“I can’t believe I’m actually moving to Florida!” Zoë, said excitedly throwing the remaining articles of her clothing in her suitcase.

“I know!  And you‘re going to be staying with Josh.  That‘s gonna be weird.  I mean he‘s been gone for what like thirteen years!” Pam, said as she sat down on Zoë’s bed.

“It’s been that long since he moved but you know I’ve seen him since then, Pam.  For God sakes you seen him at the funeral….” Zoë’s words trailed off, as her smile faded from the thoughts of her parents funeral a few months prior.

“I’m sorry Zoë, I didn’t mean for that to get brought up.  Don’t think about that.  I was just caught up in the moment!  Just forget I said anything!” Pam, said jumping up and rushing to her friend to give her a hug as the tears weld up in Zoë’s eyes.

“No, it’s ok.  I mean I can’t go back and change it.  My parents are gone now.  And Josh is being a good friend allowing me to come stay with him until I can get on my feet.”

“Allowing you?  You make it sound like you had a choice.  He’s practically forcing you to move down there.” Pam, pointed out retreating to the bed once she seen that her friend wasn’t going to have another emotional breakdown.

“Well, he’s been asking me to move down there for years.  He even tried to bribe my parents into moving down there a couple years ago, because he knew I wouldn’t move down there without them.  It’s weird how things work out.  Now they’re gone and here I am moving to Florida at Josh’s request.”

“I think it’s all for the best, Zo.  This place holds a lot of really great memories, but it also holds a lot of reminders too.  You need to go somewhere and get a fresh start.  Have some fun.  Live a little!”

“I know.  It’s just weird is all.  Me and Josh haven’t really spent a lot of time together over the last few years.  Sure we kept in touch, and I’ve seen him periodically when we’ve went down for Spring Break, or when he’s been in the area, stuff like that.  But we haven’t really spent any real amount of time around each other in years!  And now I’m moving to Florida, INTO HIS HOUSE!  I mean we’re two different people now!  What if we don’t get along?  What if all we do is fight?” Zoë, rambled.

“Girl, you’re just trying to talk yourself out of this because you don’t like to depend on people, especially Josh because of who he is now.  But sooner or later everyone needs help!  And I really HATE to say this but you don’t have any family to keep you here anymore!  And Josh is being a sport!  You two have been friends since you were lil’ kids.  You know each other better than you know yourselves!  Why on earth would you think you’d fight?”

“We always fight!  We bicker at each other over stupid stuff!  And living with him.  You know how he is, Pam!  Maybe I should just forget this whole idea, just stay here in the house.  Or we could get an apartment together!” Zoë, stopped packing and looked at her friend with begging eyes for an excuse to stay.

“Don’t even go there, you and Josh don’t really fight, you joke around and pick on each other like friends do!  And you know if you stay here it’ll be the wrong decision.  And it’s not that I don’t want you to stay, you know better than that.  My Best Friend is moving to the other end of the country.  But me and Kyle are getting our own place together soon.  And Josh is going to help you out with your career.  I mean he said he’d try to introduce you to some people.  This is your big break, Zo you can’t just walk away from it.  Not now!”

“I know, I know!  I’m just so confused.  I feel like I’m walking away from my parents.  I know that sounds stupid, but really all I have left of them is here!  In this house!” Zoë, sat down on the bed next to her friend as a tear rolled down her cheek.

“I know that.  And the house is yours so you can always come back here if things in Florida don’t work out.  But you really need to get away for a while.  At least go see how things work.  Don’t just throw it all away.  I really think you need this.  And Josh does too!  He’s worried about you, Zo!”

“He’s crazy!  I’m fine!  Mom and Dad have been gone for a couple months now!  I’m still sane!  See!  I haven’t pulled all my hair out or anything yet!” Zoë, ran her fingers through her long deep Auburn hair.

Pam, laughed.  “Yeah, you’ve still got all your hair, but it’s not your hair we’re worried about.  Now get your ass in gear!  You’ve gotta catch your plane in a few hours and I’m not going to accept anymore excuses.  I’m putting my foot down!  You’re going and that’s that!”

“FINE!” Zoë, huffed stuffing the rest of her clothes into her suitcase and then zipping it closed.

