Author's Note: So, it's been a little over a month. Not the best, but a lot sooner than my last update, so I call that a victory. I hope you like the new chapter. There will be a longer author's note at the end.

To Those Who Reviewed:

Guest from February 12 2015,

So, I know you reviewed Chapter Nineteen, not Twenty, but I had already posted Twenty by then and couldn't respond.

As I mentioned in the author's note for Chapter Twenty, I did figure this out. The website I used was apparently for a baseball game. But, as you said, it was too late to do anything about it. However, I am grateful to you for pointing it out though. You are right, I am someone who is concerned with accuracy. Thank you for trying to help me, and I do apologize for the inaccuracy. I really know nothing about sports. If I see a sport on television, and know which sport it is, that's a win for me.

Thank you. That is so sweet. I am glad you enjoy my writing.

I know what you mean. I read fanfictions too, and it can be very frustrating when people abandon stories. That is why, when I first started writing them I made a promise to myself that I would never do that. Do not get me wrong, I'm not always so great about updating. There are stories I have not updated in over two years. However, I do intend to finish them, as unlikely as it seems. That is sweet of you to say. I hope you enjoy the new chapter.

Thank you for reviewing.

Becky,

You are welcome for the update. As you probably know, Second Chances is now over, but I am glad to know you enjoyed it. I enjoyed writing it. I have hit a few roadblocks with Dearly Beloved, but I do plan to continue it, so do not worry. I am glad you enjoy so many of my stories.

That's okay. I get it. Commenting takes time, and while I appreciate ever review, I do not begrudge readers for not having the time to review. I appreciate you taking the time now though.

Honestly, so am I. I'm sort of making it up as I go, so I don't know where it's going.

I'm glad people seem to be liking Taylor. I'm still developing her, but I enjoy it. I really want her to be a real person with layers and details, as opposed to just a love interest.

As for Jesse and Annabeth, I don't really know why I like the idea of them so much, as I don't think they even spoke two words to one another in the episode he was in, but I just do. I really wish they would bring him back and have him and AB get together, partially because I like the character, partially because I like the actor, and partially because I really, really do not like the idea of George and Annabeth. I could rant on that for a while, but I won't.

Thank you. I'm really into subplots and intricate stories. I get bored if there are only one or two plots going on at once. It's more fun if there is a lot going on.

Will I continue? Just try and stop me. I hope you like this chapter.

I appreciate that.

Thank you for reviewing.

Danielle (Australia),

Hello. You are welcome. I am glad it made your day. Here is another update. I hope it has the same effect.

I am glad you are still loving it.

Yes, I enjoy intricate storyline.

That wasn't my original intention, but I feel like everybody does have a secret in this story, and it kind of fits. They're all teenagers with these messed up lives and messed up family situations, just trying to figure out what to do and how to go forward. I think it works, and it helps explain why these seemingly different people have all gravitated towards each other.

I was worried people might not like Taylor, since most people want Wade with Zoe. I am glad I seem to be wrong.

He and Zoe clearly have a connection, but he has not known her that long, and he's a teenage boy, still trying to figure himself out. I like the idea of Wade being able to really like someone else, because if he and Zoe don't end up together, I would want him to be happy. In the show, Zoe was pretty much always the only person for him, which is sweet, but if the writers had decided to put her with George or something, would have been rather heartbreaking.

Awe. Thank you. That is very sweet of you. I try.

Does the exclamation point mean your not actually being patient? That's okay. Here is the new chapter. I hope you like it.

You are welcome again.

Thank you for reviewing.

Guest from January 19th, 2015

Yes. It felt like time. I am glad you liked it.

I love writing young Lemon. She's so different, which is fun.

Thank you, and thank you for reviewing.

Chapter Twenty-One

When Zoe woke up that morning, her first thought was that she should do something nice for Harley and Dr. Breeland. Cooking breakfast seemed like a good idea. Except Zoe could not cook. At all. Somehow, she didn't think coming down to a burning kitchen would brighten Harley's day, despite her best intentions. That's how she found herself at Wade's house at 5:00 a.m. the next morning. She left a note for Harley saying she had an errand to run, but she would stop by the practice before school.

