


Zoey's Rough Summer

by mellow.yellow90



Category: Zoey 101
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-08-23
Updated: 2008-01-31
Packaged: 2013-10-20 00:54:15
Rating: K+
Chapters: 14
Words: 17,228
Publisher: www.fanfiction.net
Story URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3119763/1/
Author URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1118140/mellow-yellow90
Summary: COMPLETEDAS OF THURSDAY, JANUARY 31ST, 2008!TOTAL CZ,SOME DL! Better summary inside!





	1. Memories

PCA's out for the summer. Our story focuses on Zoey and her secret love for Chase. Before school ended, Chase finally told Zoey that he liked her, and that he wanted to go out with her. Zoey sadly rejected him, and she doesn't know why she did. All summer she's felt horrible, and Chase won't talk to her and let her explain. What will happen during this rough summer? Will things ever be the same between Chase and Zoey?

**Location: **Zoey Brooks' House, Zoey's bedroom

"_Zoey, can I ask you something…alone?" asked Chase. "Uh, yeah, sure, I'll be right there. I just gotta help Nicole with her packing". I walked out of Brenner Hall and onto the Quad, and there he was in all his glory, the wonderful Chase Matthews. "Zo, this is really hard for me to say, but I'm determined to say it". "What is it Chase?" I asked. "Um, er, uhh…" Chase said, obviously very nervously. "Chase, come on say it". "Okay. Zoey, I like you. And, I know that it's the end of the year and we're not gunna see each other for two months, but will you...go out with me?" said Chase, he seemed nervous of my reaction. "Chase, I'm sorry. But, I can't. I don't know why, but I can't," I said sadly. I knew at that moment I hurt him. I hurt myself too. I don't know why I rejected him, but I did. "Alright, Zoey, that's totally alright. I'll see you later". "Bye, Chase," I said sadly. I stood there, watching him hang his head in shame. I knew things would never be the same between us, and I felt bad. I don't know why I rejected him. I've liked him for so long, so why did I reject him?_

All those thoughts ran through my mind (and so did that flashback), from that moment up until now. I didn't even say goodbye to Chase before I left P.C.A., and now it's been two weeks since school ended, and he still won't talk to me. I don't take rejection very well, and I don't expect Chase to talk to me right away. I've tried asking Michael and Logan to talk to him, but every time I get the same answer "No, Zoey. He's still not talking to anyone". Every time he's signed onto The P.C.A. message boards, I want to talk to him, but I know that he's not going to talk. I tried talking to him the day I got back from P.C.A., but he wouldn't answer. I really needed to talk to my best friends, Dana Cruz, Quinn Pensky and especially, Nicole Bristow. Where are your friends when you need them most? I sighed, and looked at the clock; it was 10:30 a.m., I decided I needed to get up and get some breakfast, so I put on my favourite sweater, my P.C.A sweater, and headed downstairs with the thoughts of Chase and that memory still with me.

**Location: **Zoey Brooks' House, Zoey's Kitchen

-Zoey walked into the kitchen to see her father making pancakes, and her brother, Dustin struggling to get a box of cereal. Zoey's dad tells her that Nicole called and she needs to call her back right away-

(The sounds of Dustin struggling)

"Hey Zoey," Dustin and my dad said together.

"Hey," I responded. "Do you need some help getting that box down, Kiddo?" I asked Dustin.

"Nah….I think I'm good," he replied.

"What kind of pancakes would you like for breakfast, Zoey?" My dad asked.

"Strawberry, please," I said, while getting a Blix from the fridge.

_The sight of the Blix made Zoey feel "homesick" for P.C.A. and, it just added to the horrible feeling she already had. _

"Hey, Zo, why does Dustin have so much energy? He's been running around the house since 6:30 this morning. He woke up me and your mother?" asked my dad.

"Oh, that's probably Quinn's Frazz," I replied. "I think she gave him two packages for the summer".

"Please tell me the effects wear off," My dad pleaded.

"Yeah, they do…in about two weeks. Let me tell you though, it's not as bad as the time we were at Logan's for Spring Break," I said.

"Zoey, while you were sleeping, Nicole Bristow called and said to call her back right away. She said it was important," My dad told me.

"Alright, I will."

_Finally, Nicole calls me, but this could only equal horrible results. I mean, I love the girl to death, I really do, but when she questions me about things, especially when it comes to Chase, I just want to wring her neck. _

_-Just when Zoey was going to put her dishes away and go upstairs to call Nicole, there was a knock at the door- _

"I'll get it," Dustin said

"Hey Dustin, is your sister around?" said the voice at the door

"Yeah, I'll get her. Stay right here"

"ZOOOOOOEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYY" Dustin said, a little too loudly.

"Yeah, yeah, Dustin, I'm right here. Who's at the door?"

"Holly Spaklebaro" said Dustin

_Great, I really don't have time to deal with Holly right now. Why did Dustin have to answer the door? WHY! I haven't seen Holly since Christmas, maybe I can catch up with her for a little bit. But I mean, she doesn't understand what P.C.A.'s like, and every time I try to tell her about it and my friends, she just ends up insulting me. Stupid girl! ARG!_

"Hey, Holly" I said while walking to the door "Come in, we really need to catch up", I said in my sweetest voice.

"Yeah, so how have you been?"

_I could tell that Holly wasn't too pleased about seeing me in my pajamas. What did I care? I knew that our friendship was never going to be the same. We were just too different. We always were. _

"I've been great. I really miss P.C.A. though".

"Yeah…of course you do. I mean, I try to get our friendship back on track every time I see you, but you always end up talking about P.C.A. and what a great school it is. Yep," said Holly coldly.

(Sounds of Dustin still struggling to get the cereal box down)

Sigh "Dustin, let me help you get the box down," I said.

"Yeah, I've been trying for an hour"

"Here you go," I said as I handed the box to Dustin. "Do you need me to get you anything else?"

"Nope, I'm good".

"So, Holly, do you wanna go up to my room, so we can talk more?"

"Yeah, sure."


	2. A Fight and A Phone Call

**Location: **Zoey Brooks' House, Zoey's Room

-The two girls went up to Zoey's room. Holly was obviously hurt by all the pictures of Zoey's friends from P.C.A., and the amount of P.C.A. merchandise that completely covered Zoey's walls. The girls end up having a huge fight and Holly vowed to never speak to Zoey again-

"Wow. A lot's changed in here. What happened to all the pictures of us?" Holly asked when she first came into the room.

"They're still up, right by the top of my bed. I couldn't really fit them anywhere else".

"Zo, this is totally not like you."

"What's not like me?" I asked confused

_I knew from the second I finished my question what the answer would be. I regretted bringing Holly up to my room. I really wanted to be friends with her again, and I had no clue as to why she was being so cold to me. Sure, we talked a few times during the year, but I haven't been the same since I left for P.C.A. almost three years ago, and neither has she. We've both changed and we needed to accept that fact. Like I've said before, we're just…too different. _

"Well, before, all you had was pictures of you and me plastered all over your walls. Now, all you have is this P.C.A. garbage".

_I looked at her stunned. I didn't know what to say, but I knew exactly how I felt. I felt like I've just been shot. P.C.A. was my second home, a place where my best friends were. And this girl standing in front of me decided to trash it! Who does she think she is? I swear I don't lose my temper very often, but when someone trashes something I love, I absolutely lose it! _

"Really, is that what you think all this is?" I said very slowly and quietly.

"Yep, before you went off to that snobby school, you were so different. You were carefree and didn't conform to anybody's standards and most importantly, you didn't ditch your friends," Holly said.

"Oh, you're very brave to stand up to me, Holly. But, honestly, we've both changed," I said, still very slowly and very quietly.

"Really…." Holly laughed. "And how have _I _changed?"

"Well, for one, you weren't so stuck-up, you weren't rude to me for no reason, and you told me when I did something that was bothering you, you didn't just hide and take it out on me!" I yelled.

"Okay. We now know each other's opinion of the other person. What a wonderful feeling! But, Zoey, I think we're too different and I never want to speak to you again. So, you take that thought with you off to your little precious school".

"Wow. Finally, just what I was thinking. Now, let me walk you out. DON'T EVER, EVER COME BACK!" I yelled, twice as loud this time. "Oh, and before you leave, take your pictures with you. I mean, they mean so much, to you" I said as I was ripping them up.

_After Holly left, I didn't feel a thing. I knew our friendship was over, long before it was officially over. I just needed to pick up the pieces of ripped up picture, change, call Nicole and get on with my life. I needed to focus on what I was going to do about Chase. Chase….the one thing that's wrong in my life. I totally messed up, and I 100 percent regretted it. _

**Location: **Zoey Brooks' House, Zoey's Living Room

-Zoey went to her living room after she changed to go call Nicole. But, when she finally got a hold of her, it wasn't what Zoey was expecting-

_Ring _

_Ring _

_Ring _

_Ring _

_Ring _

_Ring _

"Come on, Nicole, pick up," I said into the phone.

_Ring _

_Ri-_

"Hello?" said the voice on the phone.

"Hi, is Nicole there please? It's Zoey".

"Yes she is, just a second, Zoey"

_After what seemed like hours, Nicole finally answered the phone_

"Oh my God, Zoey, sorry I took so long, I was painting my nails, and I didn't like the shade of blue I was painting my nails with, so I had to mix a better colour. Do you think guys will like the shade of blue I mixed? I think they will. Oh my God, did I tell you about the cute guy I saw today? He was so cute, but he wasn't cuter than Ed Shindlewood…." Nicole said.

"Nic-"

"….And, then we talked and his blue eyes sparkled in the sun!" said Nicole

"Nicole!"

"Yeah, Zo?"

"Why did you call? What's so important?"

"Oh yeah, well, I just talked to my mom a while ago and I asked her if you, Dana and Quinn could all come over to stay for a little while, and she said yes, so do you want to come?"

"I'd love to! I really need to talk to you guys anyways, so yeah I'd love to. But, I do have to ask first, so can I call you later to tell you what's happening?"

"Yeah, sure, I'll talk to you later. Bye, Zoey".

"Bye!"

_Yes! Now I just have to convince Dad to let me go for a few weeks. This is gunna crush him. _


	3. Conversations

**Location: **Zoey Brooks' House, Mr. & Mrs. Brooks' Room

-Zoey is now going to tell her dad about her trip to Nicole's. She really hoped that he would let her go, even though she didn't want to hurt him. Zoey hardly saw her father enough as it was -

"Dad, can I ask you something that may hurt you?" I asked reluctantly.

