lemon's head snapped in his direction, nostrils flaring. She looked like she was ready to pounce. "Excuse me? What did you say?"

"Nothin'." Wade said, shrinking back.

"No, not nothin'!" Lemon snapped, "I want to know what you were goin' to say. Come on, I won't bite."

He wasn't so sure of that, but he could not see a way out of it either, "I just said that you, well, used to want it."

"Used to want what?" lemon said, stalking towards him threateningly.

"Lemon." George said, trying to soothe her. She ignored him.

"Well, come on, used to want what Wade?"

"That whole belle life. Dignified, prim and proper. You used to want to be like that."

Lemon gave him that eerie, mock-sweet smile of hers, and said in a voice that was ice-cold, "Wade, let me tell you somethin' about the Bluebell Belles. The Bluebell Belles are a farce. They are nothin' but a bunch of self-righteous, self-centered, selfish women who claim that all they want in life is to be proper, to be the ideal old-fashioned housewife complete with pearls and high heels. The pretend to be dedicated members of this community. That is, until they decide the fawning they get from bein' town royalty is not enough to quench their hypocritical egos. They go back on all the things the Belles stand for, history, loyalty, and sisterhood. They ignore the womanly duties they preached, the duties of wife and mother, because they want to go find a bigger stage and a better audience, and anyone who wants any part in that parade of hypocrites who like the spotlight is nothing but a selfish bitch who wants to be worshiped." By this point, she had backed him against a locker, "Now, if you ever again suggest I have anything in common with those … those … toads, I will break whichever part of your body I can easiest get my hands on. Do you understand?" Wade nodded, "Good."

She punched him in the gut and he bent over, "What the hell?"

"That was a warnin' shot."

"Okay." George said, getting between them, "I think this conversation can be officially over now."

"Gee Tucker, thanks for interferin' after she punched me."

"You want me to do it again?"

"Okay now, why don't we all just calm down?" George said, grabbing Lemons arm to still it. "You've both made your points."

Lemon took a deep breath and nodded. George let go just as the bell rang and students piled out into the hallway, "The point is, AnnaBeth is not an option, and neither are either of you. That leaves Zoe."

"What about me?" They all turned and saw Zoe approaching.

"We were just discussin' the, uh, Ruby situation." Wade said awkwardly.

Zoe's eyes widened, "Oh?" She was trying to sound nonchalant, but she was not very successful.

"Yeah, I suggested maybe AnnaBeth could-" Lemon growled before Wade could finish and he shut up.

"Who's AnnaBeth?"

"Nobody important." Lemon said, brushing off the question. "So, how do you feel about the Ruby situation? You never gave me an answer, though Wade and George have made their opinions perfectly clear."

Zoe took a minute to answer, "Well, I've given it some thought, and while I would obviously love to help you, if I become Ruby's friend, even in a fake way, I can't hang out with any of you guys in public, and I really like hanging out with you. It's nice, having a friend, a real one, not a fake one, especially when you are new in town and don't know a lot of people." Wade and George stared at her, impressed, "Besides, I am a terrible liar," Wade had to suppress an eye roll at that, "I doubt I could get much out of her. And from what I've heard, you don't need me to destroy someone."

Lemon smiled, "Did you just use flattery to get out of doin' me a favor?" Zoe's eyes widened in fear, but Lemon chuckled, "Zoe Hart, the more I get to know you, the more I like you. That was gutsy, deceptive, and almost good enough to fool even me."

Zoe smiled, "So, um …"

"Well, it's clear you feel uncomfortable becomin' a spy, and you earned my respect with how you tried to get out of it, though you could have just told me."

"Well, honestly, I thought you might hurt me."

Lemon chuckled again, "Like I said, more and more."

Zoe decided to change the subject, "We should head to class."

Lemon snorted, "Not me. It's a half day today."

"It is?"

Wade shook his head from behind Lemon.

"Yeah, I gotta get this bathroom pass back to Senor Martinez." George said. Of course George would never have left class without a pass. He kissed Lemon's cheek and headed towards one of the classrooms.

"Come on, I'll show how to jimmy the window in the science lab." Lemon said, grabbing Zoe's hand. Wade followed suit.

"Should we really be doing this?" Zoe asked. She was not accustomed to breaking the rules.

"Well, here's a better question? Would you rather sit in some stuffy classroom all day, or go swimming in the lake?"