She rang the bell a few times, but nobody opened up. Frustrated, she headed around back. She had been in Wade's room, so she knew which one it was. Trying not to feel like some cliché girl in a movie, she grabbed a few pebbles and threw them at his window. Eventually, he opened up.

"What the hell?" He yelled, frustrated. Judging by how mussed his hair was, and the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt, not to mention the too-wide quality to his eyes, Zoe guessed he had been sleeping.

"Sorry." She whispered, as if whispering would make up for it.

"If you were really sorry, you wouldn't be wakin' me up at 5:30 in the mornin'." He growled, "What'cha doin' here?"

"You work at the Butterstick Bakery, right?"

"Where did you hear that?"

Zoe shifted uncomfortably, "Is it not true?" she would hate to have woken him up for no reason. Plus, her plan required him to work there.

"No, it is. I just …" Wade sighed, "Give me a minute to throw some pants and stuff on. I'll come out front."

Zoe nodded and headed back to the front door. In a couple minutes, Wade came out. His hair was still messy, but less so, and he seemed more awake.

"Morning." She greeted, trying to be pleasant.

"Yeah, yeah. So what about The Butterstick?"

"Well, I wanted to pick something up this morning, but the don't open until after school starts. I was kind of hoping you had a key."

"You want me to help you steal from somewhere 'at gives me a paycheck?"

"What? No! Of course not. I was going to pay for it. I just need to get in is all."

Wade shook his head, "All right. Come on."

He went to start up his truck and motioned for her to get in, "So, uh, wanna tell me why you got this sudden cravin' for pastries at the crack of dawn?"

"Oh, they're not for me."

"Okay. You know, Jesse isn't really big on pastries. I mean, if you want to get him somethin', you'd be better served with, like, baseball cards or somethin' like that."

"They're not for Jesse. They're for Harley."

"Suckin' up?"

"No, it's just … it's complicated."

Wade nodded. They pulled up in front of The Butterstick Bakery, and Wade stopped the car. "So Bonnie, want me to keep the engine runnin'?"

"Shut up. I told you, I'm going to leave money."

"Rihgt. Of course. Heaven forbid you sully yourself with somethin' like this."

Zoe shook her head, smirking, "Come on."

They approached the front door, and Wade took out something tiny and metal. It took a minute for it to register in Zoe's head that he was not using a key.

"I thought you had a key."

"Shhhh." Wade bent down and put his ear to the lock.

"Wade!"

"Shhhh." He repeated, turning the not-key as he listened to … something. Zoe didn't know what exactly, and she didn't really want to.

"This is breaking and entering. This is illegal."

"Will you be quiet already?" She heard a click, "There." He said, pushing the door open, "After you."

"Wade! I can't just … we can't … this isn't-"

"First off, either make actual sentences, or stop talking. Second, you wanted to get in, right?"

"I thought you worked here!"

"I do, but I only started last week, and I work after school for a couple hours, I don't open the place." Zoe was starting to look pale, "Look, Agnes won't mind, all right. I'll just explain we had a desperate, crazy, customer who couldn't wait."

"Wade."

"Will you relax? She won't find out. Like you said, you're payin', and I know how to work the register. I'll put what you took in the inventory, and if any asks, you came by after school, not before. No big deal. Now come on."

Zoe just stood there for a minute, eyes wide, shifting between her feet. Finally, she walked past Wade into the pastry store.

"Freeze!" She turned around, panicked, but it was just Wade, using a voice. She slapped him lightly in the gut.

"Not funny."

"Well, you made it too easy. Now come on, Bonnie, let's get you your pastries."

Zoe nodded and let Wade lead her around back to where they kept the inventory, "So, um, how's your dad doing. After …"

"He's the same as always, so, not great, but he'll survive." Zoe nodded, "Thanks again for doin' that by the way."

"No problem."

"So, what do you want? We got cakes, cookies-"

"What do Harley and Dr. Breeland usually get?"

Wade shrugged, "You heard the part where I said I only been workin' here a week, right?"

"Well, what's good here?"

"Guess I'm already on the clock. You got any particular preference?"