"Sure, go ahead, Sweet Pea," My dad said as he was closing the book he was reading.

"I just called Nicole, and….she wants me to go to her house to stay for a few weeks. She also invited Quinn and Dana".

"Sure, Zo, you've been cooped up here for two weeks, so you should go. But, can we talk before you call Nicole again?"

"Yeah, what do you want to talk about?" I said as I sat down on my father's bed.

"What's been happening between you and Holly, I mean, you were such good friends?" my dad asked just as reluctantly as I did.

"Well…., we aren't friends anymore." I said as I looked down. I was ashamed of myself. We had been such good friends since we were 4.

"Oh, that's it? If you don't mind me asking, how did it happen?"

"The usual, you lose contact and everything. And, I became closer, a lot closer with my friends at P.C.A. I better go call Nicole now, Dad. Maybe we can talk more, later."

"Oh…., ok, sure, we'll talk later. Go call Nicole now, I'll bet she's waiting for you to call."

_As I walked out of the room, I analyzed what my dad had just said. I could tell he was disappointed. I thought that he thought I was cutting him out of my life, which I didn't want to do. I had to make this up to him, especially before I leave for P.C.A. Man; the disappointment of this summer just keeps pilling up. _

**Location: **Zoey Brooks' House, Zoey's backyard

_I changed my mind about calling Nicole. I wanted to see if she was on P.C.A.s message board, so I decided to grab my laptop and go sit outside. I had a feeling that I may regret this conversation. Regret, I see a pattern forming here…._

(A/N: The following screen names are the actual names used by the Pacific Coast Academy's website, so I did NOT make them up and I do NOT own them)

ZoeyB-Girl says: Hey, Nicole. My dad said that I can go over to your house for a few weeks. YES!

Luv2Shop says: Yes! You're always welcome at my house. Well, since you're coming, can you please bring the game we made up, "Scrabble Secrets?"

ZoeyB-Girl says: Yeah.

Flashback

"_Quinn made us this scrabble board for us thanks Quinn. What you do is write words that have to do with your secret, while the rest of us try to guess it," I said._

"_Oooh, good idea, Zo," said Nicole. _

"_But, what will happen when we know each other so well, we all know each other's secrets?" questioned Dana._

"_Well, we'll make up a new game," I responded. _

_After that, everyone laughed. _

_End of flashback _

Luv2shop says: So, I'll see you on Monday?

ZoeyB-Girl says: Of course. Monday it is. But, can you pick me up, because my parents can't take two days off from work to drive me to Kansas, plus they have to take care of Dustin?

Luv2shop says: Yeah, I'll be right back; I gotta go ask my parents. Maybe my uncle can drive you, along with me.

_Boop PCAChase has signed in_

Luv2shop says: Uh…yeah, he can drive you. We'll be there on Saturday. Um…Zo? Can I ask you something?

ZoeyB-Girl says: Anything, Nic, what is it?

Luv2shop says: Have you talked to Chase at all yet?

_I knew that question was coming. I couldn't lie to my best friend, although I was tempted to. _

ZoeyB-Girl says: I've tried, but he won't talk to me, and I don't blame him either. I gotta go now, Nicole. I'll see you on Saturday. Bye!

Luv2shop says: Why don't you talk to him no-….Yeah, okay. I'll see you then. Bye!

_ZoeyB-Girl has signed off _

_I quickly ran inside, and went to the kitchen to grab some lunch and talked to my dad about me leaving for a few weeks and what happened between Holly and me. Again, he sounded disappointed. I promised myself that I would have mom take Dustin to Grandma's and then dad and I would have a dinner all to ourselves before I left for Kansas. _

"Dad, can I ask you something else?" I said as I sat down at the kitchen island for a late afternoon snack.

"Sure. Sweet Pea, anything."

"Nicole and her uncle are gunna come here and pick me up to go to her house, in Kansas on Saturday. But, I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner on Friday, just you and me?"

"Yes! I'd love to," the excitement finally back in my father's voice. I just smiled while he said that.


	4. A Hurtful Note

_I was so proud that my dad was finally happy with me again. I quickly finished my snack, grabbed my laptop and went up to my room to repack to go to Nicole's. I logged on to P.C.A.s message board once again, and left my laptop open on my desk. I also opened my music player, "Music Mania" and started to play the song "Unfaithful" by Rhianna….it was exactly how I was feeling at that moment. _

(A/N: Again, I don't own the screennames)

Boop you've got a message from PCAChase

_Quickly, I ran to my laptop and read the message. _

PCAChase says: Zoey, I know I'm not talking to you right now, but I wanted to let you know (and I've given this a lot of thought), that if I can't be your boyfriend, then I don't want to be anything. Bye. –Chase.

_PCAChase has signed off_

_I was shocked. I must have read that message 10 times before those words actually made a connection. I couldn't believe Chase was putting me through this. I needed him. I loved him. But, why was I so scared to make a commitment to him. I needed Chase. I printed that message and I decided to show it to Nicole when she came to pick me up on Saturday. I only had two days until she came. I wondered how I was going to survive because this summer just kept of getting worse. And, there was another month and a half of it to go! _

_I went to be early for the next two days. I only came out of my room to eat and to go to the bathroom. I lied to my parents about why I was spending so much time in my room. I didn't want them to know that I was upset about Chase. I messed up, and now he'll never forgive me. He doesn't want to be friends with me anymore….I messed up. I messed up really badly…._


	5. We're on our way to Kansas

**Location: **Zoey Brooks' House, Zoey's Kitchen

-Zoey got up early on Saturday, because she wanted to get to Nicole's a.s.a.p. because she felt like without Dana, Nicole and Quinn, Zoey wouldn't be able to get through any rough patches without them-

"Hey, Zoey, I made you a big breakfast today," said my mom as I came downstairs.

"Hey. What did you make?"

"Strawberry pancakes, bacon, eggs and toast"

"Alright, thanks Mom."

"When will Nicole be here?"

"She's supposed to be here at 7:30, but knowing her, it will most likely be 8:30," I said while laughing.

"Well, she's going to be here soon, so you better eat quickly and then go get changed."

"Yeah, I will. I have to go upstairs to get my suitcase".

_I finished breakfast around 6:45, and then I went upstairs to my room to grab everything I needed for Nicole's, I showered quickly, and by the time I was finally ready to go to Nicole's, surprisingly, she was here. _

-Nicole grabbed Zoey's stuff (along with her Uncle Albert) and visited with Zoey's mom for a little while. Soon, they had to go. Finally, they were off to a great adventure in Kansas-

"Zoey, Oh My Gosh it feels like I haven't seen you in forever!" Nicole said as she ran to give me a hug.

"Nicole, calm down," I said while laughing "It's only been two weeks!"

"I know! But, so much has happened. From between you and Chase to me and Ed, it's all been too much. I have so much to tell you!"

"Okay, we'll talk later, but I'm not gunna tell you anything in detail until we're with Dana and Quinn, but I will give you this," I said as I pulled out the instant message I had gotten from Chase.

"What's this?" Nicole said with a confused look on her face, much like the one she had on the first day at P.C.A. when I challenged the guys to the basketball game.

"It's a letter from Chase. Read it, and that's all I'm going to say before we see Quinn and Dana".

_I would have explained more, but my mom forced Nicole and her Uncle Albert to eat the pancakes that she made. After 20 minutes of eating, we were finally on our way to Kansas. _


	6. A Box and Another Flashback

**Location: **Mr. Johnson's (Uncle Albert) Car, Kentwood, Louisiana

_I said goodbye to my mom, and told her to tell my dad that I had a wonderful time at dinner last night. As I got into the car, I realized that I wanted to get a box from my room, so I halted the trip to Kansas for a few minutes until I could find that box, and when I brought it out, Nicole's face lit up. _

"Not until we're with Dana and Quinn." I told her.

"But….can't we reminisce without them?"

"Nicole, that wasn't the deal. You were there the night we made the deal. We can't go back on our word".

"Fine, but do you have pictures and a camera?"

I nodded, and finally, we were on our way to Kansas.

_The car trip was really silent, which is kind of odd for Nicole. Whenever I looked at her, I knew she was concentrating hard on something. It was probably about the instant message Chase sent me. She only really started talking when we got halfway through Oklahoma. _

"Zoey….?" Nicole sounded a little hurt.

"Yeah, Nicole?"

"I know that you're really hurt, and you don't want to talk about Chase right now, but do you know what you're going to do?"

"Truthfully…?"

Nicole nodded.

"Nope….for once in my life, I don't know what to do." I said sadly. And, that's when tears started coming down my face, and when I started to remember everything that had happened with me and Chase the past two years, especially my first day at P.C.A.

Flashback

**(A/N: This is from the pilot of Zoey 101. In no way do I own it. If I did, I'd be very rich and probably wouldn't be writing this) **

"_Hey" said Chase as he waved while riding his bike. "Hey," I responded while waving. That's when trouble started….he kind of crashed into a flag pole. I'll never forget that. I ran up to him, and asked him if he was okay. "Um, yeah, I was just checking the flag…it's a flag", he said while dropping it. "Um, I think you're arm's bleeding" I told him. "Oh yeah, uh, sorry, th-that's what happens when um…when I get wounded". I could tell from that moment that he was nervous. I laughed nervously. He was so cute! "Um, I'm Zoey". "Chase" FINALLY, HE SAID HIS NAME! "So, uh, are you like a new student here at P.C.A. uh, okay, that was a stupid question. Why else would you be here? I guess you could be dropping someone off. You know what, I'll bleed, and you talk. I remember thinking that he had me at that moment. "What's up?" "Um…nothing much. And, yeah, I'm a new student. "Cool, yeah I think it's great that P.C.A.s finally letting in girls. And, uh, you probably do to. Be-being a girl and all, no offense" Aww….he was funny! "It's okay, I'm used to it. Been a girl my whole life". That's when my dad stepped in. Great, he had to step in while I was talking to **the **hottest guy ever! "I've got a map here. Your dorm in Butler Hall, I'm just not sure…hello". "Uh..Dad, this is Chase. Chase, this is my dad". "Nice to meet you…Sir" Chase was even more nervous. "Um…you know I uh, pass by Butler on the way to my dorm, and if you wanted me to uh, walk you there, I can. "Uh, no, that's uh, that's…that'll be great, sure. Um…I'll just take Dustin to his dorm then. "Um…I'll just-I'll just turn around now. I quickly gave my dad a hug. This was the last time that I would see him for a few months, and although I didn't want to let go, I really wanted to stay here at P.C.A., **especially** with Chase around. "Um….you can turn around now". "Oh right". And with that, we started walking and Chase showed me around. It was **the best** five minute walk of my life!_

End of Flashback

"Zoey, Zoey? You there…Earth to Zoey!"

