Author's Note: Hi. Sorry for how long it's been. It's kind of a long story, but the short version is a combination of computer problems and writers block. I hope you like this chapter, and thanks to all those who reviewed. You all have accounts from what I can tell, so I will respond to you through them, though maybe not today. I don't have a lot of time, but I really wanted to post. Enjoy and please review.

Chapter Nineteen

Zoe examined her suitcases. Did she have everything? She cross-referenced her checklist again.

Clothing appropriate for different weather and venues, i.e. fancy, casual, and in-between; check. Underwear and socks; check. Toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss; check. Band-Aids, ointments, medicines of all kinds, first aid kid, menstrual pads, umbrella, raincoat, snowshoes, sandals, towels, soaps, shampoos, flashlight, batteries, miniature fan, and deodorants; check.

Zoe was a very organized person; she believed in packing for any possible emergency. It was important to be prepared. You never can predict what might happen.

Carrying her suitcases down the stairs and out to the car wasn't the easiest. Back home in New York, she had never had a problem. Her family had drivers and maids, plus their building had a doorman. Now, it was just her to carry three suitcases down the stairs. Of course, once Harley saw her, he helped her out. He seemed confused about how much she packed, but he had heard enough stories from Brick about Lemon to know that when it came to girls, sometimes you had to just smile and pretend to understand because you never, ever would.

Zoe got in the car, in the front of course, and Harley followed after. They buckled up and hit the road.

"I gotta say, I'm really looking forward to this." Harley said.

"Yeah, me too." Zoe responded as she watched the foliage through her window.

"Extra bottles are in the cupboards, formula's over there, and if she gets too finicky, you can try playin' her this tape I made of me singin' 'You Are My Sunshine.' Sometimes that helps. Don't let her near any outlets, whatever you do. In fact, it's best to keep her in the crib when she's not eatin' so she doesn't crawl off, except if you're rockin' her, cause she does like that that. And when she is eatin', make sure the chair is locked steady so she doesn't-"

"Lemon, Lemon relax, okay. I've watched Magnolia before."

"Yeah, when I was there with you, and it was just for one night, and not a weekend when both town doctors will be out of town."

"Lemon, sweetie, you gotta relax, okay? Dr. Jones went to Med school with Dr. Wilkes, and both he and your father trust him."

"I know, but-"

"And I have watched Magnolia with you before, and I've spend more time at this house lately than I do my own. I know where everything is and how to get her what she needs-"

"I still-"

"And my folks are just down the road if I get into trouble. Not to mention this is Bluebell, so you know that if, god forbid, something did happen and I needed help, there is nobody who wouldn't put in the effort to help me." Lemon didn't say anything, "Okay?"

She nodded, "I know you are more than capable George, and I trust you a lot, I just … it's just hard, leavin' her behind like this."

"It's just a weekend."

"A weekend can turn into a lot longer if your not careful."

George shook his head, "Lemon, listen to me. You are just takin' a little break with your dad. You are not abandonin' anyone, and you will be back."

"I know that. I just worry about her. What if something happens and we can't get back in time?"

"Then Dr. Jones will handle it."

"What if he can't?"

"He can. He will."

"Maybe this trip was a bad idea. Maybe we should have just stuck to stayin' in and watchin' bad movies."

"If you did that, your dad would just be thinkin' 'bout where he was last year this time and why he isn't there anymore. This is better. It'll be a great break and it'll take his mind off things. You were right, he needs it." George pulled her in for a hug, "You both do."

She was tempted to say that she didn't need anybody, but decided to just let George hold her.

"Ready to go Lemonade?" She heard her father ask as he made his way down the stairs.

"Almost." She called back, pulling away from George.

"You sure you got everythin' taken care of."

He nodded, "And worst comes to worst, I have the number of the hotel you're stayin' at so I can contact you if need be."

Brick came in and picked up Lemon's two-ton suitcase. "All right, let's hit the road." Brick said, planting a kiss on Magnolia's forehead and heading for the door.

"It's nice he trusts you so much." Lemon said. George smiled and kissed Lemon goodbye, making her promise not to worry too much, and to bring him back lots of souvenirs, and an autographed picture if she could swing it. And not of Lavon Hayes. Not that George had anything against Lavon, of course. It was just that a photographed picture of someone they grew up down the street from didn't count. Lemon promised to do her best to get him a signed picture of one of the other players, kissed him again, and was out the door.

On his way home, Wade had gone over it in his mind a million times. Jesse would probably ask Zoe to the dance. And, even if he didn't, he would figure out something was going on when Wade left the house all dressed up for the dance. His brother was going to find out he had a date to the dance. Better to bite the bullet now and tell him. If he held his head high and said it like it was no big deal, it would make it harder for Jesse to make a thing of it. He still would, Wade knew, but it would be harder. And maybe if he got it all out tonight, he would be done with the teasing by the time Saturday night rolled around.