Zoe thought for a minute, "Something cheap that I can buy in bulk."

Wade laughed, "Well, at least your honest," he looked around, "How about cupcakes? Agnes just whipped up some Salted Caramel Chocolate Fritter Cupcakes the other day, so they should still be pretty fresh."

Salted Caramel Chocolate Fritter Cupcakes? It sounded pretty weird to Zoe, but then, this was the south. Maybe it was normal. "Sure, I'll take a box of those. And maybe a couple cups of coffee."

Wade nodded. He packed the stuff up for her and rang it up, "And of course you're on the clock. You're serving a customer, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but I don't usually break in when servin' customers. Figured I was just doin' you a favor."

"Oh, well, you're doing that too." Wade nodded, "Think of it is paying me back for setting you up with Taylor. I heard you guys went to that weird Valentines Day dance together. Guess it wasn't such a bad idea after all."

Wade rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, stop gloatin'. Where'd'ya hear about that, anyhow?" Zoe shrugged, "Well, look at you, already gossipin' like a local."

Zoe snorted, rolling her eyes. She gave him the money, which he put in the cash register, "Hey, you mind giving me a ride to The Practice, and then school?"

"What am I, your chauffeur now?" Zoe shrugged, "All right. At least you asked this time. Just give me a minute to lockup."

Lemon groaned, checking the clock by her bed. How could it already be 7:00 a.m.? She knew she had to get up for school, but she was so tired. She and George had talked on the phone all night. George had tried to console her, talk her down. She knew it had to be a hassle for him, and that she was a handful. Sometimes, she wondered why her stayed with her. Others, she was just grateful that he did.

Slowly, she made her way out of bed. She showered and dressed, trying to calm her overactive mind. Then, she headed down stairs. Her father would be hungry, and lord knew, that man couldn't cook to save his life. He would need comfort food, and Lemon knew just the thing.

She was about to get started when she noticed how quiet the house was. Then, she noticed a note. Her father had gone in early to take care of things. He had taken Magnolia to the church nursery, so all Lemon need worry about was getting herself ready for school. For a minute, she felt a little cheated. Then, she shook her head. This was a good thing. Her father was attacking the problem head-on, Magnolia was being looked after, and she had the house to herself. She ran to the freezer and took out a large ice cream container, figuring she didn't need to make as big breakfast now. One morning of ice cream and cereal wouldn't kill her. She gave George a call, asking if he would give her a lift to school, and he happily obliged. He was there in ten minutes.

"Lemon?" He called.

"In the kitchen." She responded.

She heard him chuckle, "Well, I suppose your dad must really be gone if you're eating breakfast up on the kitchen counter."

She chuckled as well, "Hop up with me. We have some time before we have to leave for school."

George obliged, hopping up with her, "You know, I doubt Dr. Breeland would want us to be alone in the house together." George said playfully.

"Why is that Mr. Tucker? Do you plan to deflower me right here in this kitchen?" George laughed. "We're just eatin' ice cream. I doubt he'd object to that."

"Well, I don't know. It is a pretty unhealthy breakfast." George said cheekily.

Lemon rolled her eyes, "Well, if that's how you feel about it, I'll just eat the whole thing myself." George pouted, and Lemon leaned over to kiss him. He leaned forward, and she plopped a little ice cream on his nose.

"Hey!"

"What?" Lemon asked innocently. George reached for the container, but she held it away from him. He hopped off the counter and made to lift Lemon up, but she was too quick. Next thing they knew they were chasing each other around the kitchen like a couple of five-year-olds. Finally, George caught up with her, grabbing the ice cream container, and holding it threateningly above Lemon.

"George Tucker, don't you dare!" She shrieked.

"Sorry Lemon, but you asked for this."

Lemon shielded herself with her hands as George neared. However, instead of dumping the ice cream on her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, drew her to him, and kissed her. Lemon was caught by surprise, but she responded quickly, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend. The ice cream container quickly fell to the floor as the two teenagers got lost in each other.

When they came up for breath, Lemon noticed George was giving her that look again. It was the same look he gave her at Valentine's Day. She started to panic, and looked around for something to distract him.