I shook my head to get out of my flashback….I never wanted to forget the first time I met him. That was my most favourite day at P.C.A.

"Yeah, Nicole?"

"So, you don't know what you're going do about Chase?"

"Nope, that's why I really wanted to talk to you, Dana and Quinn".

"Oh okay. So, can you tell me what happened after you left to go see Chase?"

"Nicole, drop it. I don't want to talk about it".

"But…."

"Nicole, please! I don't want to talk about it!"

"Fine".


	7. S'mores and Staying Up All Night

**Location: **Nicole Bristow's House, Kansas City, Kansas

-Nicole was mad at Zoey because she thought Zoey overreacted about Chase, but knowing Nicole, she couldn't stay mad at Zoey for longer than 5 minutes, so it didn't really matter anymore. The two friends stayed up all night talking about Ed, Nicole's new boyfriend whom she met while working at a clothing store-

"Thank you, Mr. Johnson"

"Oh, your welcome, Zoey".

"Nicole, why don't you help Zoey with her bags?" instructed Mr. Johnson.

"Whatever," mumbled Nicole

_I could tell she was mad at me. _

"Please, Nicole, I'm sorry."

"No, Zoey. Not this time. I'm not accepting your apology. You overreacted."

"Yeah, ugh" I said as I struggled to get my suitcase up the stairs "I know I overreacted, and I'm sorry". "I'm just upset about Chase".

_Nicole looked at me and I knew by the look on her face that she felt sorry for me and had forgiven me. _

"Okay, Zoey. I forgive you".

"Yeah, I know you can't stay mad at me for more than five minutes". I laughed.

"You're right. Now, let's get this suitcase into my room."

_After a long struggle, the two girls got Zoey's stuff up the stairs and into Nicole's room. _

"Nicole" I said when she first walked into the room, "It's beautiful…." I said in awe.

_Nicole's room was painted a bright, but girly shade of pink. Her bed was place off to the side, on the left wall, and a light "baby pink" canopy was hanging down from the ceiling, and behind Nicole's bed, was the biggest bay window Zoey had ever seen. However, on the walls were pictures and merchandise of P.C.A., much like Zoey's room. On the same wall as her bed, there was a large pink couch. On the other side, there was Nicole's closet, which was of course, filled with all of Nicole's clothes, and Nicole's desk. _

"Yeah, I love it; my mom decorated it when I was like four".

"What time is it, Nicole?"

"8:20, maybe we should go downstairs and get something to eat, because I'm really hungry"

"Yep, too bad we're not at P.C.A., I'm really craving a California Roll," I laughed.

"Don't worry, I've got s'mores. I know it's not a California Roll, but it does the trick, right?"

"Nope, but I'm hungry, so I'll eat anything" Zoey said in a sarcastic way.

"I'll be right back, you can change, Zo, I'll go get the s'mores ready, if you want".

"Yeah, I think I will change, bring lots of s'mores and some milk, please"

Nicole nodded.

_When Nicole came back, Zoey was changed into her favourite pajamas, and sitting on the couch, reading the book that was assigned for the summer reading assignment. _

"I'm back" Nicole said in her usual cheerful way.

"Awesome! I'm starving," Zoey said as she took the plate of s'mores from Nicole and put them onto the floor.

"Zoey, have I told you anything about Ed yet? He's the cutest guy ever!"

"No, but don't you want to wait until Quinn and Dana come?"

"Not really. Quinn's too absorbed in Mark to hear me gushing about guys, and Dana won't care".

"Wow, Nic, in the two weeks we've been apart, you've become a real observer," I said with a laugh.

"Not really. I've always been observant, I just never let it show," Nicole said, slightly embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it. So, tell me about Ed" I said (A/N: I didn't mean to make it rhyme).

"Well, I work at Rips and Tares, and one day he just walked in…."

"Wait," I interrupted "You, you, my best friend, Nicole Bristow works?" I said shocked.

"Yeah, I have to. I spent too much money on clothes and food last year; my parents are making me work". "….and he just smiled at me. I was totally shocked; I was like, OMG IS HE STARING AT ME? THAT'S THE CUTEST GUY I'VE EVER SEEN. HE'S EVEN HOTTER THAN LOGAN! I went to go serve him, 'cause that's my job, right? And, then, we got to talking, and he took me out for a smoothie at Smoothie Express during my break, and his blue eyes sparkled in the sun. It was amazing. Two days later, he asked me out, and so far, we've been going out for a week."

_The whole night, the two girls stayed up and pigged out on s'mores, cookies and milk. To them, it felt like they never left P.C.A., and that they weren't on summer holidays. That night only made Nicole and Zoey grow closer. It also made Zoey feel really bad about putting off telling Nicole about the last conversation she had with Chase, but she felt like it was necessary. It had to be done that way. _


	8. The Mall

**Location: **Nicole Bristow's House, Nicole's Kitchen

-Zoey goes downstairs and finds Nicole fighting with her little sister, Maria over a plate. After eating breakfast, the two girls change, and then decide to go to the mall, where Zoey finally meets Nicole's new boyfriend, Ed, who turns out differently than she expected-

_After a quick nap, I got up at 9:30 a.m., and went downstairs to get some breakfast. Let me tell you it wasn't exactly the kind of morning I was used to. There was no sound of silence; there was more like a loud noise. The noise was coming from Nicole and her sister, Maria fighting. I was quickly going to have to adjust and put on my best smile, and suck it up. _

"Hey, Nicole" I said as I came down the stairs that morning

"Put it away, Maria. We don't need plates for breakfast this morning"

"No! And you can't make me! I'm gunna tell Mommy on you!" shouted Maria at the top of her lungs.

"Maria, please go sit down and I'll bring you your Mickey Mouse bowl"

"No! I want my Mickey Mouse plate!"

"Maria, you can't eat cereal using a plate. Now, please go sit down"

"No! You're not my mommy. You can't tell be what to do!"

"Maria." Nicole said very calmly, "Mommy and Daddy went to work, and when they go to work, they put me in charge. Now, please go sit down and I'll give you your breakfast in your Mickey Mouse bowl"

"No! No! NO! NO!"

With every "no", Maria's screams got louder.

"Zoey, can you please help me," Nicole pleaded.

"Sure"

"Hi, Maria" I said as I was bending down to make eye contact with her. "You know what? The Mickey Mouse bowl is something I use every morning to eat breakfast with my cereal"

"Really"

"Yep, I love the Mickey Mouse bowl. It makes cereal taste better. The cereal always tastes better in a bowl"

"Okay" said Maria as she reached for the bowl.

"Finally! Thanks, Zoey" Nicole said finally relieved.

"Let's just get some breakfast".

"Sure, what would you like? Your usual?"

"Yes please. Cereal-Os with strawberries, you know me well, Nicole".

"Here you go, Zoey" Nicole said as she was handing the bowl full of cereal to Zoey.

"Thanks!" "Maria, are you done with the cereal?"

"Yeah, I'm gunna go upstairs and change".

"Thanks so much for your help, Zoey" Nicole said as she sat down to eat her breakfast.

"No problem. We still have a day to kill before Dana and Quinn get here, so what do you want to do?"

"Mall? You can meet Ed."

"Sure. I'm up for a little shopping. Do you have to work though?"

"No. We can go to the mall anytime. Besides, my mom's coming home soon, so we don't have to take Maria with us".

"Alright, I'll clean up here, and you can change".

"Thanks so much, Zo".

"No problem."

**20 minutes later….**

"Zoey, you don't have to do the dishes," Mrs. Bristow said as she came into the house.

"It's alright, Mrs. Bristow. Nicole's upstairs changing while I'm doing the dishes."

"Zoey, why don't you go upstairs and change. I'll finish cleaning the dishes."

"Are you sure, I don't mind doing the dishes".

"Yeah. You're our guest, go upstairs and change."

"Okay, thanks Mrs. Bristow".

**10 Minutes later….**

"Nicole, let's go!" Mrs. Bristow shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming"

"Wow, Nicole, you look amazing," I said as she came down the stairs.

_Nicole as usual, was perfectly colour coordinated. Today, she was wearing a light blue denim skirt that was few inches longer than her waist, the baby blue halter top I sent her for her birthday, her hair was down with her bangs clipped back with a blue clip and light blue kitten heeled sandals. _

"Yeah, well, I have to look great to meet Ed. Do you think he'll like what I'm wearing?"

"Of course he will, not let's get moving, we've already lost half an hour," said Mrs. Bristow. "Come on, Maria, I'm going to drop off the girls and then I'll take you to Playground".

"Yeah, I'm coming," said Maria from the living room.

**Location**: Sherwood Oaks Mall, Main Entrance

"Thank you Mrs. Bristow," I said as I stepped out of the car.

"Here's $40 for each of you," said Mrs. Bristow as she handed Nicole and me the money.

"Thanks, Mom!"

"Oh….Mrs. Bristow, it's okay, I have enough money".

"No, Zoey, please take it. Think of it as my gift to you," said Mrs. Bristow as she handed the money back.

"Okay," I said reluctantly and as I took the money. "Thanks".

"Come on Zo, we gotta meet Ed soon".

"Alright, bye and thanks Mrs. Bristow".

"Bye Zooeey!" said Maria from the backseat.

"Bye Maria".

As we walked into the entrance of the mall, Nicole pulled out her cell phone and speed dialed Ed.

"Hey, Babe," Nicole said in her cheery, high squeaky voice.

"Where are you?"

"Yeah, we're both here. Okay, 2:30 it is, bye! We're going to meet Ed at 2:30 inside Smoothie Express, okay?"

"That's fine," I responded.

"So, where do you wanna go, Zoey?"

"Hmm, I don't know," I said while looking around the mall. "How about, Buckle?"

"Awesome! Let's go get something to eat after we go there".

"Okay," I said in agreement.

_We went to Buckle, where we both gushed over the clothes. Nicole, of course gushed over everything she saw-from the clothes to the boys. All I could do was look at the clothes and think about what I was going to do about Chase hating me. Of course, it was all I could think of. _

"Zo…Zoey? Are….you okay?"