Sighing, Wade opened the door. When he got home, Jesse was fiddling with the T.V.

"Nothin' on?" Wade asked, going to the fridge to grab an orange.

"Just static."

Cable Bill, Wade thought miserably. He took a bite of his orange and let the juice drip down his chin as he watched Jesse fiddle some more. There was nothing Jesse could do of course; Wade hadn't paid for the cable this month. He hadn't forgotten; they just couldn't afford it anymore. It sucked. Big time. But that was life, right? For a while, the cable was still coming through, and Wade had thought maybe they dodged a bullet somehow. After all, February was just a couple days from being March. Maybe the cable company decided to grant them a little leeway. So much for that theory.

"Maybe there's some problem with the wirin'." Jesse said, going back behind the television set to start fiddling with wires.

"You shouldn't play around with that stuff. You could break somethin'."

"I'll be fine."

"I meant somethin' on the T.V. I don't care if you electrocute yourself so long as you don't damage my means of entertainment."

Jesse came back from behind the television set, "Gee, thanks." Wade nodded as he continued to eat his orange, "I guess I'll call up Aaron, see if I can go over Sunday to watch the game."

"Hey can I come?" Wade called over his shoulder as his brother searched for the phone.

"Yeah right. Like I want my baby brother around crampin' my style. Don't you got your own friends? Ask Tucker or someone."

Wade rolled his eyes, "Crampin' your style? What, like you're Mr. Cool?"

"I'm cool enough to not be babysittin' a bunch of freshman."

"That what you were doin' last weekend? Babysittin'? Do I have to remind you that you're datin' a freshman?"

"Girls are different." Jesse said dismissively, "Hey, Aaron? Jesse. Listen, how 'bout a bunch of us gather to watch the game at your place Sunday? … Oh, cable's out. … Got me. So, you in? … Yeah? … Great, see you then."

"Jess?" Wade called when he heard the phone click off. Time to get this over with, "You wanna carpool to the dance tomorrow?"

"I'm not goin'." Jesse said, not really processing. Wade waited. Then, it hit, "Wait, don't tell me you're goin'?"

"What, that so hard to believe?"

"The King of Anti-sap goin' to the sappiest dance a town drenched in sap throws? Yeah, it's hard to believe."

He grabbed a can of soda from the fridge and came back to the living area, settling down next to Wade on the couch, "What possessed you?" Wade shrugged, "So, who is the lucky lady that's got you're balls right now, askin' you to-"

"For you're information, I asked her."

Jesse burst out laughing. Wade just rolled his eyes, "Even better. So?"

"It's Taylor, okay?"

Jesse shrugged, "Sure, I'm fantastic, you?" Wade scoffed, "You must really like this girl if you're willin' to go to some lame dance with 'er."

"Dances ain't so bad with the right company." Wade said, shrugging.

Jesse chuckled, "Wow, you're actually excited for this, aren't you."

"Shut up."

"Taylor must be one hell of a girl. And to think, all this time, I thought you were in deep with Zoe."

"Yeah, sorry to destroy that little soap opera you were writin' in your head."

"So, I guess we could tour the campus after we check into the hotel?" Zoe asked as she examined the brochure she had gotten from Harley.

"If you like." He said as they pulled into the parking spot. He had tried to engage her during the trip, but she hadn't seemed that responsive. Every time he tried to start a conversation or even suggested a car game, she would say that she thought it was really important that nothing distracted him from the road. Harley did not know if this was because of her recent car accident experience, or if it was just her way to avoid bonding. She had seemed rather excited about taking the trip together, but he wasn't naïve enough to believe that that was because of him. In all likelihood, it was related to one of Lemon's schemes. The girl was crafty, and while she put up an impressive front for her father, Harley knew there was something diabolical about the child. Not that he judged her for it. Alice leaving had been hard on the Breelands. Besides, as a rule, Harley tried not to make assumptions about people or why they were the way they were. You never know what is going on with somebody, and it is not so fair to judge.

For her part, Zoe had not had the best trip. She hated sitting in cars, and a long road trip would not have been her favorite pastime before the accident. Now it was just more painful and anxiety inducing. In the past, she would doze off until the car got there, but after everything, she wasn't really comfortable falling asleep in a moving vehicle. What if something happened? Logically, she knew her being awake or asleep would not affect whether or not they got in an accident, but she couldn't shake her unease. Reading would be a good option, except Zoe had not packed a book. Well, she had her schoolbooks, but they were in the trunk. She didn't have a pleasure book going right now, and she didn't have any good science and medical texts, hence the trip. Eventually, she had settled for flipping through a brochure and trying to plan out what they could do and when they might do it.

Harley came around and opened the door for Zoe, who hopped out, eager to be out of the car.