"I don't have a suit with me." she knew she was stating the obvious. Why would she bring a suit to school? But it was not as though she could go home and grab something. Harley would see her, and she was nervous enough as it is, without adding getting caught in the act to her list of reasons that this was a very, very bad idea.

"Who says you need one?"

Zoe blushed.

"I know I wouldn't mind." Wade said. Zoe elbowed him in the chest. "Why is everybody assaulting me today?"

"Because you never know when to shut up." Lemon said, causing Zoe to burst into giggles, "Got it. Wade, give me a leg up, will you?" Wade nodded and helped her out the window.

"You're turn." He said turning to Zoe. She knew she had a choice to make. Risk her GPA and disappointing Harley, or risk losing the only friends she had. "Come on, Zoe, life is short." He was right. She knew that better than anyone. Life could be snuffed out in one horrific and totally unexpected second. Did she really want to live the rest of her life with regrets and what-ifs?

She took Wade's hand and let him help her up.

"So, Wade, have you asked anybody out for the double-date yet?" Zoe asked as she followed Lemon, who had thankfully agreed to sneak back into her house and grab Zoe a suit to borrow.

"Uh, no, not yet." He responded awkwardly.

Zoe smiled proudly, "Good, because I did."

He looked at her, confused, "Um, aren't you already goin' with Jesse? Wasn't that sort of the point?"

"Not for me, idiot, for you."

"What are you talkin' about?"

"Taylor Jennings." Wade froze, but Zoe didn't seem to notice, "She's in my math class and-"

"Please tell me you didn't."

Lemon and Zoe both turned around, noticing that Wade had stopped walking, "I might have mentioned you were looking for somebody to go to the movies with Saturday night. You're welcome."

"I'm welcome? I'm wel – I – Zoe, I didn't ask you to do that. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was just trying to be nice." Zoe said, taken aback. This was not the response she had expected.

"Well, next time you want to be nice, buy me some paint for my car or somethin'. Don't go askin' girls out for me. If I wanted to ask Taylor, I would have asked her myself."

"I thought you liked her."

"Yeah, when I was nine! That was five years ago, you think I'm still gonna be hung up on a crush five years later when nothing even ever happened? How pathetic do you think I am?"

"Well, it's a chance to get to know her. Maybe there's still something there. I mean, she said yes, didn't she? That could mean something."

"Look, I didn't even want to go with a real date to this thing, okay. I figured I'd just take Lemon or someone."

"Excuse me?" Lemon turned to him, clearly insulted, "You figured you'd 'just take Lemon.' Like I'm at your beck and call as a backup? Like I got nothin' better to do on a Saturday night?"

"I just figured … the whole point of doublin' was so Zoe could feel less awkward, me hangin' out in a backseat doin' what I usually do at movie dates wouldn't be to helpful."

"Well, if you want somebody you won't make out with, why not just ask AnnaBeth. After all, you seem to think askin' her is the solution to everythin', and it ain't as though miss prim and proper is goin' to make-out on a first date."

Zoe still had no clue who AnnaBeth was, but based on the major tension between Lemon and Wade right now, she got the impression that this was about more than Wade calling Lemon his backup. They were staring each other down. It was like watching two animals sizing each other up, trying to figure out the best time and way to pounce.

"Maybe I'll just do that"

"Um, hello, what about Taylor?"

"You asked her. You can un-ask her."

"I can't just un-ask her."

"Well I'm askin' AnnaBeth. And trust me, neither of those girls are the ménage à trois types."

"Well, that sounds like an interestin' evenin'." Lemon said amusement clear in her voice. Zoe turned to respond, but saw that Lemon was stripping. She shrieked and turned back around as quickly as she could.

She heard Lemon giggle behind her, "You are such a prude, Zoe Hart. We're gonna have to fix that." Zoe heard a splash and turned around.

"Wow, you're red as a tomato." Wade said from behind her.

"If I turn around, will you be stripping too?"

"Do you want me to be?" he asked cockily.

Even though she knew he couldn't see, she rolled her eyes, "The only reason I'm not pelting you with something is because I don't want to turn around."

Wade chuckled, "Relax. I'm just in my boxers, okay? No different than swim trunks."

He was right; she was being silly, Zoe turned around and her eyes widened. She had never seen Wade without a shirt before. It was … well, she sort of got why girls apparently threw themselves at him. Not that she ever would, she was not that shallow or that stupid. Still, she had to admit, Wade had a good body. He was in great shape. Maybe it was from playing football. She'd heard he was on the team. But it wasn't exactly a jock's body, more like a stable boy, like Westley from The Princess Bride.