"Hmm? Yeah, yeah, I'm fine Nicole. You ready to get some lunch?"

Nicole nodded, "Just let me buy these pants and sweater really quickly".

"Okay, I'll meet you outside. I'll be sitting on the bench".

_I pulled out my cell phone to see if anyone had called or text messaged me. I was hoping Chase did, but to my disappointment, he didn't. I mean, why would he? I broke his heart. I was the jerk. No…I was worse than a jerk, I was a bitch, and the worst part is, I don't know why I was a bitch…._

"What time is it," Nicole asked as she came out of the store.

"1:45".

"Let's start walking to Smoothie Express, and then we can just hang there until Ed comes. You can meet him there".

I just nodded and followed Nicole to Smoothie Express. After 45 minutes of waiting, Ed finally showed.

"Nic, we've been sitting here for 45 minutes. I think we should just leave. I'll meet Ed another day, maybe with Quinn and Dana?"

"No, just 10 more minutes, and then we'll go".

"Fine, 10 minutes, and if he's not here, we're leaving."

"Ed!" Nicole shouted from across the room.

"Finally," I said under my breath.

A bright, wide smile lit up Ed's face when he saw her.

"Hey, Babe," he said as he grabbed Nicole's waist and led in to kiss her. "Sorry I'm late, I was in school".

"Oh, never mind; meet my best friend, Zoey Brooks".

"Hi," I said as I stuck my hand out and stood up.

"Yeah, whatever," Ed said coldly.

"Um…okay, nice to meet you too".

"Nicole, get me a strawberry smoothie, extra froth," said Ed rudely.

Nicole nodded and off she went to buy Ed the smoothie he demanded.

"So, Zoey, I hear you're from Louisiana".

"Mhm".

"Zoey let me put it to you straight, you may be Nicole's best friend at P.C.A., but outside P.C.A., I'm the most important person in her life, and there's no taking that away from me".

"Okay…I wasn't trying to take Nicole away from you, but as long you're around Nicole and me, you _will _be nice to her".

"Pfft…yeah right, Zoey. I control Nicole now. She needs to be controlled, look at the idiot!"

"Excuse me? Don't you **ever **let me here you trash talk my best friend, or **you will pay!" **

"Hey guys, I'm back," Nicole said sweetly as she put down Ed's smoothie. "How are you two get-"

"Nicole? Where's the froth. I WANTED FROTH!" yelled Ed.

"It's there," Nicole responded.

"Where, get me another one!"

"Okay, sure," Nicole said as she hung her head in shame and walked back to the counter to get another smoothie.

"Nicole!" I called. "Don't".

Nicole just turned back with a confused look on her face and complained to the worker behind the counter.

"See, Zoey, I control her now".

"Mhm".

_I needed a plan to get Nicole to see that Ed was using her-and fast. _

"So, Ed tell me about you controlling Nicole".

_Just as Zoey finished her sentence, Nicole turned around and looked at Zoey who was secretly signaling her to come and listen to what Ed was saying. _

He nodded. "Sure, well, I pretend that I like her, make her buy me stuff and do other things for me like my chores and then I dump her".

_Thankfully, Nicole heard everything Ed had said, and before I knew it, she had dumped his smoothie all over him. _

"It's over Ed. We're through. Come on, Zoey," Nicole said. She quickly ran out and I knew right then that she was crying.

A/N: I hope you guys like this chapter. I'll try and get Quinn and Dana into this story in Chapter 9 or 10. If you have any ideads to make this story better, please review and let me know thanks! Oh...P.S. I dunno if I'll be able to update anytime soon, but you never know, so keep checking back ;).


	9. Too Many Tears

**Location: **Sherwood Oaks Mall, Food Court

-After meeting Ed, Nicole had her heart broken. What she was about to tell Zoey was very shocking….-

_After running after Nicole for what seemed to be forever, I finally caught up with her, and expectedly, she was crying. , _

"Nicole! Nicole! Wait up," I said while running after her, half out of breath.

Nicole just kept running until she finally sat down in front of Pizza Palace.

"Finally," I said as I caught up with her.

Nicole put her head into her hands and didn't say a word to me for a few minutes.

"Nic, he wasn't worth your time. He was a jerk; it's his loss, not yours.

"You really think so, Zoey?" Nicole said after she thought about what I said.

I nodded.

After a few minutes of silence, Nicole finally talked again.

"Zo, can I tell you something?"

"Yeah. Nicole, anything."

"Zoey, I knew that he was using me, I've known it all along".

"Then, why did you date him if you knew that he was a player?"

"It's stupid"

"I'll bet you that it's not stupid," I said reassuringly, although I was reluctant to know the answer.

"Ugh. Forget it, let's just get some pizza," Nicole said, changing the subject.

"Okay…I'll buy us some pizza, but you gotta tell me why you still dated Ed".

Nicole didn't say anything as I got up and went to go buy pizza.

**Five Minutes later….**

After I got the pizza, Nicole quickly began stuffing her face with pizza. Whenever she did this, I could tell she was avoiding telling me something.

"Come on, Nicole, you gotta tell me sometime".

"No I don't. You still haven't told me about what _really _happened between you and Chase and why he's mad at you".

Crap. I knew right there that she was right. There was no denying that she _was _right.

"Nicole…you're right. You're 100 percent right about me not telling you about what happened between Chase and me, but for this one time, can I please keep it a secret for a little longer…? Please?"

Nicole just looked at me, like she was thinking really hard about what I'd just said.

"Fine, but you have to tell me tonight, along with Quinn and Dana".

"Maybe….but can you please tell me what was your reasoning for dating Ed?"

Nicole nodded. "I…I wanted him to "complete" me," she spat out really quickly.

"Oh...Nicole," I said while getting up to sit beside her. "You don't need a guy to "complete" you. "You have me, Dana, Quinn, Chase, Logan, Michael, and sometimes, Dustin. You have all your friends here in Kansas too. What will a boyfriend do that your friends can't?"

Nicole just looked at me like I already should've known the answer.

"Right, well, you don't need a guy to complete you with all the people around who love you. Besides, you get to go to P.C.A. and forget all about Ed!"

"Ed, who," Nicole said while laughing.

"Nicole! Nicole! Nicole! Nicole!" someone said from the distance, and while running to catch up to where we were sitting.

"Ugh. Hurry up, let's go" Nicole said while standing up really quickly.

"Go," I said to her. "Call your mom, and I'll meet you in front of Buckle" I told Nicole while getting up to face the person in front of me.

When Nicole was finally out of earshot, I started to talk.

"Nicole doesn't want to have anything to do with you, Ed"

"Why don't we let Nicole decide that?"

"Trust me, I know her better than you do and we just had a conversation about you, and she definitely doesn't want to see, hear or talk to you ever again."

"Whatever, Zoey, I will be back".

"Mhm, now why don't you run along now, and if I hear or see you around Nicole ever again, there **will **be hell to pay!"

"Bye, Zoey".

"Whatever, Ed," I said as I quickly walked away.

After a few minutes of running to get away from Ed, I walked to Buckle, where I saw Nicole sitting on the bench.

"What happened, Zoey?" she asked as I came up to her, once again, out of breath.

"Ed…he….wants…to…get…back…together with….you,"

"Probably, I've decided that that's not happening. I have everyone I need around me and I don't need a guy to "complete" me. Now, we gotta go 'cause my mom's here".

"Okay. Thanks for a great day, despite what happened, Nicole"

She nodded, and we went to go meet her mom.

"Girls, Quinn and Dana's plane is landing in 2 hours, so we better go meet them soon," Mrs. Bristow as we both got into the car.

"Finally," Nicole and I said in unison.

We were both desperate to see them, especially me.

"Where's Maria?" Nicole asked her mom.

"At home with your dad, they're making dinner and dessert for everyone".

"Okay," Nicole responded. "So, Zo, how excited are you that Quinn and Dana are finally coming? I'm so excited. I can't wait to hear how their summers are going. Its gunna be so much fun to see them again, it'll be like we never even left P.C.A. We can have all-nighters and pig out…"

"Nicole, calm down. It's only been two weeks," I said, remembering that's the first thing I said to her when I saw her a few days ago, for the first time.

"Sorry. I'm just so excited!"

"Wow. You must be feeling better…"

"I am. Who cares about Ed? I've got everyone I need".

"What happened between you and Ed, Nicole?" asked Mrs. Bristow.

Nicole proceeded to tell the story about what happened between Ed and her, while I sat in the back and thought about the events of today and how they were relevant to helping me make up with Chase.

_What am I going to do about Chase? Maybe I can call him…but would he talk to me? My only plan is to call him…wow. I suck. Now I officially know how much I need to talk to Dana, Nicole and Quinn about everything that happened. Or, do I really have to? Nope. I can keep this in, I'm Zoey Brooks. I will find a plan, and I will make it work. _

"Zoey, we're here. We gotta go meet Dana and Quinn soon," Nicole said as we got to the airport terminal.

Since we were an hour early, Nicole and I decided to go to a café that was near the terminal at which we'd be meeting Quinn and Dana.

"Do you want a latte, you look kind of shaky, Zoey?"

"No, I'm okay. I'll be just fine".

"Nic, there's a magazine store that I want to check out, so I'll be right back, okay?"

"Sure, but don't take too long. I hate being alone…"

I walked to the magazine store and picked up the latest issue of Pretty Girl Magazine. I flipped through it, and saw an article entitled "How to make up with the guy you like".

"I'd like to buy this magazine, please".

"Sure. $2.99," said the cashier behind the counter, who sort of looked like Chase.

I gave my head a shake to get me out of my trance, and looked at the cashier as I handed him the money. The guy still looked like Chase, but I didn't say anything, and quickly walked out as I was handed the change.

"Nicole!" I shouted as I walked back into the café, with my magazine flying in my hand.

"What is it?"

"I went into the magazine store there, and there was a cashier behind the counter who looked like Chase!"

"Zo, you're probably just imagining it. Chase lives in Cali, why would he come all the way to Kansas to work at an airport terminal?"

"You're right, but can we just please take a look?"

"Fine, but then we gotta meet Quinn and Dana 'cause their plane in coming in 15 minutes".

Nicole and I quickly decided that she would go up to the counter and ask the cashier to buy something.

"Hi, um…I'd like to buy this pack of gum, please?"

"Sure, 99 cents".

"Okay, um…can I ask you something?"