"Zoe!" They turned to see Lemon bounding toward them. Zoe smiled. The more she got to know Lemon, the more eccentric, yet likable qualities she discovered, such as the way Lemon would rush up and hug her as though they had not seen each other in ages, even though they had seen each other just yesterday. "This is so exciting! I can't wait to check in. I love stayin' in hotels!"

"Me too." Zoe replied. She was anxious to get started on her collegiate adventure, but, she had to admit, it would be nice to stay in a hotel. Harley's was fine, but there was something about being back in a city, even a city in Alabama, that just felt like home to Zoe.

"I'll get the bags from the trunk." Harley said, leaving the two girls to chat and gossip.

"That's okay. I can help." She had never been one to carry her own bags, but something about Harley's disposition made her feel obligated to at least offer.

"That's fine. You two catch up."

"Dr. Wilkes. Zoe. How are you this fine mornin'?" they heard Brick ask.

"Good morning Dr. Breeland." Zoe greeted politely. Harley gave Brick a nod as he struggled with the bags.

"Daddy, what took you so long?" Lemon said teasingly.

"Well, I had some luggage to lug Lemonade. Besides, we don't all jump out and start runnin' the second the engine stops runnin'."

Zoe smirked, "How was the drive?"

"Good, good. Yours?"

"Fine." Zoe lied.

"Harley, you need a hand with those bags?"

"No thanks. I got it." Harley replied with a grunt.

Brick rolled his eyes, "I'll go help him. He's not used to how girls pack."

Zoe smiled again, "I like your dad." She said to Lemon after Brick went to help Harley. "He's funny."

"Easy for you to say. He's not your father." Lemon was putting on, and Zoe knew it. Yes, she was a teenage girl, but she had adored her father, and she could tell Lemon was the same way. The bratty teenager thing was a bit of an act. At the end of the day, Lemon wouldn't trade her father for anything. Zoe felt a pang in her chest, but she shook the feeling.

"Harley and I are going to get settled and then go tour the campus."

"You waste no time Hart." Lemon said with a giggle, "Well, I guess we'll see you in a bit then. I want to call and check in on George."

"I'm sure he's doing fine." Zoe reassured.

"I know, but I just want to check. Magnolia can be a handful. Besides, I miss him."

Zoe smiled. She could understand that. George was very missable.

"Yeah, I got it handled … I promise … You go have fun … Okay… Okay, bye."

George had been balancing the phone between his shoulder and ear as he warmed up a bottle of milk in the microwave. There seemed to be a lot of multitasking in childcare. Still, George has not been lying when he said he had it handled. Yes, he had had a few mishaps. Magnolia had spit up on him, which was not fun, and it took him an hour to get her to stop crying when she woke up from her nap, but basically, he figured he was doing okay. He hadn't mentioned the mishaps to Lemon thought; he did not want her to freak out with worry, as she was prone to do. She was overly protective of Magnolia, which was one of the many things he loved about her.

George sighed as his thoughts wandered to his feelings for her. He had been trying to tell her he loved her since Valentine's Day, but something kept getting in the way every time. Usually, it was her; she kept blocking him every time he got close to telling her. He was trying really, really hard not to overanalyze that.

Luckily, George was saved from analyzing why his girlfriend might not want him to utter those three little words by the ringing telephone.

"Breeland residence, George Tucker speaking."

"George?"

"Dad? How did you know I was here?" George knew he should have told his dad he was going to be watching Magnolia all weekend, but once Lemon started on a plan, it seemed to happen before you really had time to process. Anyway, his dad wouldn't be too worried. He trusted George, and it was not as though anything really terrible ever happened in Bluebell.

"I didn't; I was calling for Dr. Breeland. What are you doing there son?"

"I'm babysitting while the Breelands are out of town. They'll be back Sunday night I think."

George heard his father sigh, "Well, I suppose I'll have to wait."

"There's a doctor standing in at the office so they could take a weekend if you need to-"

"No, that's not necessary."

"Dad, is everything okay? Is it mom? Harry?"

"No, no, nothing like that. It's not medical son, don't worry."

"Well, then, what-"

"I'm afraid it's something I need to discuss with Brick, that is, Dr. Breeland. I'll have your brother go over and check on you later, bring you some leftovers for dinner."

"Okay. Bye dad."

"Bye son."

After they hung up, George's mind went back to wandering. This time, it wandered to why Harold Tucker might need to talk to Dr. Breeland if nobody was sick.

"This is amazing." Zoe said, making Harley smile. He knew Zoe was ambitious and academic minded, but seeing how she lit up once they set foot on the college campus made his heart soar.

"I'm sorry about the medical buildings. I know you were looking forward to-"

"It's okay. I did my research, and The College of Community Health Sciences should be complete the time I start college. Plus, it will be brand new. And it isn't like they don't have some stuff. According to the brochure, CCHS started up in the seventies, and should be completed in the first decade of the new millennium. It's near done, and not everything is still in construction. The Health Sciences Library was completed in 1978."

