1997: Part 1

The headphones covering her ears didn't allow her to hear anything else, not outside or in the cabin of the old Ford pickup truck. And it wasn't like she was deliberately trying to be rude but, what did he expect? Right then, she couldn't even muster the courage to look at him directly in the eye, despite knowing he glanced in her direction from time to time.

It hadn't been easy. Sure, in her school, her situation wasn't all that bad. Parents divorced all the time and gossip about infidelities was part of the everyday. In fact, Gigi's mother was already married for a third time and her dad was in the eye of the storm for being a sixty-something dating a model just a year older than his oldest child.

No, it wasn't that bad. But she was fourteen. She had been the normal girl and she liked the title even if it portrayed her as a bit boring. She certainly didn't like the new nicknames some people had reserved for her now.

She had no idea how they had found out but sooner or later they would have anyway.

Her father had. And since then he hadn't been able to look at her with the same eyes.

Six months ago, everything had made sense, once that nice gentleman with a Southern twang had showed up at her mother's penthouse, the one she got from divorcing her dad. Dad. Yeah. That word had lost its meaning for her after that day.

Harley was a very sweet man but she couldn't find it in her to think of him as a father. She already had one she loved – even if Ethan Hart couldn't find it in him to love her back after learning the secret of his ex-wife.

It seemed really unfair.

She couldn't blame things on Harley either because, when she grew tired of people talking behind her back or of her mother's looks of remorse, she asked to be sent away and he was the only one who welcomed her. Her father – no, Ethan had practically abandoned her to be a superstar surgeon in Europe. Meanwhile, her mother tried to forget, and pretend things were fine. So Zoe decided to get to know this man at her side who lived in Bluebell, Alabama. She decided to get to know him so maybe she could learn a thing or two about herself.

Of course, when Gigi asked, she said she was spending the summer with her cousins in France. No way was she going to admit going to some cowtown in the middle of nowhere.

As soon as she saw the first houses and stores, she realized that this colorful little town was going to be hell. She wasn't cut out for this.

She pushed her headphones back.

"Welcome to Bluebell," Harley offered with a kind smile.

Zoe pulled a face. "This is it?" When she glanced his way, she noticed that his smile faltered a second. She was really, really trying not to be rude. "I mean, I… is there something to do here?"

"I'm not familiar with what youth does these days to have fun but I reckon having a glass of Agnes' sweet tea is still quite popular for a hot day."

She had to smile at his lame attempt to be helpful. Honestly, she had no clue why she was asking him if there was something to do around town. It was obvious he wouldn't have a clue.

"Oh, good, so it's not just me. It is really hot today."

Harley chuckled and nodded. "Yes, we're just waiting for the heat wave to break." There was a hopeful spark in his eye when he turned his head to look at her. "We could share a glass of that sweet tea while you tell me about your trip. If you want."

Her own father – the one she grew up with – had done the same when she was little. He invited her to have ice cream and talk about her and school. It was a bonding experience, she assumed. Mothers tried to do the same while shopping.

She just wasn't ready for that yet.

"I'm a bit tired," Zoe lied easily, shrugging a shoulder to add nonchalance to her words. "I could use a nap."

"Oh. Sure, sure," Harley replied, doing a pretty decent job at hiding his disappointment. "I have a few patients this afternoon, so we can have dinner together after that." She nodded, thankful that he wasn't pushing things. "I hope you like what I've done for your room. Emmeline helped me picking some things because she has a daughter. She's the practice's secretary, but you'll meet her soon."

After that Zoe tuned out, listening to random facts about the places they drove by. It wasn't like Bluebell was that big so she could get lost. She just kept nodding her head when the moment seemed right until they parked in front of a very well-kept Victorian cottage. She hadn't even realized how they had gotten there.

"There's… a phone here, right?" Zoe mumbled, noticing that there weren't neighbors really close. Actually, she wanted to ask if they had electricity there but she refrained herself from doing so.

Harley snickered. "Yes. I need one in case of emergency."

"It's just that I promised mom to call her when I got here."