"Anything…"

"What's your name? It's just that you look like someone I know…"

"Henry."

"Okay, thanks, Henry, bye!"

"Bye!"

"His name was, Henry, Zoey," she said as she walked out of the store.

"Alright, now let's got meet Quinn and Dana".

We made it to the airport terminal, with just minutes to spare. We saw that their plane had already landed, so we waited anxiously for the two girl's arrival.

"Dana, Quinn, over here!" Nicole said as she was waving her arm, as soon as she spotted them.

"Hey guys," I said as I grabbed their bags when they caught up with us.

"Hey, Nicole, hey Zoey," they both said, while hugging the both of us.

"How has your summer been? Ours has been great, we went to the mall and then I introduced Zoey to my boyfriend, who was really rude, so now he's my ex. We should go now guys, my mom's waiting in the car. I'll tell you more about summer when we get home".

The rest of us just rolled our eyes and in unison said "Typical Nicole".

"Zoey, you don't have to carry our bags," Quinn said, "I brought one of my "Quinnventions".

Nicole stopped walking, and Dana and I just looked at each other with worried looks on our faces. Whenever we heard the word, "Quinnventions", we knew that it was never good.

"Um…no, that's okay, Quinn, I really don't mind carrying your bags, I mean the car's not that far," I told Quinn reluctantly.

"No, Zoey, I insist. Let me get the "Luggage Carrier 2006". I've been working on it since before we left P.C.A., so it should work…"

_Since I wasn't really in the mood to fight with Quinn, I decided to give up and let her let me use the "Luggage Carrier 2006". _

"Here, Zoey," she said as she went deep inside her backpack, and pulled out a remote control with a big, red button.

Quickly, the little cage that Quinn was holding unfolded, and magically became the "Luggage Carrier 2006". I stacked the suitcases on the metal frame and off we finally went.

"Hello, girls," Mrs. Bristow said as we all got into the car. "You ready to hit the road?"

"Of course Mrs. Bristow," we all said together.

_The whole way back from the airport, we chatted about all of our summers. Quinn was volunteering at the science museum by her house and Dana was working as a lifeguard at her local pool. Their summers seemed a lot better and a lot more productive than mine. After an hour, we were finally back at Nicole's house, which we were all excited about because we were really hungry. _

**Location: **Nicole Bristow's House, Dining Room

"Please pass the peas, Maria," Nicole said.

"Mhm," Maria said in response.

"So, Zoey, how has your summer been?" Dana asked curiously.

"Okay, difficult, but okay"

"Right, so you and Chase haven't made up yet?"

_I just looked down at my plate, and didn't say anything. _

"No, Zoey and Chase haven't made up yet. I'll show you and Quinn something Zoey got from Chase before she left when we get upstairs," Nicole said, speaking for me.

"Would you girls like some pie," Mrs. Bristow said, trying to break the silence.

"No thanks, Mrs. Bristow," said Dana and I

"Yes please, Mrs. Bristow," said Quinn

"Yes, please, Mom," said Nicole

After Quinn and Nicole finished their slices of pie, we all went upstairs, changed and got to talking about everything.

"Zoey," Nicole said as she came back into the room from changing, "Where's the box?"

"In my Stingrays gym bag, on your desk," I told her.

When Nicole pulled out the box, Quinn and Dana's faces lit up.

"Is that…?" Quinn asked

"…the box?" Dana finished.

I nodded.

"Open in, Zoey, open it!" Nicole said excitedly.

Before I sat down, everyone got into a small, but tight circle in the middle of the room.

"Okay, remember the pact we made on the first night at P.C.A.?" I asked everyone.

"Yep. Forever we shall honour this box; the contents shall not be reveled of what's inside these locks. If one of us shall talk, may they be eaten by hawks," we all said in unison

_I lifted the lid of the box, and suddenly, all the memories of that first night came flowing back to me. _

We each pulled out a picture of the night we first arrived at P.C.A. The picture I was holding was a picture of all of us with cake on our faces, Dana was holding a picture of me and her, Nicole a picture of all of us in our pajamas, right before going to bed that night and Quinn was holding a picture of Nicole and Quinn dancing.

"Do you remember that night when Chase, Michael, Benny, Chris, Paul and Joseph came to the dorm lounge begging for pizza?" Dana asked us.

"And cake," I added, just like Chase did that first night.

"Yep, absolutely"

"We stayed up all night. We promised each other that we would go to bed, but we never did," Nicole said dreamily.

"Yeah, we stayed up all night talking about our old schools and how much we hated them, compared to P.C.A.," Quinn said.

Nicole pulled out the notes we each wrote. They all had something about our first impressions of each other.

"Oh, my God," I said as Nicole pulled out the envelopes.

She handed each of us someone else's envelope. I had Dana's, Nicole had Quinn's, Quinn had Dana's and Dana had mine.

I opened the orange envelope which had Dana's name written on the front in her familiar handwriting.

"Zoey, she's very athletic, but a little too smart for her own good, Nicole, way to bubbly for me, Quinn, what's up with her Quinnventions, they're kind of scary, Chase he seems a little out of it at times, Michael, he eats way to much, Dustin, well, he's just a cutie, and Logan, wow. He's hot. But, he's also too cocky for me".

No one said anything for a few minutes until Dana opened Zoey's.

"Chase, he's so shy, but really cute. I like him so much already, Nicole; she's a little crazy, but it already by best, best friend, Dana, well, Thank God for her, she kept us from getting our butts beat, Quinn, she seems like a sweet girl, but a little scary at times, Logan, well, he's too cocky for me, but he's my new teammate, so it might get better, and Michael, he seems amazing, and someone I can really count on".

"So, that's when you figured out you liked Chase?" Quinn asked.

I just nodded. "Quinn, read Nicole's," I said, trying to quickly Change the subject.

"Zoey, wow, she's an amazing girl, and has a plan for everything. If her plans were boys, I'd want to marry them (A/N: An actual line from Zoey 101, The Jet-X commercial), Dana, she's so scary, I'm so afraid she's gunna beat me up in my sleep, Quinn, I dunno about her, Chase, he seems really sweet, Michael eats too much and Logan, he's a jerk, but a cute jerk.

"Okay…why don't I open Quinn's now?"

"I love everyone so far, except Logan, he's a jerk".

"Wow…nice. So, are we all hurt?" I asked everyone reluctantly.

"No, not really," Dana and Quinn responded. Nicole didn't say anything.

"Yes, I am," she said after a few minutes of silence.

"Aww…Nicole, we all love you. All those opinions were just first impressions, they've all changed. Remember on the last night at P.C.A., two years ago, we promised each other we'd always be best friends, no matter what?" Dana said

"Yeah I do! Group hug!" Nicole said.

For two hours, we sat and talked about that first night at P.C.A., and how we'd always be friends.

"Let's take more pictures and put them in another box, you know, so we always remember this night," Dana said.

"Way ahead of you, Dana," I said with a laugh. "Pass me my Stingray gym bag, please Nicole?"

"Of course," she said, while getting up to get my bag, "Here you go".

"Thanks. Now, here's a bunch of film and a camera, let's start taking pictures".

It was 1:00 in the morning by the time we finished all the rolls of film. Since we weren't tired, we decided to play "Scrabble Secrets".

Flashback

"_Quinn made us this scrabble board for us thanks Quinn. What you do is write words that have to do with your secret, while the rest of us try to guess it," I said._

"_Oooh, good idea, Zo," said Nicole. _

"_But, what will happen when we know each other so well, we all know each other's secrets?" questioned Dana._

"_Well, we'll make up a new game," I responded. _

_After that, everyone laughed. _

"_Now, come on let's play," I said. "Who wants to go first, Quinn, how about you?" _

"_Are you guys sure?" _

"_Of course, you made the board remember," Dana said. _

"_Alright, well, here's my first word, School". _

"_Does it have to do with a boy you liked at your old school, Quinn?" Nicole asked excitedly. _

"_Yeah," Quinn responded. _

"_Wow, everyone said". _

_Turns out, Quinn was beaten up by the guy she liked. That was one the deepest secrets ever told through playing "Scrabble Secrets", I thought. _

End of Flashback

"I'll go first," I said as I set up the board.

Thankfully, everyone agreed. I picked up my tiles, and held them in my hand, not knowing what I was going to write.

"Come on, Zoey, we don't have all day," Dana complained.

"Fine…," _I began placing the tiles, one by one on the board until I wrote one word. "Bushy". As soon as I shakily put the last tile down, I looked up and saw three shocked faces looking at me. It was right then that I burst into tears. Before I knew it, Quinn, Dana and Nicole were all hugging me. I had to tell them what had happened between me and Chase. I had to. Besides, it's been almost a month, we weren't talking and I didn't have another plan other than calling him. I couldn't reject them or this any longer, even if I was Zoey Brooks, "Master at making everything great again". So, I broke down and told them. After an hour and a half of crying and being comforted, I couldn't take it anymore, so I went downstairs to escape the remorse and get away on my own for a few minutes. When I came back, I knew a plan had been put into action…._

"Zo, sit here," Quinn told me as I came into the room with a glass of milk in my hand. I was pulled so violently, that the milk almost spilt onto the floor.

"What are you guys doing," I asked, confused.

"We are going to get you over Chase. That's what we're here for now that you've told us that Chase likes you and that you like Chase," Dana and Nicole informed me.

"I don't want to be over Chase, I love him!"

"Zoey, you broke his heart, how can you love him?" Dana asked.

"I…I…I don't know. I just do!"

"Okay, whatever, but it's you either get over Chase or you guys never talk again," Nicole said.

I started laughing. _Me get over Chase? Yeah right. That's not happening, not ever, not in a million years. _"Whatever guys, you're going to have to think of a new plan, because I'd rather not talk to Chase and make up while we're at P.C.A. then get over him".

"Fine, but Zoey Brooks, this is _not _over," Dana said coldly.

"Yes, it is Dana. I don't want to be over Chase. Why do you guys want me to be over Chase for?"

"Because…because….look at what he's done to you!" Quinn said.

"Quinn, Chase didn't do anything. I was the one that rejected him, he came up to me and told me that he liked me; he's the brave one in all this, not me. I'm the one who's too scared to make a commitment…"

_That's it! That's' why I rejected Chase, I was too scared to make a commitment. I was also scared that that commitment would ruin our friendship. _

"Give me the phone," I told Nicole.

She just nodded as she left the room to get the phone.

"What are you going to do," Quinn asked me curiously.