"Lemon, I -"

"We have to go." She said, seeing the clock.

"What?"

"School. The last thing daddy needs today is to get a call about me skippin'."

"But you always-"

"We need to go, George." She said, heading for the door.

"Lemon." He said, grabbing her arm, "Did I do somethin' wrong here?"

"What? No! Of course not. I just don't want to cause more trouble for Daddy."

George nodded reluctantly. "Okay. Let's go."

"Knock knock, anybody here?" Zoe asked, walking into The Practice. Emmaline Hattenbarger looked up, startled. She had never seen Harley's daughter so perky. Then again, she hadn't seen much of the girl since she started up as CLJJ High.

"Hello Zoe." She said kindly.

"Hello Mrs. Hattenbarger. Are Harley and Doctor Breeland around?"

Mrs. Hattenbarger nodded, "I'll go let them know you're here." She went around the desk and headed back toward the offices, quickly returning with Brick and Harley in tow.

"Zoe. What are you doing here?" Harley asked.

Zoe smiled, trying not to come off as awkward as she felt. "Um, I just thought, well, with everything going on…" she trailed off, "I brought coffee. And pastries. I didn't know what you guys liked, but I thought …" She trialed off again. Maybe this was a dumb idea.

"That's very sweet of you." Harley said, offering Zoe a reassuring smile, which Dr. Breeland mirrored.

"I, um, I have to head to school, but …" she put the stuff down on the counter, "Anyway, I hope you enjoy."

Both men nodded.

"Good morning." Zoe heard behind her. She turned to see a formidable looking man in a suit and tie.

"Harold." The doctors greeted.

"And who might you be?" The man asked in that semily condescending way adults sometimes did.

"I'm Zoe." She said, shifting, "I'm, that it, I'm staying with…" She trailed off. So far, she hadn't been forced to use her cover story in front of Harley. He was a nice man. She didn't want to hurt him, especially with all he had going on right now.

The choice was taken out of her hands, however, as the man said, "Ah, yes, the medical internship. George mentioned something about that." Zoe turned red. She glanced back at Harley. He looked slightly hurt, but not exactly surprised. She couldn't bring herself to see how the others were reacting. "Well, it's nice to meet you. My son has said nice things." His son? Oh, right, this must be George's father. That made her turn red for a different reason. She politely excused herself, muttering something about school, and headed out to the car to meet Wade.

"Wow girl, you look red as a tomato." Wade said. She could hear the chuckle in his voice, and she did not care for it.

"Shut up." She said, getting in the car. As Wade pulled out, she glanced back at The Practice, regretting stopping by. She had been trying to help, but she had probably just made things worse. Sighing, she closed her eyes, waiting for him to tell her that they had arrived.

"Hey AB."

Annabeth turned. She had been on her way to school, and Jake Nass it seemed had sprinted to catch up with her. That was sweet, "Hey Jake."

"So, guess what we're doin' this weekend?" He asked, smiling.

"Um, well I have homework, and of course church-"

"Forget homework. Check these out." He showed her two tickets to Baseball game at Auburn.

"Jake, put those away. You take out Auburn tickets in a Crimson Tide community, you might get ambushed."

Jake smiled, "Yeah, but, both our families are legacies. We're gonna have to face the mob at some point. Besides, these are front row."

"Really?" Annabeth asked, impressed.

"Yeah. My dad knows a guy." Annabeth smiled, "So, I'll pick you up around noon Saturday?"

"Sure." Annabeth said, smiling.

"Great." He said, giving her a peck on the cheek, "This'll be the best. You'll see."

She watched him sprint off. He was definitely cute. And sweet. Being his girlfriend was no great sacrifice. She liked him enough. But was she ready to be somebody's girlfriend. It was times like these that she missed Lemon the most. Maybe she could find Zoe at school and talk to her. She had been pretty nice the other day.

"You wanna get out here?" Wade asked. They were about a block away from school.

"What? Why? You're car having issues again or something?"

"Ha-ha. No, princess, I just figured you wouldn't want to be seen bein' driven to school by the school Casanova. People will assume things. But, hey, it's your call."