He gave her a knowing look. Okay, so maybe he was perceptive enough to realize she was a bit judgmental and narrow-minded regarding the South. But as she would learn over and over again during summer, Harley was nice enough to not bring it up.

Seeing her room, with that floral duvet and the apricot walls, she knew Harley didn't know her. Well, it wasn't as if her other father knew her taste so well, either. But this was depressing, despite the fluffy pillows and the canopy bed (that she did like). At least she had her own bathroom.

Before Harley left her alone in the house, he gave her a little tour, wrote down the practice's phone number in case of emergency and told her to feel at home. Once alone, she couldn't feel more out of place.

When she heard her mom's voice, she wanted to cry, to say it had been a mistake and she wanted to go back to New York. But then her mom said she was happy about her decision (happy of her being away?), that it was a good idea (to meet a stranger?), and Zoe was angry again.

There was no way she was going back. Her mom would have to beg her to do so. Her dad would have to love her again. No, she was not going back. She was punishing them for not caring.

…

She had cried herself to sleep. Maybe she wasn't tired thanks to the flight but emotionally tired. She woke up and soon the only noises she could hear were the birds outside and the rustle of the trees. No, she hadn't been dreaming, she was now in Bluebell, Alabama.

Perhaps going out by herself, into a place she didn't know, wasn't the best idea but she was not only bored and alone, she wanted to forget how she felt. So she grabbed her tiny backpack and left.

Bluebell was like a town taken out of some magical story, where time had stopped. It didn't help her at all. She didn't feel welcomed when people stared at her and whispered behind her back. The thought of Harley suffering the same treatment crossed her mind briefly; maybe he understood how she felt.

She needed supplies for a night of self-pity. That's how she found herself in the Dixie Stop; it was the only convenience store in the whole town as far she knew. And she had been walking around for about an hour, tempted to go beyond the city limits.

She glowered at the last issue of Seventeen. It was as good as it would get, given that she didn't have her movies with her. At least things could be fixed with a pint of ice cream; that was for sure.

"Hey, can I help you?"

Zoe looked up, blinking a few times at the dark-skinned boy in the green apron at her side. He had a really friendly smile, as if nothing bad could ever happen to him. She couldn't help but to smile back.

"Hi. Um. Where's the ice cream?"

Again, the boy smiled a little brighter and led her to where the definitely limited variety of flavors was. She sighed. Just her luck.

"Thank you." Zoe dove in and picked a pint of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (because calories be damned).

"Are you eating all that by yourself?"

She glared at him. "Not like it's any of your business but yeah."

He chuckled. "I'm Lavon. Lavon Hayes."

"And I'm not sharing," Zoe shot back. After a beat they both laughed. It felt good. "Sorry. I'm Zoe."

"You're the new girl. Dr. Wilkes' daughter?" She knew Lavon wasn't saying it to hurt her but it stung. He seemed to notice, though. "Sorry. People around here love their gossip and… well, you're new. I'm sure in a few days something else will come up."

"I can't wait for that."

Lavon shrugged one shoulder which looked a bit awkward considering how much taller than her he was. "It'll go away. Maybe not as soon as you want but… eventually."

Zoe heaved a sigh, and opened her pint of ice cream. "So… can I get a spoon?"

…

"What are you wearing?"

George Tucker's eyes traveled down to study his outfit, wondering why his best friend would ask such dumb question. Well, his best friend wasn't the smartest kid he knew but still. "What?"

"Khakis? A polo shirt? What are you and what have you done to my friend?"

"Wade," George breathed out, rolling his eyes. "I just- I want to look good and my mom bought these for me. And Lemon likes it."

"Oh God." Wade pulled a face of disgust and folded his arms over his chest. "I don't know why I try to make you look good."

George narrowed his eyes. "I don't care because Lemon is going with me to Annabeth's party this weekend so you can say whatever you want. I have a girl and you don't."

"I don't want a girl." Wade smirked, shaking his head. "Why would I when I can be with any of them without wasting money or time?"

"Wow," George muttered. "You're every girl's dream guy." The sentence was charged with sarcasm but it didn't deter Wade.