Harley chuckled, "Did you memorize the brochure?" Zoe blushed, "Well, I'm glad you seem excited. Still, I wish I could show you how great Alabama medical schools really are when they're completed."

Zoe smiled, "I appreciate that. And this, you taking me here. I know I haven't been the most grateful, but … I do appreciate it."

Harley smiled, "What's say we go check out that library?"

"Here we go." George said, trying to keep his voice soothing, "Shhhh. Here we go." He was laying Magnolia down for bed now that she had finally stopped howling. George couldn't, for the life of him, figure out what set her off.

Just as she started to settle in, the doorbell rang. George held his breath praying, but it did no good. Within seconds, Magnolia was howling again.

"Whoever that is is dead meat." George said under his breath. He lifted Magnolia up and headed to the door.

It was his brother, Harry, with a container of what George assumed were the leftovers he had been promised. "Hey bro, how's the babysittin' goin'?"

"Well, it was going fine, before some idiot rang the doorbell and woke the baby."

Harry looked down awkwardly, "Sorry dude."

George rolled his eyes good-naturedly and let his brother in. It wasn't as thought being angry would make Magnolia stop howling, and Harry hadn't known. He hadn't done anything on purpose.

"So, other than that?"

George shrugged, "It's not so bad. I mean, it's babysitting, so it's no picnic, but I knew what I was in for. I've watched Magnolia with Lemon, ya know."

"Must be like seeing your future. You and Lemon playin' house or somethin'."

George chuckled, "Aren't you getting ahead of yourself. I mean, I'm still a freshman. You're almost in college, and you aren't thinkin' of settling down last I checked."

"Well, we don't all find our Lemon Breeland's so easily." Harry said, shrugging.

"What about Dana. I thought you guys were goin' to the Sweetie Pie Dance together."

Harry shook his head, "Didn't work out." George shot him a sympathetic look, "Hey, it's cool. Truth is, I don't really want to get attached now, what with college right around the corner. I mean, look at Ruby Jeffries, all mopey and alone with Hayes away. I don't wanna do that to a girl."

George shrugged. It made sense, but it all seemed like a million years away for him. Graduating, leaving Bluebell, leaving Lemon, it was all in the future. Of course, he couldn't imagine leaving Lemon. Just the thought of it gave him this horrible pain in his stomach.

Thinking of Lemon reminded him of his talk with his dad earlier about Dr. Breeland. Maybe Harry knew what it was about. It couldn't hurt to pick his brain.

"Hey, Harry. You know why dad wants to get in touch with doctor Breeland so bad?"

Harry sucked in a breath through his teeth. George knew his brother well enough to know what that meant. Harry knew. And he either was not supposed to say, or felt he shouldn't. That was okay. George could guilt Harry into staying and helping with Magnolia. He would have all night to get Harry to spill.

"And this is one of our private viewing rooms for students to study for classes that require movie viewings."

"Movies for class? That's an interesting development." Harley added humorously.

Zoe smiled. She liked the man who was giving the tour. His name was Dr. Fabian, and he was a nice, charming guy. He kind of reminded her of her father. She didn't know what it was exactly; it was just something in the way he carried himself. Maybe it was his sense of humor, or how enthusiastic he seemed about medicine. Ethan Hart had been a rather stoic man, but nothing got him excited quite like discussing bypasses and transplants.

"Miss Wilkes?"

Zoe looked up, "Hart."

"Excuse me?"

"It's Hart. Zoe Hart."

Dr. Fabian turned to Harley, eyebrow raised in question, "I'm sorry. I thought you said she was your-"

"Adopted." Harley said, "It's very recent."

"I see." They stood for a minute, "Wait a minute, you wouldn't be Ethan Hart's daughter by any chance, would you?"

Zoe lit up, "Did you know him?"

Dr. Fabian shook his head, "Only of him. He was a very talented man … I was very sorry to hear what happened."

Zoe nodded. She wanted to say thank you, but she was afraid it might come out shaky, and she did not want to risk this man pitying her.

Harley seemed to sense she was a little uncomfortable, "So, shall we get on with the tour?"

"Of course. This way."

"Are you excited?"

Lemon shrugged. She knew her dad was excited, but she had never been a big fan of Lavon Hayes. The town made a big deal of him because he could play football, but other than that, Lemon had not noticed any great attributes. He never seemed all that bright to her, and he was sort of arrogant. Plus, he was dating Ruby Jeffries, so something had to be wrong in his head, even though his interest in her appeared to have waned since he left.

"I'm glad you're excited daddy." Lemon said. And it was true. She may be a rebel, but she rebelled against the prim and proper life of her mother. Lemon loved her father, and she knew he needed her now more than ever.

