From Gumboots To Jimmy Choo's

A soft kiss on my lips woke me from my confusing dream. All I could really remember was colours and lights, strange. My eye's fluttered open and I looked up to see Nick, a small smile on his face.

"We're about to land." He explained. The seatbelt sign was once again lit and I reluctantly did up my belt.

Then something in my mind clicked and a wide slightly maniacal smile spread across my face, causing Nick to look strangely at me.

"What?" He asked.

"We're in America." I whispered, my head about to explode with joy.

He nodded. "Yeah.."

"WOOOO!" I screamed, causing everyone in first class to stare at me, some with shock and other's with bemused expressions. Dad, Nick, Kevin and Joe groaned, hiding their faces. (Well, that's what Nick and Kevin did.)

Once I was over my little 'episode' Nick went back to holding my hand again.

"I can't believe you slept that whole flight." Kevin commented, shaking his head.

"Well, if someone," I said pointedly, "hadn't kept me up till like three in the morning watching horror movies then thought it'd be funny to yell fire at six in the morning, I might've stayed awake for the actual flight."

I heard Joe snicker behind me and I scowled but my mood was lost when I looked out the window. L.A was massive. Honestly, I'd never so many big buildings like that before. New Zealand wasn't really known for it's big buildings or towns.

"The seatbelt sign has been switched on passengers, so we'd like to kindly ask you all to remain in you're seats whilst we begin our descent. Thank you for flying American Airlines and we hope you enjoyed your flight and choose us when you decide next to take a trip." Came the cool voice of a woman over the speaker.

I became excited again as the plane began to tilt. There was a buzzing sound in my ear for some reason and the roar of the engines echoed inside my head.

"Dad!!" I cried excitedly, "Dad! Can you believe it?! We're in America dad! America!"

"Yes Zoe, we're in America." I heard dad sigh loudly, "Breathe honey or you'll have an aneurysm."

"Gosh, I didn't know you could be so hyper after just waking up." Nick said, shaking his head.

I grinned. "There's a lot of things you don't know."

"That's for sure.." He muttered under his breath.

I flinched from his words. I don't think he expected me to hear them.

I distracted myself though from my thoughts. "Dad, is aunt Laura picking us up?"

"Yeah, I think she's bringing Tommy and Lisa as well." I heard him.

My eye's widened and my jaw dropped. "Really?!"

"Yeah, apparently they've changed a bit. You know Lisa turned twelve the other week and Tommy's seventeen next month. On the.."

"Fifth." I finished for him. I couldn't believe how much time had flown by.

The last time I had seen Tommy or Lisa was at the airport when they were moving to L.A. Tommy was ten, I was eight and Lisa had barely turned five. Aunt Laura had lived next to us ever since I could have remembered. Tommy and I were like ying and yang with each other. He was like my brother, he was like my twin. Always so fiercely protective of me. No-one could pick on his 'Little Z' whilst he was there and if he had found out you had picked on me, boy were you in trouble.

I smiled at the thought of seeing him again. I wondered what he looked like now. I remember he used to be skinny and wiry though scarily tough and intimidating. His hair was always slicked back because he thought he looked 'cool'. I laughed softly at the memories I had of us.

"Who's Tommy and Lisa?" Nick asked me. That's right, I had never actually told him or the other's about my cousins.

"Oh. Tommy and Lisa are my aunt's adopted kids. They used to live next to us until they moved when I was eight." I explained and Nick nodded.

The plane touched down with a soft thud. It was a few minute's though before it actually came to a stop. I had to let go of Nick's hand so as to grab my bag and jacket but we were soon joined again as we joined the throng of people waiting to leave the plane. The Jonases had gone another way since they didn't go through customs. Nick had made me promise to txt him when I got to my aunt's. We had all said good bye and dad and I made our way through customs, dad having already filled out our forms for our green cards. The security guy who was serving us took our photo then said that our cards would arrive within twenty four hours.

Dad and I left and went to collect our bags before exiting the airport, standing outside in the pick-up area, looking around. I turned to see a shock of bright blonde hair and I recognised the face immediately. As the green eye's landed on my own blue one's, our smile's mimicked each other. I dropped my bags and ran over to my aunt, hugging her tightly.

"I've missed you!" She said in my ear, hugging me. Aunt Laura was always the mother I'd never had.