"Like what you see?" she heard him ask and she realized she had been staring. Her head shot up and she blushed.

"I've seen better."

"Yeah, sure." Wade said with a chuckle that said he knew she was lying. Okay, so, she hadn't seen better but it wasn't like she'd seen a lot of guys with their shirts off. Her sexual experience was zero, and she had always swam in either private pools, which meant it was just family members, or the one at school, which had been an all girls school. Her exposure to male chests was limited to her dad, uncles and grandfathers, and what she'd seen in movies and on TV. She was certain she would have stared at the chest of any guy her age who was not a relative and who stood shirtless in front of her. It wasn't like it meant anything. She wondered briefly if Jesse was in better shape than his brother. He was obviously in great shape, as she had embarrassingly admitted to him the other day, but how would he look without a shirt? God, when did I become such a pervert? Zoe heard a splash; she must have zoned out again.

"You comin' in?" she heard Wade call.

"I have to change first." She called back, grabbing the suit Lemon had grabbed her and heading behind some bushes.

"No need to hide on my account." Wade called.

Zoe groaned. Then she looked down at the suit. It was a one-piece. She had never been a one-piece kind of girl, but there was a first time for everything.

When Zoe got home, she was still soaked and shivering. Harley was waiting for her. She had hoped she could sneak past him, but no such luck.

"The school called," he said sternly, "They said you missed your last few classes?" Zoe nodded, feeling a guilty knot form in her stomach, "And what exactly was important enough to blow off school, especially when you are already behind because you transferred mid-semester?"

Zoe tried to think of what to say. I went swimming didn't seem like it would go over too well. "I'm sorry." It was all she could come up with

"You're sorry?" His voice was calm and even, but she could here the disappointment bubbling beneath the surface.

"Yes. It was a stupid thing to do and it will not happen again."

"Why did it happen this time?"

"I …" Zoe searched for an answer, "I guess I just didn't want to look back on my life with regrets." She knew it sounded stupid and probably made no sense without context, but it was the best she could do.

Harley nodded, "Why don't you go dry off. We'll talk about this later."

"He'll cool off." Lemon said over the phone, "Daddy always does. And Dr. Wilkes isn't even your dad."

"Right." Zoe said awkwardly. She had called Lemon as soon as she got out of the shower. Harley was waiting for her downstairs, and she knew she only had the time it took her to dry off and put some clothes on to talk to Lemon. Luckily, she was a girl, meaning it was perfectly plausible that she could take thirty or forty minutes getting dressed.

"Trust me, it'll blow over. I have experience with these things. 'Sides, you have other things to worry about, like what you're gonna wear Saturday."

Zoe giggled, "Yeah, that is definitely something to worry about." She had no clue what she would wear, but as much as it worried her, it was fun having a girlfriend to giggle about it with.

"Speakin' of Saturday … Listen, you should probably know that I talked to Wade and … well, he invited AnnaBeth Nass."

Zoe rolled her eyes as she searched through her closet, "He's just being stubborn and stupid. I'm not telling Taylor it's off."

"Okay, well, like I said, sounds like one interesting evenin'. I'm sorry I have to miss it. But I am gonna want details."

"Yeah, well, depending on how things go with Har – Dr. Wilkes, I may not even get to go."

"Well, we can't let that happen." she was quiet for a moment, "Leave it to me."

"Lemon, what are you going to do?" Zoe asked nervously.

"Goodnight Zoe. Make sure you have an outfit picked out for Saturday, because one way or another, you and Jesse will be at the movies together."

"Lemon-" Zoe heard a beep. This could not be good.

"Zoe." She heard Harley call from downstairs. With a sigh, she stood and headed for the door. Time to face the music.

Author's Note: Okay, so I know I did not get to the actual date yet. I apologize for that. I am still working it out, but I hope you liked the chapter.

So, Wade has two dates. Didn't see that coming, did you?

As promised, I will explain my choice. First, here is the Tally of votes and suggestions:

Tansy – 4

AnnaBeth - 3

Taylor (Valentine's Day/First Crush) - 3

Someone Jesse Likes/Liked - 2*

Cricket – 1

Lily Anne - 1

Shelley - 1

Joelle - 1

Lemon – 1

Ruby – 1

Now, Tansy and Joelle I crossed out pretty much right away.