"Not my problem you haven't properly kissed a girl yet, Tucker." Wade cackled when George's cheeks turned bright red. He knew very well that George was enamored with Lemon Breeland since before George himself knew it. It was meant to be; Golden Boy and Miss Perfection, even if she was a bit of a nightmare when you got in her way.

"I don't know why I'm friends with you," George mumbled before turning around, clearly done with the conversation they were having. He was not going to let Wade ridicule him for wanting to have a meaningful first kiss and a relationship. Plus, he had kissed a girl before. Sure, it was more like a peck but still.

"Come on!" Wade couldn't stop laughing as George walked away with his fists clenched. It was a shame he couldn't take a joke.

Shaking his head, Wade smiled to himself. He still had stuff to do, like buying some supplies for a family fishing trip; just his dad and his older brother, Jesse. He knew that was just an excuse so his mom could have a day to herself but she deserved it; she worked too hard keeping them in line.

He was a block away from the hardware store when he saw her for the first time. He could tell she wasn't from around just by the clothes she was wearing. The girls he knew, they all wore frilly dresses with flowers or pastel colored clothes while this girl was wearing a hot pink tee shirt and shortalls that showed her smooth legs.

It must have been the way he was looking at her because when he walked past her, she looked up at him. He didn't know why he felt embarrassed when they locked eyes or why he couldn't smirk like he always did. Perhaps it was because she looked miserable there, with a magazine on her lap and a pint of ice cream next to her on the bench in which she was sat.

But, you know, things were fine… until he crashed against a mailbox.

Now his cheeks burned. All while she laughed at him, stomping on the little pride he had left after that scene.

It was all because of her stupid big brown eyes and the way she had been looking at him. Yeah. She had been leering at him, almost drooling. Not the other way around.

Wade ignored the pain on his knee and kept on walking, hoping and praying that no one else had seen him.

He could still hear her giggling as he turned around the corner.

…

The way Harley cared was very different from her parents. He didn't ground her for leaving the house and not letting him know. He didn't yell at her, either. But it was much worse because he lectured her, pointing out every single reason why he was worried that she wasn't home when he returned.

"I don't mind if you want to meet people and have friends, Zoe. I'd just like to know you're fine."

It was hard to understand how this man, who barely knew her, could be so understanding, and show it without so many words. He completely understood her situation and it made her feel a bit guilty, knowing that she had been so ungrateful to him. But she couldn't bring herself to say a thing. She was a teenager. She still thought it was unfair.

At least he approved of Lavon as a new friend. And it wasn't like she brought it up willingly but it was the safest topic for her to talk about during dinner.

Apparently Lavon Hayes was a local football star who would be attending the University of Alabama with a full scholarship. That fact alone made him an outstanding citizen. Besides, he dated a girl named Ruby Jeffries, whose grandfather was some sort of war hero.

He also thought it was good that she was starting to make new friends, but he hoped she could make friends her age.

She didn't say a thing about not wanting to make new friends because she didn't really care. She already had friends in New York and didn't need any more of them.

…

Over the next couple of days, Zoe made a habit of accompanying Harley to the practice because it seemed more interesting to be there than to stay home watching TV.

Most of the time, she spent it playing solitary in the new computer Emmeline barely used, since they still worked with a foolproof filing system. She also helped handing lollipops to little kids and checking on the supplies in the exam rooms.

She didn't really want to remember the embarrassing moment in which she found the condoms while looking for more cherry lollipops but Emmeline seemed to have a good laugh every time she remembered it.

During those days she met Brick Breeland, Harley's partner. He wasn't the nicest guy around but where Harley was too nice, Brick was too blunt. Actually, it reminded Zoe about her dad, Ethan. She also realized Brick was more competitive and a tad aggressive regarding medicine. Maybe that was why most children were Harley's patients.

That was also how she met Lemon, Brick's oldest daughter.

If Zoe wanted to describe Lemon, she would say she was a spoiled, daddy's girl. But of course, the same was said about her when she was younger.

Perhaps she was biased, but Lemon was just too sweet and too nice, and Zoe could see right through her mask every time that tall, skinny, blonde girl smiled at her. She was just like Gigi, pretending to be a good girl but it was just pretending.