"I'm going to call Chase and see if he'll talk to me. If he doesn't, then I'll be really sad until we get back to P.C.A., he can't avoid me there".

Nicole quickly came back with the phone and handed it to Zoey. She quickly dialed the number that she memorized, and waited for someone to answer.

"Hello? Came a weak, raspy voice".

"Hi, Chase? It's Zoey. Can I talk to you for a second?"

-Dial tone-

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: This is where I'm ending this chapter, because I don't really know how to add to it, or where it's going at this point. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated 3


	10. Don't Worry, Everything Will Be Okay

(A/N: A re-cap of the previous chapter)

"Quinn, Chase didn't do anything. I was the one that rejected him, he came up to me and told me that he liked me; he's the brave one in all this, not me. I'm the one who's too scared to make a commitment…"

_That's it! That's' why I rejected Chase, I was too scared to make a commitment. I was also scared that that commitment would ruin our friendship. _

"Give me the phone," I told Nicole.

She just nodded as she left the room to get the phone.

"What are you going to do," Quinn asked me curiously.

"I'm going to call Chase and see if he'll talk to me. If he doesn't, then I'll be really sad until we get back to P.C.A., he can't avoid me there".

Nicole quickly came back with the phone and handed it to Zoey. She quickly dialed the number that she memorized, and waited for someone to answer.

"Hello?" came a weak, raspy voice.

"Hi, Chase? It's Zoey. Can I talk to you for a second?"

-Dial tone-

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Chase..Ch..Chase?"

"What happened?" Nicole asked, worried.

"He hung up on me, that's what happened! I'm going to bed."

_Everyone looked at me shocked as I climbed into my sleeping bag, which was lying on the floor. _

"Zo, you can't take your anger out on us," Dana said.

_I didn't respond I just laid there with my arms crossed; upset about what Chase just did to me. _

_How could he do that to me? Was I really that mean to him? Did I honestly hurt him that badly? Man, now he's never going to talk to me. I'm sorry Chase, I'm sorry! _

_Zoey fell asleep and didn't listen to a word Nicole, Dana and Quinn were saying that night. The next morning, Zoey woke up at around 8:00 in the morning, before any of her friends. She decided to eat breakfast with Nicole's family and then try and get Chase to talk to her again. _

**Location: **Nicole Bristow's House, Kitchen

"Mornin', Zoey," Mr. Bristow said as soon as he saw Zoey. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"I'll just have a banana and an apple if that's alright with you".

"Sure, you're our guest; you can have anything you want".

"Thanks, Mr. Bristow," I said as I grabbed a banana and an apple from the bowl sitting on the kitchen counter. "Well, I have to go to work, Zoey, so can you please take care of Maria until Nicole gets up?"

"Of course, Mr. Bristow," Zoey said as Mr. Bristow put his dishes into the sink and headed for the door.

_About an hour later, Nicole, Quinn and Dana came downstairs and saw Zoey already up, and watching T.V. with Maria. _

"Mornin', everyone," Nicole said cheerfully as she came down the stairs.

"Morning, Nicole," Maria responded.

"Where are Mom and Dad, did they go off to work again, Mare?"

"I dunno."

"Whatever. So, what would you guys like for breakfast?"

"Pancakes," Quinn said

"I'll have toast," Dana responded.

"Zoey, you want anything?"

"NO! NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!"

_Quinn, Nicole and Dana all looked at Zoey with shocked faces. _

"Sorry Zoey, I was just trying to be polite and ask you if you wanted anything, jeez," Nicole said very quietly because she was scared that Zoey would flip on her again.

"Sorry Nicole, I really didn't mean to flip on you," Zoey responded, even though she kind of did….

"Right, so, what do you guys want to do today? I mean, I have to work at 12:30. Maybe we can do something afterwards?" Nicole asked.

"Uh…Nicole, your dad told me to tell you that you have to take care of Maria" Zoey said.

"Ah, crap. What the hell am I going to do now?"

"We can watch over Maria," Quinn said from behind the counter.

"Really?" Nicole said, excited.

"Yeah, I don't mind. And besides, we don't really know Kansas City, so what are we going to do without you anyways?" Quinn asked.

"Thanks so much Quinn, I officially owe you a favour."

"Don't worry about it Nicole. Now, I'll make you breakfast. You wanted pancakes, right?"

"Yep, thanks." Nicole said.

"Dana, do you still want toast?"

"Duh, I'll just make it myself".

"Fine"

"Nicole, are you going upstairs to change?"

"Yeah, why? You want to yell at me some more?" Nicole asked harshly.

"No. Gosh. I was just going to ask you if you could please bring my laptop down, but since you're obviously not going to, I will".

"Fine with me," Nicole responded.

**Location: **Nicole Bristow's House, Nicole's Room

_When Zoey walked into the room, she saw the remains of what went on last night while she fell asleep-a DDR party. _

_Great, now how am I going to find my stuff underneath all their crap? _Zoey thought.

_Zoey sighed loudly, and quickly started moving everyone's stuff around so she could at least find some clothes, her laptop and her cell phone. _

_Stupid DDR crap all over the place, stupid CDs scattered everywhere, stupid, stupid, stupid! Everything was stupid in Zoey's mind. She just wanted to find everything she needed and go home. But, she couldn't. She promised Nicole she'd stay here for two weeks, and breaking a promise to Nicole would mean World War 3 for the next year. _

_Zoey decided she was going to give up on finding the stuff she needed. Instead, she sat down against Nicole's bed and started to cry. She cried for over an hour about everything that was bothering her, Holly, Chase, and the stupid fight (if you could even call it a fight) with Dana, Quinn and Nicole. _

"Zoey? Zoey? Where are you?" Nicole called from the hallway.

_There was a small push of the door, and Nicole walked in. _

"Oh…my…God," Nicole said. "Zoey, are you okay? You've been up here for over an hour!"

"Yeah….," Zoey started to lie. "No, Nicole, I'm not fine…I'm not fine at all".

"Oh Zoey," Nicole said as she sat down beside Zoey and started to comfort her. "Don't worry, everything will be okay, I promise".

"No it won't. Nothing will be okay," Zoey said as she tried to hold back her tears.

"Zoey, if you want to cry, cry," Nicole said. "I'm sorry about what I said."

"No Nicole, don't be sorry. I should be the one who's sorry, and I am."

"Okay. Now, that's settled. Quinn, Dana, its okay to come in now".

"Hey, Zo," Quinn and Dana said together. "We're sorry".

"Don't be. Like I told Nicole, I should be the one who's sorry."

"Okay, I see that everything's under control. Maria, come upstairs right now! I have to go to work guys, so I'll see you at 5:30?" Nicole said.

"Yep, bye Nicole," Zoey, Quinn and Dana said in unison.

"Bye….oh and cheer up Zoey. We've got a plan to make everything better. Don't worry," Nicole said on her way out.

_Zoey's face went from a small smile, to a completely scared face. They've got a plan to make everything better? Great….._

"Okay, so what's the plan, guys," Zoey asked as soon as Nicole left.

"Ah, we can't tell you until Nicole gets back. Now, let's get everything cleaned up here," Dana said.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Hope you like this chapter, please read and review. Also, please send me some ideas for this story in your reviews, if possible. Thanks!


	11. Former Best Friends

**Previous Chapter Recap...**

"Zoey, if you want to cry, cry," Nicole said. "I'm sorry about what I said."

"No Nicole, don't be sorry. I should be the one who's sorry, and I am."

"Okay. Now, that's settled. Quinn, Dana, its okay to come in now".

"Hey, Zo," Quinn and Dana said together. "We're sorry".

"Don't be. Like I told Nicole, I should be the one who's sorry."

"Okay, I see that everything's under control. Maria, come upstairs right now! I have to go to work guys, so I'll see you at 5:30?" Nicole said.

"Yep, bye Nicole," Zoey, Quinn and Dana said in unison.

"Bye….oh and cheer up Zoey. We've got a plan to make everything better. Don't worry," Nicole said on her way out.

_Zoey's face went from a small smile, to a completely scared face. They've got a plan to make everything better? Great….._

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

"Okay, so what's the plan, guys," Zoey asked as soon as Nicole left.

"Ah, we can't tell you until Nicole gets back. Now, let's get everything cleaned up here," Dana said.

_Dana, Zoey, Quinn and Maria spent the entire day cleaning Nicole's room after the "party" the previous night and playing board games. Since the four of them were extremely busy, they didn't realize that the time had flown by and it was already 5:30. _

"Hey guys. Thanks for cleaning my room. You totally didn't have to!," Nicole said.

"Ahh, it wasn't a big deal at all. We're happy to help, besides, it _was _our fault," Quinn said.

"Well, I guess we should tell Zoe the plan now, shouldn't we guys," Nicole said.

"Yep," agreed Dana and Quinn.

"What is it guys," Zoey said as she sat down on the window seat.

_I don't want to know their plan. I don't want their help. I just want to go home and be by myself until school starts again. I'll think of a plan on my own. A stubborn Zoey thought. _

"Well…," Dana began, nervously.

"…we managed to convince Chase, Michael and Logan to come down to Kansas to not only come solve this rift between you and Chase, but to also have a mini-P.C.A. reunioun!," Nicole finished for Dana.

"YOU DID WHAT?," Zoey shouted. "YOU INVITED THE GUYS OVER? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GUYS WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT! I'M NOT STAYING HERE, YOU HERE ME? I'M GOING HOME AND I'M NEVER GOING TO SPEAK TO THE THREE OF YOU AGAIN!"

"Zoey…you can't leave, you can't," Quinn said quietly.

"I can do what I want! Right now, I want to leave and that's what I'm going to do," Zoey said.

"Dana, you said this would work," Nicole whispered to her.

"I thought it would," she whispered back.