Lavon came to the door. Lemon had to admit, he was an attractive guy. But that made sense. When all you had going for you was football, it helped to be good-looking. And if you had any kind of brains, you would milk those qualities for all they were worth.

"Lavon Hayes." Her dad said fondly.

"Dr. Breeland." Lavon greeted, "How are you?"

"Good, good." It was his classic response since Alice left, and Lemon could always hear that nostalgic, bittersweet, tone in his voice. Time to distract.

"Remember me Lavon?" She asked.

It took him a minute to place her, "Of course. Little Lemon Breeland."

Lemon inwardly cringed at the patronizing nickname, but she kept her cool. Normally, she would have exploded at him, but when Brick was around, Lemon always put crazy Lemon in a box and went on her best behavior.

"So, Lavon how've you been?" Brick asked.

"Good. Real good. The city suits me."

"You don't miss little ole Bluebell?"

Lavon appeared to blush slightly, "Well, you know, home is home, and I love it, but it's no secret I always wanted to get out and spread my wings."

Brick nodded, "Thanks for hookin' us up with those tickets for this weekend."

Lavon nodded, "No problem. Anything for my favorite doctor."

"Don't let Dr. Wilkes here you say that." Lemon said teasingly, "He's here too you know."

"Actually, I meant Dr. Wilkes." Brick's face fell, but then Lavon burst out laughing, "I'm just kiddin'. Ya'll are both my favorite doctors."

"Thanks son."

"Listen, there's this pre-game dinner party tonight. Ya'll should come. It's all kinds of fancy. They got duck an' all."

"Duck?" Lemon was not a fan of duck.

"We'd love to." Brick said.

"Great. And Dr. Wilkes and his new protégée are invited too, of course. I can't wait to meet her."

Brick smiled and nodded, "I'll pass on the message."

They said their goodbyes and headed back to the hotel, "Well, that went well." Brick said.

Lemon nodded, smiling, "This is gonna be a great weekend daddy. It was such a good idea."

"It was your idea."

"I know."

It had been an eventful day. Great, but eventful. Dr. Fabian had shown them all over the library, and Zoe had gotten to look through a bunch of books. Then, while Harley was off reading, Zoe had talked some more with Dr. Fabian. He was really nice, and he had such kind things to say about her father. Normally, even thinking about her father made her feel a little nauseas, but it was kind of nice to hear him praised, and somehow, though she would never know how, Zoe was able to keep herself under control. Then, they had talked about her future and possible scholarship options. Considering both her fathers were successful doctors in their fields, combined with the extracurricular she had built up to pad her resume, getting into the school shouldn't be hard. Zoe had never thought she would want to go to school in Alabama, but by the end the day, she was seriously considering it.

After a quick shower, Zoe settled into the bed next to Lemon's.

"So, how'd it go at the university?"

"Surprisingly well." Zoe said, smiling. She yawned and pulled the covers up.

"Don't tell me you're going to bed!"

"I was planning on it-"

"Zoe Hart, you and I are having our first sleep over; the time I was intoxicated doesn't count. This is the time to gossip!"

Zoe rolled her eyes and sat up reluctantly, "Okay. What do you want to talk, er, gossip about?"

"Well, daddy and I talked to Lavon Hayes today."

"Really?" Zoe was slightly excited by this. To her, Lavon Hayes was something of a celebrity. To Lemon, he was just another football player from Bluebell.

"Yes. He invited us to a dinner party. And I was thinkin', maybe we could find somebody for you there."

"What, Lemon-"

"No like a serious guy. Long distance needs more than one casual meetin' to have any sort of chance. But imagine if we get back and Jesse hears you got together with a college guy. He'll regret not askin' you out again."

Zoe sighed, "Lemon, if Jesse, a senior, decided I was too inexperienced for him, do you really think a college guy won't know how green I am."

"Well then, we just have to make you come off less green. We'll go shoppin' tomorrow; get you a teeny little dress that shows off your legs. I've seen Wade checkin' them out, and usually he notices boobs, so I'd say they're probably your best asset."

Zoe blushed, thinking of Wade's comment when she met him about how un-Pamela Anderson her breasts were. "I'm not sure Harley will be on board with that."

"Who cares? It's not like he's your father."

Zoe nodded, trying to seem casual, "He is responsible for me though. My parents trusted me to his care." None of that was technically a lie. Her parents had trusted her to Harley's care, or, her mom had at least. It was just a little more permanent than she was letting on. Zoe did feel guilty for lying to Lemon, but she just couldn't deal with pity. Everything still felt so raw. She didn't want to talk about it, think about it, or deal with it. Brick knew the truth of course, as did Mrs. Hattenbarger, but Harley did not seem to have told anyone else. Zoe was thankful for that. She was also thankful that those who knew seemed to be respecting her wishes in regards to keeping the truth to herself. Brick had not told Lemon the truth; apparently, he had heard her story of an internship and was going along with it. They might judge her a little for her dishonesty, but Zoe could live with that, so long as they did not pity her.