Zoe sighed, "Stop the car."

"Yeah. I figured." Wade said, pulling over, smirking.

"I'm a little surprised. I would think you would want the brownie points of pulling up to school with me."

"Okay, first off, I don't need to score brownie points by fakin' like I got with some sexy brunette. All right, I got enough actual action. I'd rather base my cred on that."

"What did you call me?"

Wade cleared his throat, looking away as he unbuckled his seatbelt and unlocked the car, "And second, I got Taylor to think of now. I mean, she ain't the kind to listen to rumors, but I still don't want to risk it."

"Awe. You really like her don't you."

"I thought I told you not to make that … that noise when it comes to me and some girl."

"What noise? Awwwwwe. Is that the noise you're referring to?" Zoe teased, "Besides, she's not just some girl. She's like, your Rachel Green or something." Zoe finished as she got out of the car. Wade slammed his door and fell into step next to her.

"My who?"

"Seriously? Don't tell me you've never seen Friends?"

"Can't say I have."

"Well it's this show about a group of people-"

"And let me guess. They're all friends, right?"

"Shut up," she said, nudging him playfully, "Anyway. There's this guy Ross, and he's been in love with Rachel since he was like, our age. So after a failed marriage to a lesbian-"

"Wait, what?"

"Let me finish. Anyway, after a failed marriage, she comes back into his life, and they become friends, and she falls for him. She even tries to stop his second wedding because she's still in love with him, and then she decides she loves him too much to do that to him, but then he says her name instead of the girl he's marrying's name at the alter, so now he and that girl are getting a divorce."

"How are you still talking?"

"I'm just saying. You liked Taylor, and she didn't notice you, but now you're older, and she does."

"I take it things work out for this couple you apparently idolize."

"Well … not yet, but, I mean, the show is still going. I'm sure they'll end up together. Like, the whole show has been centered around this relationship. Of course, now Chandler and Monica are a thing too, but I don't know if that'll last. It was totally out of left field."

Wade nodded, trying to separate the important stuff from the meaningless rambling. "Right. So, you're sayin' Taylor's like this Rachel chick, and I'm like the guy who was moonin' over her?"

"Well, not really. I mean, Taylor's nothing like Rachel, and you, you're really more like Joey. But just 'cause you guys aren't like them individually, doesn't mean you can't be like them as a couple."

"That makes no sense."

Zoe shrugged, "Well, watch the show. Make up your own mind."

"Oh, so this was just some backhanded way to get me into a girly show?"

"It's not a girly show! And I don't care whether you get into it or not. That's your choice. I'm simply saying, if you want to understand what I'm talking about-"

"Whoa, wait, hold on. You're sayin' this show holds the guide to the crazy stuff you're talkin' about. I watch it, and suddenly I'll understand this insane creature walkin' next to me? Cause if that's the case, sign me up for movie night." He said, chuckling.

Zoe just rolled her eyes.

"Wade!" Both of them looked up to see Andy Johnson calling Wade over.

"Guess we ended up coming to school together after all."

"Yeah. Sorry about the rumors and questions. Just make sure to tell them I was nice, and that I made you see god." Zoe's eyes widened in horror, and Wade laughed, "See ya later." He said, leaving her behind to catch up with Andy.

"You look deep in thought." Annabeth said, surprising Jesse. He had gone to the library because he figured it was a good place to think. Most of his friends weren't exactly bookworms, so he didn't expect to be bothered. Not that Annabeth was a bother. In fact, he was learning that he rather enjoyed talking to her.

"Hey Annabeth." He said kindly. "What's up?"

She shrugged, "Don't see you in here often. Or ever."

"Don't tell me you work here too?"

She laughed. It was a nice sound, "No. I just have to do some research for a paper. How about you?"

"I'm tryin' to figure out where to take Zoe this weekend. This town doesn't have a lot of options, and, I don't know, I guess I want to think of something original."

"That's sweet." Annabeth said. She tilted her head in thought, "Jake and I are goin' to a game this weekend. You could come with us." She suggested.

"Who's Jake?"

"He's my ... he's my boyfriend. I think."