"I've missed you too!" I squealed. She let go of me and gave me a quick one over.

"You've grown so much!" She exclaimed. I used to be about up to her waist but now she was only about a head taller than me.

"Well it has been seven years!" I said, grinning happily.

"Mum! Come on, we wanna say hi too!" A voice whined. It was melodic and floaty. I looked over my aunt's shoulder to see a seventeen year old guy and his twelve year old sister.

Lisa was a lot different. Her usual short black bob was now long tresses of red-brown hair that hung to her elbows. Her porcelain skin was unblemished from scars and her big brown eye's held my own, her dark lashes framing them. Her full pink lips spread into a grin, revealing perfect white teeth.

"Lisa! I can't believe it!" I squealed as she jumped into my arms, giggling.

"You're so pretty now Zoe!" She exclaimed and I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

"Thanks heaps Lisa." I said, setting her back down and looking up at Tommy.

He was about as tall as Tyler now which meant he towered over me. I probably just came up to his shoulder now. His hair reminded me of Joe's but his was a jet black, shining just like a hairdressing ad. His sea green eye's stood out against the coppery colour of his skin. At ten years old he was skinny with little bulk to him. At almost seventeen he was muscled and lean.

"Wow." I muttered before he pulled me into a tight hug, his smile also showing a set of pearly white's.

"Geez I've missed you!" He breathed into my ear. I finally felt as my missing piece was filled. My 'twin' was back with me. The two halves of our circle were once again connected. I hugged him tightly to me, his cologne filling my nose.

"I've been cast in a broad way show!" Lisa announced to me as soon as Tommy and I stopped hugging.

"Congrats Lisa!" I said, hugging her again as Tommy groaned. I looked at him, smirking. "What?"

"She won't shut up about it. It's been a month already." He rolled his eyes.

Lisa scowled. "Just cause I can sing better than you."

Tommy laughed, his voice deep, velvety. "Yeah sure, whatever make's you sleep at night."

I rolled at my eye's at the bickering siblings. Tommy had picked up my suitcase and bag as we walked to my aunt's car. He put both mine and dad's gears into the back of the large black and gleaming Rolls Royce. Oh that's right, my aunt really liked to ride in style. She owned a lot of clubs so I guess she can afford to now.

"So you're gonna be famous eh?" Tommy grinned as we all settled in the car, aunt Laura fast driving off.

I blushed and smiled crookedly. "Yeah, I guess."

"This is so exciting! My daughter's in broad way and my niece is going to be known worldwide!" Aunt Laura said happily, glancing back at us quickly.

I grinned at her in the rear view mirror.

"Maybe Tommy can be a back up dancer for me." I laughed and Tommy elbowed me playfully.

"So Lisa," Dad said, "What show are you in?"

Lisa gasped as if this was her favourite question. (Which I expect it is.) "The Secret Garden."

I was about to say something but my phone buzzed in my pocket. I unzipped my jacket pocket and pulled it out.

New Message
From: Nick

Hello beautiful. =)

Mom wants you to bring you're family
over tonight for dinner. Would've said bbq
but with weather like this it seems unlikely.

Is that okay?

-Nick
x

I smiled. He was right. I would've expected L.A to be hot but we'd come slightly at the start of Winter and it was currently raining.

"Uh dad?" I said, cutting into everyone's conversation.

"Yeah?"

"Nick's asked if we want to go over to their's for dinner." I said.

"Laura?" He said, looking to my aunt.

"Nick who?" She asked him, her eye's on the road.

"You remember Paul?" Dad said.

"Paul Jonas?"

That was the magic word. Lisa suddenly screamed and aunt Laura slammed on the brakes. Thank the heaven's there were no cars behind us.

"What?!" We all yelled, shocked from the sudden stop.

"THAT'S THE FATHER OF THE JONAS BROTHER'S!" Lisa yelled.

I groaned, Tommy laughed and aunt Laura didn't look so happy as she began driving again.

"Oh my gosh mum! Yes, yes, can we go PLEASE?" Lisa begged, her eye's big and pleading.

"Just for that I should really say no." Aunt Laura grumbled, looking annoyed.

I laughed. "I'll say yes."

Lisa squealed again and grabbed my arm, bouncing in her seat and reminding me of myself just a few hours ago.


Sure. What time?

-Zoe
x

His response was fast.