"Come on Zoe. We'll go shoppin' and pick you out a knockout dress."

Zoe decided arguing with Lemon was pointless, so she just shrugged and added a halfhearted, "If we have time." Lemon seemed to take this as a yes.

"Thanks for lettin' me borrow your fancy monkeysuit." Wade said. He hated that he had to ask Jesse for a tux for tonight, but George was stuck at the Breelands' with Lemon junior until the girls got back from Tuscaloosa, so it was either borrow from Jesse, or wear a tattered brown suit. Wade hated tuxedos. He hated how he looked in them. However, everybody at the Sweetie Pie Dance went all out, and Wade wanted to make a good impression on Taylor. He also did not want to seem cheap. So, Tux it was. It isn't so bad Wade tried to convince himself, James Bond wears tuxedos. It helped a little.

"How do I get this damn tie on?"

"Here." Jesse said, giving his brother a hand. It made Wade feel like a little kid, needing his parents to help him get dressed, but he kept his mouth shut. Jesse was being surprisingly nice, and he did need the help. Whoever invented ties deserved to die a slow, well dressed, death. "There we are." Jesse said. He stepped back, and whistled, "Lookin' sharp Wade." He teased.

"Shut up."

"Taylor's a lucky lady. Hey, do me a favor. Steal me some food if they've got anythin' good, will ya?"

Wade nodded, "Lay off the jokes and you've got yourself a deal." He checked the clock, "I gotta get goin'."

"Good luck stud."

"You just cost yourself a plate of stolen cookies."

"No."

"But I –"

"No."

"If you'd just –"

"No. There's no other answer here. No. Go change."

"Lemon picked it out for me. How do I explain to her why I'm not wearing it?" Really, that was all that was bugging Zoe. She had no strong desire to wear the dress. It was pretty and blue but it showed a bit too much skin for her taste. She wouldn't mid and excuse to wear something else, but she doubted this would fly with Lemon. Besides, she hated when Harley acted like he was her father.

"Tell her the truth. I wouldn't let you." Zoe pouted, "Look, I'm not sayin' it's not a nice dress Zoe, but you're too young to be walkin' around in that sort of thing. At least in public."

Zoe rolled her eyes. Why did adults not get how insulting it sounded when they said you were 'too young' for something.

"Fine." Zoe said, stomping her foot. She went back to her and Lemon's room to change, slamming the door behind her.

"Welcome to the club my friend." She heard Brick say to Harley.

"Zoe, what are you doin?" Lemon asked. She had still been changing when the confrontation happened, and was surprised to see Zoe back so soon getting a whole other outfit together.

"Take it up with Harley." Was all Zoe said.

Wade shifted from one foot to the other. He was nervous as hell. Why was he doing this again?

He rang the doorbell, and after what seemed like an eternity, Taylor answered. Wade's breath caught; she looked stunning. She wore a light blue dress that ended a few inches above her ankle. It was elegant, as was she.

"You look … wow."

Taylor smiled, "It's not too fancy is it?"

Wade shook his head, "Nope. From where I'm standin', it looks just close enough to be perfect. Definitely construction worker whistle worthy."

Taylor blushed, "You don't look half bad yourself."

"Half bad? I think I look one-hundred percent good." Taylor chuckled, "So, shall we?"

Taylor nodded, "We shall."

Zoe looked down at her dress, glad she'd packed for any and all possibilities, including unexpected fancy dinner parties. The shopping had been fun, but Zoe was grateful that she had not ended up having to wear what Lemon had bought for her. Other than shopping, Zoe had spent the day with Harley, Brick, and Lemon doing the tourist thing. Harley had pointed out the sights, famous landmarks and what not, and Zoe had gotten pictures of herself next to things with her little disposable camera. They had gone back to the university, and Zoe had talked more with Dr. Fabian. He had shown her some interesting texts, and they had talked more about scholarship opportunities. When Zoe told Lemon, Lemon had just said that if he was young enough, maybe Dr. Fabian could be Zoe's Tuscaloosa fling to get to Jesse. Zoe had just laughed. Only Lemon would think like that.

"Zoe." Zoe looked up to see Harley coming towards her with The Lavon Hayes. "There's someone here I'd like you to meet."

"Oh my god. Hi. I'm a big fan. I bet you here that a lot, so you're probably tired of it, but-"

"Not even a little." Lavon said, giving her a kind smile, "I've only been a celebrity of sorts since I started with the college ball, and I've only been in college a semester and a half. Still, if I go on to the major leagues and play in the NFL someday, I still don't think I'll ever tire of that phrase."

Zoe smiled shyly, "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Dr. Wilkes and Dr. Breeland have only nice things to say about you, and while with Dr. Wilkes that is no so unusual, with Dr. Breeland, I figure it must mean you're good people."