For some reason, Jesse felt a little disappointed. He didn't know why, "I didn't know you were seein' someone."

"Well, it's new. We've only been out once-"

"Seems like it's a little early to be callin' him your boyfriend." He countered as he tried to figure out why he was so bothered by the idea of Annabeth having a boyfriend.

"Well, we went to the Sweetie Pie Dance together."

"Ah." That made sense. To most girls, going to that dance together meant that you were in a committed relationship, even if it was a first date, "Well, congratulations."

"Thanks." She said, smiling, "Anyway, I could ask Jake about trying to get seats near us."

Jesse shook his head, "I appreciate the thought, but given how weird our first date got, it might be a good idea to stay away from doublin' for a while."

Annabeth nodded understandingly, "Well, I'm sure you'll think of somethin'."

"Thanks." He said, shooting her a smile.

"I need to get back to my schoolwork, but it was nice runnin' into you."

"And you."

"I hear you and Wade came to school together."

Zoe froze. She had been getting looks from girls all day. It was annoying as hell. That wasn't why she had frozen up though. She hadn't seen Lemon yet today, but she had known it was inevitable. The fact that Lemon wasn't mentioning everything that happened yesterday might be a good sign, but Zoe wasn't sure.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped back, closed her locker, and turned to face the girl who she hoped was still her friend. "Not you too." She said, deciding to work off the topic Lemon had brought up.

"You come up the street hand-in-hand with Wade Kinsella, people will talk."

"We weren't hand-in-hand. He just gave me a lift to school." Zoe said, slightly exasperated. Still, she was glad Lemon was being seemingly friendly.

"While he was givin' you a lift, did you tell him about what's goin' on with daddy and Dr. Wilkes?"

Zoe's jaw dropped, "What? Of course not. I would never do that." Lemon looked skeptical, "Lemon, you're my friend. Hurting you is the last thing I would want to do."

She could feel Lemon sizing her up, trying to determine how much she could trust her. Finally, Lemon offered her a small smile, "I know." She said, and Zoe breathed a sigh of relief, "This past year has been … I guess I'm just not quite as trustin' as I once was."

Zoe nodded understandingly. She considered telling Lemon she was here if she ever needed to talk, but decided against it. When people said that to her, after the accident, it had just made her mad. If Lemon wanted to talk, she would. She wouldn't give her false hope and comfort either. Things were pretty screwed up. She wasn't going to pretend they weren't.

"So, were you just trying to break the ice, or did you really think something happened with me and Wade?"

Lemon laughed, "I think we both know nothin' could ever happen between you and Wade Kinsella."

Zoe smiled, "I missed you."

"Don't go gettin' clingy on me. We fought yesterday." Zoe laughed, "But maybe I missed you too."

"Hey." Wade said, coming up behind Taylor.

She turned to him, smiling, "Hey yourself."

"You headin' to class?"

She nodded, "I got history. You?"

"Math." He said, scrunching up his nose in disgust.

Taylor laughed, "You look like you just ate somethin' awful."

"Well, I mean, it's math."

Taylor shrugged, "Math's not so bad. So long as they stay away from word problems. I hate those."

"Me too. Plus fractions. And multiplication. And, ya know, all the rest of 'em." Taylor chuckled, "So, uh, I had fun yesterday."

"Me too." She said, cheerily.

"Great. So, you got any plans after school?"

"I have homework, and then a group of us go volunteerin' at the soup kitchen in Mobile. I gotta be home by seven though, to eat dinner with my family, and then I'm leadin' a study group."

"Wow, you're, a, you're booked solid, ain't'cha?" Wade asked, trying to sound casual."

"I'm usually pretty busy durin' the week."

"Oh. Well, think maybe you could cut out on somethin'? I mean, is there any flexibility?"

"I'm sorry." She said.

"It's cool." Wade said, shrugging. The disappointment was clear in his eyes,

"Listen, I know this ain't exactly your idea of a good time, but how about we meet in the library after school and work on homework together? I could help you with your math."

"So I'm another one of your projects now? Tutorin' that dumb Kinsella boy?" Wade joked.

"More like helpin' out that smart, fun guy I kinda like, and gettin' to spend time with him."