The two girls finished packing the rest of Zoë’s necessities into her other two bags and then loaded them up into Pam’s truck.  They stopped and had a fair well lunch on their way to the airport.

Over their lunch they discussed all the plans they’d made for the upkeep of Zoë’s parent’s home while she was gone.  And how Josh was planning on introducing Zoë’ to some producers and friends he had in the movie business.

Zoë, told Pam that Josh had told her that Lance would probably be a big help since he had his own company and he knew a lot of people in the movie industry.  Far more than Josh did, but that he was going to help her make her dream come true.  Her dream of becoming and actress.

Once, they were done with their lunch the girls made their way to the airport.  They walked around chit chatting until Zoë’s flight was called.  They said their teary goodbye’s at the gate and hugged each other for what seemed like and eternity before Zoë finally left to board her plane.

Pam, stood watching her friend until she disappeared, while praying for her friend, that everything would work out for her.  She’d been really worried about Zoë since her parents had been killed in that awful car accident.  Over the last couple of months she’d sunken into a shell, and wasn’t the same girl she used to know.

So when Pam called JC with the “progress report” they’d agreed upon her giving him when he was in town with his family for the funeral, and she told him how concerned she was.  She told him Zoë wasn’t eating like she used to, and didn’t leave her house unless she absolutely had to.  “She’s lost all her spunk!” Pam, had told him.

JC, grew very worried himself.  He knew that Zoë was very outgoing.  She was always out doing something, she was never one to sit still for very long, and to hear she wasn’t even leaving her house that just wasn’t the girl he knew.  Of coarse JC couldn’t rush to her side to check up on her because he was busy promoting and sticking to his schedule.  But he didn’t waste any time calling her up to check on her, and once he’d talked to her on the phone, he’d seen exactly what Pam had been talking about.

She was withdrawn and depressed, and JC began growing more worried than he already was. When he’d left her after being their for the funeral he’d had a bad feeling.  He knew she was going to take her parent’s deaths hard.  He, knew better than anyone how close Zoë was to her parents, being she was their only child.

Usually when they spoke on the phone she was all chipper and excited to hear from him.  They’d go on and on about all the things they had going on in their lives.  She was always the more talkative of the two, and now he found himself having to drag information out of her.

So he started calling her nightly to check up on her, to make sure she was ok.  She always sounded so sad, and nothing he could say ever seem to make her sound even remotely happy.  But after time he started sensing a change.  She wasn’t as withdrawn, and she had actually laughed at some of his jokes.

Knowing she didn’t have any family left in Maryland, and she only had a few friends left after everyone else had moved away for college he began trying to talk her into moving to Florida, like he’d done so many times before in the past.  But for the first time in history she actually showed interest in coming.  He knew it was because she was lonely.

So after a couple weeks of debating the pros and cons with her about why she should move down there she finally agreed.  She agreed she’d come stay with JC at his house until she could get a job and get her own apartment.  But she refused to live off of JC.  She made him agree to a payback agreement, and she wanted it in writing stating that if she did have to borrow any money from him she would pay it back with interest.

JC, told her it wasn’t necessary but she wouldn’t agree to it any other way, so he agreed.  He just wanted her close so he could keep an eye on her and make sure she didn’t do anything stupid.  Not that Zoë ever came across as the kind of person that would harm herself in any way, but he was that worried.  She’s been so depressed and he knew how much her parents meant to her.  He was honestly afraid she would feel that she was all alone in the world and that she had no reason to live.

It was the beginning of December, and he was just coming off a tour in September and a lot of non-stop promoting.  They were going to be heading back out on tour in March, but that gave him a few months to get her settled into Florida and make sure everything was ok with her.  It was actually working out perfect because even though he did still have promoting to do and stuff he wouldn’t be as busy, which meant he had more time to spend helping Zoë.

The Holidays were coming up, and he knew it was going to be her first Christmas without her parents and he didn’t want her to be alone.  So she’s spend Christmas with him and his parents, just like that had before his family had moved to Florida so many years ago.  Their families had always been close.  And JC’s mom was especially worried about Zoë, she was like a second daughter to her, so she of coarse insisted Zoë come be with them, as well as the rest of JC’s family.

It was going to be an interesting new start for all of them, to say the least.