"Thank you." Zoe said blushing.

"Anytime. Enjoy the party, and the game tomorrow."

Wade stood by the punchbowl watching Taylor talk to some of her friends. He had to admit, this dance thing wasn't as bad as he would have thought. Yeah, it was a little stuffy, but the music wasn't bad, and the food had its merit. Plus, it was free. Wade was tempted to pocket some for later. Instead, he shoved a cookie in his mouth and filled two glasses of punch before heading over to Taylor.

"Here ya go."

She smiled, "Thank you Wade."

"So, what are we talkin' about?"

"The game tomorrow. Zoe and Lemon are so lucky they get to go see it."

"Yeah, guess they are. Still, as far as weekends go, I think this one is goin' pretty well."

Taylor nodded, "Yeah. I'd say it is." Her eyes caught Wade's and she shot him a coy sort of smile.

"Hey guys." Taylor and Wade turned to see Annabeth and Jake Nass heading their way.

"Hey Annabeth. Jake."

Jake nodded a greeting. He was still new at school, so he didn't know everyone's names so well. Though he did know Wade; they had played on competing teams for years. But greeting only Wade would seem rude, especially because there would be a hint of the rivalry in his voice. So Jake kept his mouth shut.

"Hey Jake, how's it hangin'?" Wade asked, not caring about past conflicts or Jake's awkwardness.

"Uh, pretty good I guess. I got the prettiest girl in the room on my arm so …" he shrugged.

Annabeth blushed and giggled, "Jake." She cooed.

Wade shot Taylor a look that said, 'this is nauseating.' Taylor shrugged. From what Wade could gather, Taylor was not big on gooey, romantic, and cheesy either. However, she was too nice to be mean about it.

"Hey, Taylor, you wanna give the lovebirds privacy to be cheesy and come dance with me?"

Taylor nodded and put her cup of punch down, "If you think you can keep up."

"Oh, look who just got sassy." Wade said, smiling.

He led Taylor on to the dance floor, "Thank you for invitin' me tonight." Taylor said as she fit her head into the crook of Wade's neck.

"No problem." Wade said, trying to keep his breathing even as he rocked back and forth with Taylor in his arms, "It was my pleasure."

Lemon was enjoying the party enough. It wasn't really her scene, but her dad seemed to be enjoying himself, talking with the big football names. Zoe was off to the side being shy, and Lemon was looking for some fun. They might be dressed up nice, trying to get funding, but these were college people. There had to be a flask somewhere.

She wandered over towards the coats, figuring that's where people might go for privacy, and she was right. She was rewarded with the sight of Lavon Hayes in the arms of some blonde. He was gripping her dress in his big fist, lifting it up her leg, exposing her thigh as the two of them made-out.

Quickly, trying not to disturb the moment, Lemon rushed over to Zoe. "I need to borrow your camera. Quickly!" she was whispering, but her voice was urgent and full of energy.

"What? Why?"

"Revenge on Ruby Jeffries." Lemon responded like it was obvious. Zoe just looked at her, eyebrows raised, "I'll explain later. Just, please."

Zoe sighed and handed the camera over. Quick as a shot, Lemon was off. She snapped a picture of Lavon and the girl kissing and groping. They were so enthralled in each other, they didn't even notice.

"I'm thinkin' a huge banner, right smack dab in the middle of school. Suck it Ruby Jeffries."

"Sure, of course." Zoe said. Lemon had been saying the same sort of thing for the entire cab ride back to the hotel. At first, Zoe had tried to placate her, but Lemon was on a mission, so Zoe had given in and let Lemon rant about her brilliant plan. On the one hand, Zoe supposed she should be relieved. It brought the conversation away from Jesse and making him jealous.

"I'm gonna shower." Lemon announced, grabbing her things and taking the bathroom.

Zoe flopped on the bed. She was about to pick up one of the books Dr. Fabian had leant her from his personal collection when the hotel room phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Zoe? Is Dr. Wilkes around?"

"Jesse?" Zoe asked surprised, "What's going on?"

"I called the practice and Mrs. Hattenbarger answered, said that the guy filling in was on a house call, but I guess I sounded kinda desperate 'cause she gave me this number so-"

"Jesse, slow down. What happened?"

She heard Jesse take a deep breath. He was clearly trying to calm himself, "It's my dad. I found him. There's blood comin' from his head and, Zoe, I can't wake him up."

"Okay. Calm down. Breathe. Give me a second." This could be anything. Zoe didn't know enough about medicine. But it was Wade's dad. He would kill her if she involved Harley or Dr. Breeland and they found out about his drinking issues. But if she didn't get help, who knew what might happen to Mr. Kinsella?

"Okay, I can't get Harley and Brick for you. There's still at the dinner," it was a lie, but it could easily be true, "But I think I know someone who can help. If I haven't called back in eight minutes, call here again. But I will. I promise. And Jesse."