_Dana, Quinn and Nicole just watched Zoey as she left the room to go tell Nicole's parents that she wanted to go home. As she was gone from the room, the girls tried to put together another plan, but came out unsuccessful. However, they did decide that they weren't going to talk to Zoey for the time being. _

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_Dear Journal, _

_I thought that there would be nothing in this world that could tare my best friends and me apart. I was clearly mistaken. Dana, Nicole, Quinn and I are never going to be friends again! They decided that the only way of getting Chase and I to at least talk again was to bring the guys here, to Kansas. When I heard that, I completely freaked! Why I freaked, you may ask. Well, I'll tell you. It's because I'm not ready to talk to Chase. If I want to talk to him, I will, out of my own freewill. I don't want somebody else to make me talk to him. I still have to figure out my true feelings for him and also what I'm going to say to him when I do want to talk to him again and knowing Chase, he isn't going to buy some made-up crap. It NEEDS to come from the heart and that's final. Well, until tomorrow, Journal. _

_Bye, _

_--Zoey. _

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_That night was a quiet one at the Bristow household. Zoey, Dana, Nicole, and Quinn didn't say a word to each other the entire night. They all decided that it wouldn't be right to talk to one another. They all just needed to calm down and think the night's events through with a clear mind. But, would it work for these four "former best friends"? _

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**_A/N- Please send in your story ideas with your comments. They are grealty appreciated as I'm sort of running out of ideas and this story seems to me lacking. Thanks it advance, guys!_**


	12. Surprise

**Previous Chapter Recap….**

"YOU DID WHAT?," Zoey shouted. "YOU INVITED THE GUYS OVER? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GUYS WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT! I'M NOT STAYING HERE, YOU HERE ME? I'M GOING HOME AN

"Zoey…you can't leave, you can't," Quinn said quietly.

"I can do what I want! Right now, I want to leave and that's what I'm going to do," Zoey said.

"Dana, you said this would work," Nicole whispered to her.

"I thought it would," she whispered back.

_Dana, Quinn and Nicole just watched Zoey as she left the room to go tell Nicole's parents that she wanted to go home. As she was gone from the room, the girls tried to put together another plan, but came out unsuccessful. However, they did decide that they weren't going to talk to Zoey for the time being. _

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_Dear Journal, _

_I thought that there would be nothing in this world that could tare my best friends and me apart. I was clearly mistaken. Dana, Nicole, Quinn and I are never going to be friends again! They decided that the only way of getting Chase and I to at least talk again was to bring the guys here, to Kansas. When I heard that, I completely freaked! Why I freaked, you may ask. Well, I'll tell you. It's because I'm not ready to talk to Chase. If I want to talk to him, I will, out of my own freewill. I don't want somebody else to make me talk to him. I still have to figure out my true feelings for him and also what I'm going to say to him when I do want to talk to him again and knowing Chase, he isn't going to buy some made-up crap. It NEEDS to come from the heart and that's final. Well, until tomorrow, Journal. _

_Bye, _

_--Zoey. _

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_That night was a quiet one at the Bristow household. Zoey, Dana, Nicole, and Quinn didn't say a word to each other the entire night. They all decided that it wouldn't be right to talk to one another. They all just needed to calm down and think the night's events through with a clear mind. But, would it work for these four "former best friends"? _

**A/N- Sorry about the change in format, guys! I still hope that you enjoy my story and please review when you're done.**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

_Zoey got up the next day thinking about the previous night's events. She didn't say anything to Quinn, Dana or Nicole as she got up, got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. After breakfast, Zoey decided that she really didn't want to leave Kansas; she did want to stay and spend the rest of the summer with her best friends…that's if they even were her best friends still…_

"I'm sorry," Zoey said quietly to no one in particular.

_ Please let someone accept my apology _Zoey thought.

"What," Dana, Nicole, and Quinn said together.

"I said "I'm sorry"," Zoey said again.

_No one said anything. The three brunettes just stared at Zoey in disbelief. _

"…I wasn't thinking about what I said last night. I want to be friends with you guys…forever, no matter what comes between us. I do want to be friends with Chase again, but I doubt that that's going to happen now and I just want to make peace with all the people that are mad at me and I'm starting with you guys," Zoey said with a weak smile on her face.

"Zoey, I'm sorry, but what you said was really rude. I can't just accept your lame-ass apology at the snap of a finger. Get real," Dana said.

"You don't have to; just tell me you're not mad at me anymore."

"I'm not," a small voice said from a far corner.

_It was Quinn. When Zoey heard her comment, she smiled and ran to hug Quinn. _

"I'm sorry Quinn, I'm sorry Nicole, and I'm sorry Dana. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"Fine," Dana said in a huff "I accept your apology as well, even if it is lame-assed."

_Only one person didn't say anything during the apologies and no one seemed to notice, that is until after Quinn, Dana and Zoey had a little group hug. _

"Nic, aren't you going to accept Zoey's apology?" Quinn asked.

"No," said a crying Nicole.

"Why not, Nic, she said she was sorry at least eight times. She's obviously really apologetic and just wants everything to go back to the way it was," Quinn informed her.

"I don't care. Zoey, why don't you just leave? It's what you want."

"Nicole…that's not true," Zoey said as she went to sit down by Nicole. "…I want to stay here with you guys. Like Quinn said, I want everything to go back to normal. Please accept my apology. I'm truly, truly, truly, truly sorry, Nicole. I am. I really am."

_A smile took the place of the frown on Nicole's face as she looked up at her best friend and saw that Zoey really was remorseful and really wanted everything to go back to the way it was. Before this stupid fight, before this summer, and before Chase told her that he liked her. _

"Alright, Zoey, I accept your apology."

"Great, now can we move away from all this lovey-dovey crap and tell Zoey what's been going on?" Dana asked.

"Of course, Dana, of course," Nicole said. "But first, I want to shower and get changed."

"You guys have another plan," Zoey said reluctantly.

"Yep, you'll accept it and it will work," Quinn said "Or else I zap you with my Quinnvetion," she said with a hint of evil in her eyes.

"Okay…I will accept it, and it will work," agreed Zoey, scared for her life.

"I'll go make us some breakfast," Dana said.

_Everyone turned to her with shocked faces. _

"Dana Cruz is going to make _us _breakfast," said a familiar voice from the door.

_Everyone turned to look at the tall figure standing in the doorway and the four girl's mouth dropped. _

"Oh…," Quinn said.

"…my," Nicole continued.

"….God," Dana finished.

"Wha….," Zoey said in disbelief. It was all she could do to restrain herself from jumping on top of the person standing at the doorway.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N- Evil cliffhanger! I'm sorry guys, but I really want people to start giving me reviews, so I feel that this is the only way to do it. So, basically the more you review, the closer you are to getting a conclusion to this tale. I want a total of at least 25 reviews…that's only four reviews (No double-reviewing either!) Please tell your friends, it's the only way!**


	13. An End is in Sight

**A/N: Hey, me again! Sorry for the extremely long update…you can blame school for all that! Anyways, I know this chapter may not be amazing (or what you're expecting), but bear with me. It will get better, I promise! **

**Previously in "Zoey's Rough Summer" **

"You guys have another plan," Zoey said reluctantly.

"Yep, you'll accept it and it will work," Quinn said "Or else I zap you with my Quinnvetion," she said with a hint of evil in her eyes.

"Okay…I will accept it, and it will work," agreed Zoey, scared for her life.

"I'll go make us some breakfast," Dana said.

_Everyone turned to her with shocked faces. _

"Dana Cruz is going to make _us _breakfast," said a familiar voice from the door.

_Everyone turned to look at the tall figure standing in the doorway and the four girl's mouth dropped. _

"Oh…," Quinn said.

"…my," Nicole continued.

"….God," Dana finished.

"Wha….," Zoey said in disbelief. It was all she could do from restraining herself from jumping on top of the person standing at the doorway.

**

* * *

**"Michael, what are you doing here?!," Zoey screamed, while trying to restrain herself. 

"Well…," Michael said as he walked into the room "…Nicole invited us," he continued.

"Nicole…did what," Zoey said.

"I invited them," Nicole said, scared.

"Is the "them" I'm thinking about, Nicole?"

"Maybe…"

"Logan, Chase, get in here!" Zoey shouted

"Uh…Zoey, Chase isn't here," Michael said

_Only Logan had appeared at the door, but it did look like he was struggling with something. _

"LOGAN!" Dana shouted.

"Hey Babe," Logan said "How have you been?"

"Pretty good, and you,?" Dana said as she got up to kiss Logan and try and help him with whatever he was struggling with.

"Good. Hey Zoey, Hey Nicole, Hey Quinn," Logan said.

"My, my, my, haven't we've grown to be a little nicer," Zoey said.

"Yes, we have. Dana has changed me for the better, and I could…" "...couldn't be any happier," Logan said as he struggled some more.

"Here, let me help you, Logan," Dana said as she tugged on whatever Logan was struggling with.

_With one last tug from Dana, Chase finally appeared. _

"Michael, I thought you said Chase wasn't here," Zoey said, trying to avoid Chase's eyes.

"Oh, did I say that? My bad."

"Michael, Logan, Dana, Nicole, and Quinn, I'm going to kill all of you!" Zoey said as she got up to punch someone.

_Luckily for all of them, a strong force was holding Zoey back. When she turned around, she saw it was Chase. _

"Get off me!" Zoey screamed.

_Instantly, Chase let her go. _

_God, when did you get so strong? Zoey thought. _

_Nicole got up and locked the door as Dana brought to swivel chairs to the centre of the room and set them back-to-back. _

"None of us are leaving this room until Chase and Zoey are talking again," Nicole said.

"But…but…bu-" Dana cut Zoey off.

"No one is leaving this room. I don't care if it takes three days to get you guys talking again, you will not leave this room until you two talk about what happened and you guys have resolved your problems," Dana said sternly.

"Fine!" Zoey said as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Now, I want the two of you on these chairs," Dana said.

_Slowly, both Chase and Zoey got up and sat in the chairs facing opposite walls. For the first time in a long time, Chase spoke. _

"Why are we doing this…what's the point of sitting back-to-back?"

"It's so you don't see each other while we ask you questions," Quinn said.

"Questions! Oh no, I'm not answering any questions. I'm outta here," Zoey said as she got up out of the chair.

_Suddenly, her path towards the door was blocked by Logan and Dana. _

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE, BROOKS. SIT DOWN BEFORE I TIE YOU TO THE CHAIR!" Dana shouted.

"Fine, but you don't have to get all grouchy," Zoey said.

_Soon, questions were being asked and they were being answered. And it seemed like there would be an end in sight for Chase and Zoey. They were talking a little to each other, so some peace was restored. Until…_

"…Zoey, if you liked me and say you still like me, then why didn't you say no when I asked if you wanted to be my girlfriend?" Chase asked.

"Because…Because…" there was a long pause "…Because. I don't know why. I've been trying to figure it out all summer!"

"Come on, you have to at least know why!"

"No, I don't Chase," Zoey defended "And even if I did, do you really think that I'd tell you?"