Wade smiled, his face reddening a little, "All right. It's a date." She shot him another smile, "But can we maybe go somewhere other than the library. I got a reputation to protect an' all."

She smiled, "Well, I would suggest the lake, but our books would probably get wet." Wade smirked, "What about we meet up out front after school an' figure it out then."

Wade nodded, "Sounds good to me."

"Good. I'll see ya later."

It had been a long day. Girls had been giving Zoe the stink eye, or gossiping about her, or else just wanting details. Finally, Lemon told them off, very publically, which Zoe was grateful for. Still, it was exhausting, not to mention a little on the embarrassing side. She was glad that the girls had backed off though, and that she and Lemon had made up. They ate lunch with George and Wade, but everybody was a little weird. Most topics seemed off limits, and they mostly focused on their food. Zoe was glad that school was over.

Harley pulled up in front, and she got in the car next to him.

"How was school?" He asked.

"Weird." Harley nodded, not saying anything. The kept going like that for a while, but eventually, the silence got to her, "Look, I'm sorry about this morning."

"This morning?"

"The internship thing"

Harley sighed, "Zoe, look, I get-"

"I don't think you do. Because it's not about you. I appreciate you taking me in, and I didn't want to hurt you, but … I just don't want to have to answer a bunch of questions. And I really don't want to become the town charity case."

"Zoe, nobody-"

"Dr. Breeland and Mrs. Hattenbarger already treat me like that poor orphan girl."

"You're not an orphan. Not technically."

"That's not … I just …" Zoe sighed. Yes, she was not technically an orphan. Her father was alive. But he wasn't exactly her father. And that was a different issue anyway. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feeling with my lie, but, please just … just let people go on thinking my parents sent me here to learn about medicine from you?"

Harley sighed, "I won't say anything. But Zoe, you must know that the truth will come out. It always does."

Zoe nodded, "I know. I'm just … not ready for that yet."

Author's Note: So, what did we think? I know I'm stalling a bit on the legal issue, but again, I don't know much about that, and I'm not sure I want to focus on it too much yet.

The Salted Caramel Chocolate Fritter Cupcakes are listed as on the Butterstick Bakery's menu on HartofDixiewikia. Seriously, that website is so useful.

As for Friends, I checked IMDB to see exactly where they would be in February 1999, "The One with the Girl Who Hits Joey" aired February 18th, 1999. For the record, I love Monica and Chandler. They're my favorite couple on Friends (Of course I love Rachel and Ross, but Monica and Chandler have always been my favorite. Plus, they are way more functional). I just know that the writers never planned for Monica and Chanlder to be a thing, and I thought it might be funny if Zoe doubted it would last, as we all know it does.

I feel like Zoe would watch Friends, and I'm fairly certain Wade wouldn't unless provoked. He might like it if he watched it, but I don't think he would just watch it on his own. I could be wrong though. The whole thing of Zoe comparing him to Joey will come up again. I've actually wanted to do that for a while, because I have a plan to follow up that conversation. Anyway, Zade fans got a little treat in this chapter. I tried to put a little bit of most of the couples we are dealing with in.

How long do you think Lemon will be able to stop George from saying I love you? Do you think it's cruel of her to keep cutting him off, or do you sympathize with her?

I'm not really sure about how to write Jake. I tried to make a point of how he told AB they were going out, instead of asking her, but then he was also sweet and trying to impress her, so it could go either way. We don't know much about the guy, and while we know he turned out to be a jerk, we also know that he and AB were together for a while. I figure he has to be believable as a guy she would like. Still, with Zoe growing up in Bluebell, things may turn out differently.

I hope it was believable that Lemon forgave Zoe so easily. I feel like George did a lot of work to talk her down, and she really does need her friends right now. I didn't really want them to be in a fight long, at least not at this point in the story. If you think it was too out of character, let me know.

For those wondering about the picture Lemon took of Lavon and that girl, she still plans to use it against Ruby, but with everything going on with her dad, she has a lot on her mind.

What do you guys think of all the Zoe/Harley stuff?

Please review. They make me happy, and my life could really use some happy right now.