"Yeah?"

"It's going to be all right."

As soon as they hung up, Zoe ran outside and hailed a cab. She told them which building on the campus she needed to get to, trying to sound mature and sure of herself and not like she was about to pass out from worry and fear. The cab had not even come to a full stop before Zoe hopped out and ran inside, praying Dr. Fabian would still be there. He said he'd been staying late, working on projects. She hoped that he still was.

"Zoe? What-?"

"Do you have a phone here?" Zoe asked as she tried to catch her breath.

"Yes, we-" he pointed and Zoe lunged, "Um, I uh, dial nine." He said, clearly confused.

"Hi. Jesse? Good, you're there. I'm here with a man named Dr. Fabian. You're going to tell him exactly what is going on the best you can, and he'll talk you through what to do, okay?"

Zoe handed the phone over. Dr. Fabian who had been standing there listening, looked like he was about to ask a million questions, but something in the desperate look on Zoe's face stopped him, "Please." She whispered.

He took the phone, "Hello, who is this? … Jesse … Okay, what's going on Jesse? … Mm-hm … Mm-hm … I see … And can you tell me exactly where the bleeding is coming from? … Can you describe what it looks like exactly? … All right. Now, I need you to stay calm son. It does not sound like a deep would your father probably just bumped his head a bit. Still, a doctor should take a look at him … I see. Well, do you know how long he'll be out of the office? … Uh-huh … Okay. I'm goin' to talk you through what to do, and I want you to tell me exactly what's happening on your end. Okay? You ready?"

Wade was rather surprised by the scene that greeted him when he got home. Jesse was still up, watching Earl with a worried expression. Had he found out? No, he couldn't have. Still, how many nights had Wade spent just like Jesse was right now?

"Hey Jess. What're you still doin' up?" he tried to keep his voice calm even though his heart was pounding in his chest.

"Just … hangin' with dad." Wade looked at Jesse skeptically, "I don't wanna worry you."

Wade tried not to scoff, "Come on man, you can tell me. I can take it. You know what they say, honesty bein' the best policy an' all that."

Jesse nodded, "Well, I guess dad was drinkin', and he must've stumbled around on somethin' and hit his head. I couldn't wake him, so I called the doctor, but all of 'em were out. Then Mrs. Hattenbarger gave me the number for a hotel, and Zoe found this Dr. Fabian guy who talked me through how to keep him safe until the doctor could get here. Then the doctor came, doctor left, and now I'm just watchin' him to make sure all went all right."

"Wait, you called Zoe?"

"That's what you heard?"

"I heard it all. I'm just … processin'. So, you called Zoe and she got a doctor to talk you through what to do about dad."

Jesse nodded, "Yeah. She really saved the day, runnin' out and findin' someone. That girl's somethin' else."

It was late by the time Zoe got back to the hotel.

"You owe me."

Zoe jumped. She expected Lemon would be asleep by now, "Lemon, what are you doing up?"

"The better question is, where were you. I covered for you with Dr. Wilkes by the way. You're welcome. Now, where were you?"

"I just went back to the campus is all? I … forgot something."

"Right." Lemon said skeptically, "Fine. Don't tell me. I'll figure it out eventually."

The next morning, there was a message for Zoe from Kinsella. She dialed quickly, still concerned after the other night, "Hello?"

"Wade. Hey."

"Hey, miss me already?"

Zoe rolled her eyes, "I got a message from Kinsella. I was simply returning it."

"Wasn't me. Musta been Jesse. You really impressed him the other night. Thanks for that, by the way."

"Of course."

There was an awkward pause. Then, Zoe heard Wade call his brother, "So, how's Tuscaloosa treatin' ya?" He asked, presumably to pass the time.

"Good. We're going to the game soon. How was the dance?"

There was a pause, "Surprisingly fun." Was all he said, but Zoe could practically hear his shy smile.

"Good for you."

"Oh, boyfriends here. I'll hand it over." There were a few seconds of quiet, followed by a kind, "Hello?"

"Hey."

"Zoe, hi. I'm glad you called."

"You are?" Zoe asked, blushing.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I left you a message."

"Right." She said, giggling. God, I sound like such a moron.

"Anyway, I wanted to thank you for the other night. What you did … it was above and beyond the call."

"Sure. Anytime."

"And I was also wondering if, maybe after you get back, you'd like to go out again. Say Friday?"

A huge smile made it's way onto Zoe's face, "I'd like that very much."

"Okay, well, I gotta go, but, I'll see you soon."

"Yeah. See you soon."

Author's Note: So, what did you think. I hope you liked it.

Information on the school obviously came from the University's website.

So what did you think of Lavon's cameo? Lemon's plan? And what is going on with Mr. Tucker and Dr. Breeland.

Again, I hope you liked this chapter. Please let me know what you think.