"Yeah, I do, Zoey. I really do think that you would. I'm your best friend! You know you can tell me anything!"

"No, I can't tell you why. Now shut up! Quinn, next question please!"

Quinn just shook her head. "Answer the question, Zo".

Zoey sighed. "Fine, I was scared and I'm still scared." Zoey began as tears rolled down her face. "I don't want to lose by best best friend. I don't want to loose what we've built up for three years. I don't want to lose it all".

"Zoey, us not talking, that's loosing it all. I'm sorry I got mad at you this summer and wouldn't talk to you. I was just trying to figure it all out. If you don't want to be my girlfriend, I get it. We can still be friends."

"No, we can't be friends," Zoey said. "Not after all this, I don't want to be friends with you anymore."

* * *

**A/N: Another evil cliffhanger! I promise it will all work out. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter; I tried my best to kind of wrap up all the loose ends. There's still more to come seeing as there are still loose ends to wrap up. But, I promise you it will all work out. Now, please read and review. I'll only update A: If I have time (which I probably will this weekend) and B: I get at least two reviews (which would bring this to a total of 28!) **


	14. All is Right with the World

**Previously in "Zoey's Rough Summer…"**

"…Zoey, if you liked me and say you still like me, then why didn't you say no when I asked if you wanted to be my girlfriend?" Chase asked.

"Because…Because…" there was a long pause "…Because. I don't know why. I've been trying to figure it out all summer!"

"Come on, you have to at least know why!"

"No, I don't Chase," Zoey defended "And even if I did, do you really think that I'd tell you?"

"Yeah, I do, Zoey. I really do think that you would. I'm your best friend! You know you can tell me anything!"

"No, I can't tell you why. Now shut up! Quinn, next question please!"

Quinn just shook her head. "Answer the question, Zo".

Zoey sighed. "Fine, I was scared and I'm still scared." Zoey began as tears rolled down her face. "I don't want to lose by best best friend. I don't want to loose what we've built up for three years. I don't want to lose it all".

"Zoey, us not talking, that's loosing it all. I'm sorry I got mad at you this summer and wouldn't talk to you. I was just trying to figure it all out. If you don't want to be my girlfriend, I get it. We can still be friends."

"No, we can't be friends," Zoey said. "Not after all this, I don't want to be friends with you anymore."

**

* * *

****A/N: Hey guys! I know I changed the format in the last chapter (if you didn't notice, Chapter 12 was written in the first person, and chapter 13 was written in the third person). I didn't notice until I posted it, so sorry if I confused any of you! Thanks for reading and reviewing, it makes me feel special! So, here's the story. (IN FIRST PERSON-ZOEY'S POV!)**

* * *

"What…?" "You don't want to be friends anymore," Chase said in disbelief. 

"No, I don't." "I want to be your girlfriend, Chase. But, if you don't want to, I understand. I mean that instant message you sent me said it all," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

Chase sighed. "I know that instant message said so much, but let me tell you that I've been thinking about everything that's happened between us since the beginning of the summer. I want you to know that I regret sending you that instant message; I still want to be your friend. I want to be your best friend and I want to be your boyfriend."

Instantly, my face lit up with a wide, tooth-filled smile. "So it's settled. We're officially dating, right?"

"We're officially dating, Zoey Brooks," Chase said as he leaned in towards me.

I leaned in towards him and we kissed. Let me tell you, it wasn't how I kiss my brother! It was long awaited, passionate kiss. I loved him and he loved me. All was right with the world.

"Aww…finally, I thought this day would never come!," Nicole squealed.

"Yeah, congratulations, man," Michael said.

"Finally," Dana said. "But if you hurt her, Chase, I will kick your ass."

Chase's face instantly turned white.

"It's about time, Dude," Logan said.

"Can I have some of your DNA, I want to do a couple's experiment…you know on physical attraction," Quinn inquired.

"Uh…no," Chase and I said.

_Zoey and Chase, Zoey and Chase, Chase and Zoey, Chase and Zoey. I sang in my head. All was right with the world. _

"Now what," Nicole asked.

"Let's party it up!" I responded.

_The whole night, the gang danced like they had never been apart, and like Chase and Zoey never fought. However, the guys had to go the next day, to the disappointment of Zoey and Dana. They didn't want to let their guys go. Afterwards, Quinn, Dana, Zoey and Nicole stayed behind and partied some more. This was definitely a summer Zoey would never forget. _

**A week later…**

"Well, I'll see you guys in 3 weeks, okay," I said while hugging Dana, Quinn and Nicole.

"Three weeks it is, Zoey." "Have a safe trip home," Quinn said.

"I'll miss you, Zoey. I'll miss you!" Nicole said.

"Nicole, three weeks, it's just three weeks!"

"Yeah, but it seems like a lifetime!"

_I just rolled my eyes, I really didn't want to get into another fight, and I just didn't have the energy (or desire) for it. _

"Bye, Dana." I said.

"Bye, Zo".

"Have a safe trip home you guys," I said to Quinn and Dana.

"You too, once again," Quinn said.

"You too," Dana and Nicole said.

_I said my final goodbyes as I got into my blue convertible, where my Dad was waiting. I waved to Dana, Quinn and Nicole until they were almost out of sight. I'll miss them, even if it was only three weeks. Three weeks was much too long, much too long. _

_My Dad and I talked the whole way back to Louisiana. I missed my Dad. We were always so close. As we pulled up to Cherry Drive, I asked my Dad to drop me off; there was one more person I needed to make peace with. _

"Dad, I gotta see someone, just drop me off here. I'll be home in about an hour, okay?"

"Sure. Do whatever you have to. I still have to get your brother from the doctor."

"DOCTOR, IS HE OKAY?"

"Yeah, he's fine. It's just Quinn's "Frazz" has been acting weird,"

"Oh, okay," I said as I walked up the stone pathway. "Love you Dad!"

"Love you, Zoey!"

_I knocked three times before anyone answered the door. _

"Hi Mrs. Spaklebaro, is Holly home?"

"Hello, Zoey. Yes, she's home. I'll go see if she wants to talk, she hasn't been up to doing much lately. Come in, Zoey," Mrs. Spaklebaro said as she stepped aside to let me through.

_I waited around for a bit until Holly finally came. She was angry, which was understandable after I had been so mean to her. _

"Hey, Holly," I said. "Can we talk?"

"I don't have anything to say to you, Zoey," Holly said, coldly.

"Well, I have something to say to you. Will you please, please just listen?" I pleaded.

"Fine. What do you want?"

"Well…" I began "…I've been doing some serious thinking this summer. I've learned that we get very few chances in this life, to make best friends. It's very difficult to lose a best friend. That's what I've done. I've lost two of my best friends this summer. One, I've regained, and the other, I'm hoping to regain. I was a jerk, Holly. I didn't call you or talk to you throughout the year at P.C.A. Then, when you came over to my house to talk, I wouldn't hear it. I know that if someone did that to me, I'd be pretty pissed off too. So, I was wondering if we could start fresh, you know…be friends again. I promise I'll call you throughout the year. Here's my cell phone number and my email address. Take it, we'll start out fresh." I said, hoping Holly would forgive me.

There was long pause before a smile formed on Holly's face. "Sure, Zo, we can start fresh. I'm Holly Spaklebaro," Holly said as she reached out her right arm.

I took her arm and shook it. "I'm Zoey Brooks," I said laughing. "Hey, Holl, do you want to go to the movies next week, I hear "Simple Waves" is really good!"

"I'd love to," Holly responded. "But, right now do you want to go up to my room, we can take some pictures."

"Sure," I said happily. "Sure!"

"Great, let's go!"

_So, the two girls went up to Holly's room to take pictures. Peace was restored in Louisiana and peace was restored for the P.C.A. gang. Everyone was happy…except Dustin, he was still jumpy and hyper from Quinn's "Frazz", but that's a different tale._

* * *

"Hurry up Dad, we've gotta go!" I said as I got into the car. 

"Zoey, we have an hour! Calm down," Dad said.

"Ugh, let's go, now! I have to see Quinn, Dana, Nicole, Chase, Michael and Logan!"

"You saw them three weeks ago! I'll bet nothing's changed. Besides, Dustin still needs to go to the washroom."

"DUSTIN, KIDDO, LET'S GO!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm right here," Dustin said as he carried Quinn's "Frazz" out to the car.

"Bye, Grandma, bye Grandpa," I said as I went to give them a hug.

"Bye, Zoey, bye Dustin. Have a good year at P.C.A," they said in unison.

"We will," Dustin said. "Bye!"

"Let's go kids, into the car!"

"Finally!" I said.

"We're off to P.C.A!" Dustin shouted. "Whoo hoo!"

An hour later….

"Room 101, its home," Zoey said as she walked into the room.

"Hey Zoey!" Dana and Nicole said.

"Hey guys," I said as I put down my belongings. "I missed you guys!"

"We missed you too," Nicole said.

"Ummm…I'm going to go see if Chase is here yet. I missed him so much," I said as I rushed out the door.

"Say "hi" to him for us," Dana said. "Jeez, those two just won't give it a rest."

"Give what a rest, Dana?" "Are they like-"

Dana cut her off "Don't even say it, Nicole."

"Fine. Just help me unpack."

"Ugh, every year, it's the same old routine. I'm not helping you this year, do it yourself!"

"Fine, but you don't have to get all yelly!"

"Typical," Dana said as she walked out of the room.

* * *

"Chase, Chase!," I yelled when I spotted him out in the quad. 

"Hey, you," Chase said as he walked up to me. "How was your summer?"

"It was good, but the best part was finally making up with you," I told him.

Suddenly, Chase turned his neck and leaned in to kiss me.

"Mmm," I said as we finally stopped kissing. "Do you need any help with your bags?"

"Yeah, I could use some-"

As per usual, Chase tripped.

"Are you okay, Baby?" I screamed and bent down to kiss his forehead.

"I'm fine now," Chase smiled.

"Come on, let's get you up," I said as I pulled Chase to his feet.

_We walked hand-in-hand all the way to his dorm. All was right with us again, and all was right with the world. Just like it was always meant to be. _

* * *

**A/N: So this concludes "Zoey's Rough Summer". I was thinking of doing a sequel, so if I get enough people requesting it, I'll right it. Please read and review, it makes me feel very special! I love you guys! Oh and please read "A Rose for Dana". I might have another chapter up soon. But, please tell your friends about it, as it hasn't been doing so well. Thanks in advance! Xoxo**


End file.