It was fair to say that Lemon liked her just as much as she liked her. Not at all. And Emmeline seemed to be the only one who noticed it but her advice for Zoe was to live her youth, to enjoy her summer and make friends because there was no other place in the world like Bluebell.

Zoe shot her a look that forced Emmeline to sigh.

"You are bored."

"Well, I wouldn't be if I were in New York," Zoe replied smartly.

Emmeline chuckled. "Yes, and why would that be? What would you be doing if you were in New York?"

Zoe opened her mouth to answer but she only closed it again. "I… well, it doesn't matter. I would be doing something interesting."

"Right," Mrs. H, as Zoe had gotten used to call Emmeline Hattenbarger, drawled.

Meanwhile, Brick was in his office dealing with Lemon and her latest tantrum.

It wasn't as if Zoe was eavesdropping but she could hear Lemon's shrill voice from her place behind the front desk.

"But Daddy! It's just a party at Annabeth's. You know her parents. Besides, I'm going with George and you know how he is. He's the most responsible young man in Bluebell," Lemon cried one more time, apparently trying to embarrass her father.

"He's still a fourteen-year-old boy, Lemonade." At least Brick tried not to sound angry. "Hormones aren't responsible."

"Daddy!" Lemon huffed. "You're ruining my life!"

Zoe snickered with Emmeline as they welcomed one of Hooper brothers who owned the lumber mill. Apparently he had suffered a little accident so while Emmeline helped the man, she sent Zoe to look for Brick because Harley was busy.

"Dr. Breeland?" Zoe called sheepishly as she poked her head inside his office, receiving Lemon's glare full force. "Um, there's an emergency and, uh, Dr. Wilkes is with a patient."

Brick heaved a sigh, almost grateful to have an excuse to leave Lemon. But his daughter wasn't happy.

"Daddy, you need to give me an answer!"

Brick dragged a hand over his face and suddenly he was looking at Zoe. She didn't like how he smiled. "Okay, Lemonade, I have an idea. You can go." Lemon was about to squeal when he added the second part of his answer. "But you have to take Zoe with you."

"What!" The two teenagers screeched at the same time but Brick was already with his new patient.

Lemon and Zoe shared a look of mutual hatred before Zoe rolled her eyes and stormed out of the office.

Of course Harley thought it was a great idea when Brick told him about it. Of course, because her life wasn't bad enough, now she had to pretend she was friends with Lemon.

…

George and Wade were joking as they walked down the street. They were in a very good mood but that wasn't strange in their case. They had always been the kind of boys who lived without a worry, enjoying fishing, football and summer. There were differences between them, and they were clear, but that didn't stop them from being friends.

"Look, if you need some alone time with Lemon, I know this great spot behind-"

"Wade," George whined, as his friend laughed. "I know, okay. You told me already."

"Just saying." Wade lifted his hands, even as he held a towel in one of those. "I'm trying to help."

"Well, don't. I have things under control."

"Yeah, right."

George glared at him. "This is my first real chance with her so you better not ruin this for me."

"I think I'll keep my hands busy with Carrie Swain, if you know what I mean." Wade waggled his brow suggestively, only earning himself a push from George. "Just let me know if you're using that make-out spot I told you about."

George chuckled, shaking his head. "Sure thing."

They were approaching the Breelands' house to pick up Lemon when Wade saw that brunette girl again, the one with the bambi eyes who had seen him making a fool of himself. He paled before grabbing George by the shoulder to stop him.

"Who's that?" Wade jutted his chin in Lemon's house's direction.

"Ah, that. She's Dr. Wilkes' daughter." George's eyebrows knitted together, giving Wade a strange look. "Haven't you heard the latest gossip?"

Wade frowned. "I'm not an old lady, Tucker."

"Well, anyway, she's coming with us because Lemon's dad wouldn't let her come otherwise."

Dammit! Wade didn't think this was a very good thing for him, especially because the new girl stood out. And he kind of hoped to make a better second impression after his first one.