In the case of Joelle, I felt she was the most predictable choice because she is often used in that capacity in fanfiction, and, aside from that, I just really, really do not like her. She is an annoying, clingy, stupid, gullible, pyromaniac who would contribute no more to the story than some random chick I made up. I did not want to just give Wade a blonde to make out with. Still, I appreciate the suggestion.

As for Tansy, I won't lie, I was tempted. I love Tansy; I think she is adorable. However, she is the second most obvious choice. Also, I am not sure that she grew up in Bluebell. The real clincher though was that, as I said, I love Tansy, and she really cared about Wade. There is no scenario where this double date would not end in her getting hurt, and I did not want that.

AnnaBeth was actually my first instinct. I thought she was an unpredictable choice. Also, I wanted to give her a bigger role in the story, give her and Zoe the opportunity to meet, explore what happened between her and Lemon. Plus, with Wade, I feel like he would not want to go with some bimbo because he is not going to make out; he is going to keep an eye on Zoe and his brother, and he cannot do that with a distraction. AnnaBeth is more straight-laced than that, or, at least, she was as a teenager. Recent events in the show imply maybe not so much now, but that is a different conversation. Mollie stated concern for AnnaBeth's feelings, and while I wouldn't want her to get hurt, I feel like while AnnaBeth would probably be attracted to Wade, she would not have any real feelings for him, and he wouldn't be leading her on or taking advantage of her.

My hesitation with AnnaBeth came from two places. One, she got a lot of the votes, which might mean she was a more predictable choice than I thought, especially to those who read the reviews. Two, as she was my initial choice before I got input, if I just went ahead with her anyway, it would be like, what was the point. I wanted to incorporate your opinions. I mean, they had to make sense, but I wanted to make use of your ideas and input.

Now, Taylor. Surprisingly, I did not even think of her. In fact, when I first read it, I could not remember who she was. I mean, I remembered the story, but I didn't put it together with the name, so I was reading and thinking 'who is this Taylor they keep suggesting.' Once I figured it out, I felt kind of dumb for not thinking of it myself. The truth is, I never intended to bring Taylor into the story. She was just supposed to be something from his past. The important points were that she was his first crush, that he actually liked her, not lusted after her, that she was a nice girl, and that she passed him over for George. The idea of actually bringing her into the story never occurred to me. However, people seemed to really want it, as she tied with AnnaBeth for second place.

I liked the idea about a girl Jesse used to like, but I didn't know who that might be. Plus, Wade is trying to convince his brother that he doesn't like Zoe, so something obvious like that would probably not be the best idea.

I like Cricket. I really do, I think she is cute and hilarious, but I feel like she is more the sort of girl Wade would go out with if he wanted a make-out buddy.

Lily Ann is interesting, but I did not get the impression that they met that young. Also, while she is entertaining, I feel like the date would be more about her insanity than anything else. I do like Lily Ann, but I just did no feel like it fit. I appreciate the suggestion though.

As for Shelley, that was creative. I did not think of that. I miss her in the show. Anyway, a lot of AU 'when-they-were-younger' stories tend to incorporate Shelley, and I'm just not ready to bring her in until I can do it without being cliché. If there were more votes maybe … but, I appreciate the input. Really. All of you, it means so much to me.

As for Lemon and Ruby. Honestly, I did consider Lemon before, but it seemed unlikely that she would go after she was going to go with George and then Zoe switched them both out for Wade and a random girl. Also, Wade is a little apprehensive about Lemon catching onto his 'feelings' for Zoe. (Feelings is in quotes because he doesn't really know what they are right now). It would be great to have Lemon there, and I did work the option in, but, alas, it was not to be. Or was it?

I don't really see Ruby going out with Wade (he's three years younger than her) and I also just don't think it would be the most fun situation. I appreciate the suggestion though, and that you were thinking out of the box.

My top picks, personally, were AnnaBeth, Taylor, Lemon, and a girl Jesse likes/liked. Other than the last one, I think I got them all in a little. All right, I admit it, it was partially because I was having a hard time choosing between AnnaBeth and Taylor, but, as Lemon said, it is going to be one interesting evening. I look forward to writing it, and you have to admit, it is rather unexpected.

I know grownup Zoe would not be the type to skip school, but she is much younger and more vulnerable right now. Also, she had a near death experience and lost her parents, so life is short would probably be a mantra she would want to embrace.

I am sorry we did not actually get to see AnnaBeth this chapter. I was going to do the scene where Wade asked her out, but it didn't make sense with the order of things.

I hope you liked the chapter, and I cannot wait to hear what you think.

Have a nice day.