…

Zoe really hated Lemon Breeland. And it wasn't because she had technically forced her to go to a party and socialize with the locals that were so beneath her intellect and fashion sense. No, it wasn't just that. To the list she had to add the swimsuit she was wearing under her clothes that only served to remind her that her chest wasn't as… generous as some other girls'. And last but not least, Lemon Breeland had a boyfriend that was sweet, polite, smart and ridiculously cute that dressed really well to her standards.

George Tucker was perfect, just like Zoe's dream boyfriend would be.

Oh, and she had almost forgot about another reason to hate Lemon. She had introduced her to the clumsy boy who had tripped over the mailbox the first day she got to Bluebell, Wade Kinsella. He was beyond annoying with his jokes and his overconfidence, walking around with that smirk on his lips as if he owned the world.

Glaring at the way George held Lemon's hand, Zoe tried her best to keep herself from running away and go back to Harley's place. Why did girls like Lemon always get whatever they wanted?

Zoe decided to block her view with the paperback copy of a book she had taken from Harley's collection. Surely no one would bother the girl with a book while the rest was enjoying the music, the conversation, and the pool that made Annabeth's house such a great place for a party.

Suddenly, a very loud and obnoxious laughter interrupted Zoe's attempt to read the first line of the book. When she looked up, she saw a busty blonde in a yellow bikini laughing at something Wade had done or said, just a few feet away from her. At the same time, Zoe caught a glimpse of Lemon and George sneaking behind some old trees, obviously trying to have some privacy.

The party definitely sucked. But maybe this was her chance to leave without being noticed.

No such luck, though.

"Hey, you leaving already?" Wade got in her way.

She glared at him and his cocky smirk and the way his blond hair was dripping water.

"Maybe."

He shook his head at her curt reply. "I don't think it's a very good idea for you to wander around, being new and all."

The busty blonde at his side giggled.

"God forbids I run into a mailbox, right?" Wade's smirk faltered as she leaned forward to whisper, "I think I can take care of myself."

She sidestepped him but he grabbed her by the arm. At that she wanted to slap him. Where was that southern gentlemanliness she had heard about?

"Don't New York snots know how to have fun?"

"We do but we're more…" Zoe looked around her, noticing how they had attracted more attention now. "Sophisticated than this."

Oh, she had tried not to be rude for so long only to end up with more than twenty teenagers glaring at her at that moment, including Wade who only arched an eyebrow at her.

"Sophisticated?"

Zoe shrugged one shoulder, pretending not to care but feeling smaller than she was just by how people looked at her.

"I'll show you sophisticated," Wade said with a new kind of smile, small and mischievous, before he wrapped an arm around her as quickly as he could.

Zoe started screaming from the moment her feet stopped touching the ground and all the way to the edge of the pool as Wade carried her.

"Don't you dare!"

"What? Girls in New York don't like water?" Wade paused for enough time to look at her in the eye and add, "You need to wash the snootiness off you, Zoe. And I think I can help you with that."

For a moment, Zoe really hoped he'd ease her into the pool but instead, Wade threw her in like a bag of potatoes, not even caring that she still had her backpack on. When she managed to get her head out of the water, spluttering, she saw everyone around her laughing, and Wade smiling triumphantly.

"Jerk!" She shouted.

He only laughed.

So he wanted revenge? She was good at playing that game.

"You know what? I don't blame you for dropping me here." She decided to take a different approach, which clearly confused him and the rest of the group. "I know how clumsy you can be, tripping with mailboxes just because I look at you." That wiped the smile right off Wade's face. Oh, she had him. "Don't worry, I know a girl like me can make a boy like you nervous. But I'm sorry, Wade." She finally made her way out of the pool, only to twist the knife in the wound a little deeper, standing in front of him. "I'm not interested."

But she soon learned that unlike other people, Wade was not going to go down without a fight. "Maybe you distract me and make me nervous because you're ugly. Maybe I had never seen a freak like you before. Or maybe, I felt pity for you, because I know who my dad is."

Hello. Well, as you can see I've decided to write a multi-chapter about how I think things could've been if Zoe had come to Bluebell during her teenage years. I know there are a few of this out there but I think this will be a little different.

This is AU so I won't follow the same timeline and things could be a little different from the show.

So, what did you think?