Two? Is that okay?

x

Lisa started getting frustrated and almost yanked my phone out of my hands to txt him back.


Cool. C u then. G2G
at my aunt's now.

x


Sweet, Joe says hurry up. =)
C u soon.

x

I shut my phone, leaning against the car seat.

"How do you know the Jonas brother's?" Lisa asked no-one in particular.

"You're mother and I went to school with their father." Dad answered her.

"My mom is so cool." She said. I hadn't realised until now but she, aunt Laura and Tommy all had really thick American accents. Come to think of it, I hadn't noticed that the JoBro's had either.

"Can you believe it mom? I'm going to meet the Jonas Brother's. This is so cool!" Lisa babbled excitedly as Aunt Laura drove up her long drive, parking outside the garage. "I mean, this is like the greatest day of my life!"

I grinned at Tommy and he rolled his eye's, getting out of the car with me following suit. I could feel the rain beginning to seep down the hood of my jacket, strands of my hair clinging to my face. I was thankful Kevin had told me to dress warmly before we left.

I grabbed my suitcase and my bag before all of us entered aunt Laura's large house. Aunt Laura's house was three stories. The first floor consisted of the garage, kitchen, dining room, living room and guest bedroom with connecting bathroom and of course the stairs. Oh, plus the door that led out to backyard.

The second floor had Tommy's, Lisa's and Aunt Laura's rooms with connecting bathrooms plus an entertainment room where there was a large screen, projector, entertainment centre, sofa, armchair's and bean bags plus like a tonne of DVD's. The top floor had four bedroom's, each with a connecting bathroom of course. The backyard had a large patio with a table and deckchairs, barbeque, pool, spa and jacuzzi plus a really pretty pond in the corner, the perimeter of the backyard covered with growing flowers and rose bushes.

"Okay Zoe, Lisa'll take you up to you're room. Mark, I've got the guest bedroom over there set up for you." Aunt Laura told us as we walked into the large hallway.

Sweet. I practically got my own floor.

My room was on the third floor, first on the right. I thanked Lisa who still hadn't shut up about meeting the Jonases. She soon left the room and I collapsed onto the comfortable bed.

It was only about eleven-thirty so I had about two and a half hours of complete relaxation. I closed my eye's, mulling over my thought's. The rush of the past few days hadn't given me much time to think really. I missed Kristen a lot. It was hard being away from her. In my whole entire life, Kristen and had never spent more then a day away from each other. We were best friends, soul sisters. It wasn't the same just txting her and now with the time difference it would be even harder. I thought how before I left both her and I were on the phone crying to each other.

I made her promise to come visit me in January, before school started and I had promised to visit her as often as I possibly could. Oh, and always free tickets to any of my 'concerts'. I also thought about everything and everyone I had left behind.

I got a little choked up as I thought about Roo. Dad couldn't bring him over here. I'd given him to Kristen. I knew she would look after him. I left behind an entire life I had known. This one, this new life I'd begun was unfamiliar, I didn't know what to expect. I didn't like that feeling. The feeling of complete helplessness like this, the feeling of not knowing where I was going but somewhere deep inside me, this feeling was oddly comforting. Of course, I still didn't know if I was really ready for this. I suppose though, that you can't really prepare yourself for something like this, can you?

At least I have the Jonases to help me through this. I'm still amazed at how much good fortune they've brought me, like my very own lucky charm family.

Soft knocking at the door pulled me from my thinking. I opened my eye's to see Tommy walking in.

"Did I wake you?" He asked, sitting on the bed.

I shook my head. "Nah, I was just thinking. "

"'Bout what?" He asked, laying down on his side, propped up by his elbow.

I sighed. "Everything. Anything-"

"And nothing." He finished for me, rolling his eye's and smiling. "Only you would still say that after seven years."

"And only you would know that I still say that after seven years." I laughed, rolling my eye's as well.

"We're like-"

"Twins." I finished for him then we both laughed.

"So," Tommy smirked. Damn, I knew what was coming. "This Nick guy eh?"

Told ya.

"What?" I groaned.

"Do I need to talk to him?" He asked, raising a brow.

"Jeez Tommy! I've only been here like ten minutes and you're already doing the whole big brother spew!" I whined, slapping his arm lightly.

"Well someone has to since those three are on the other side of the world." He said, "When are they coming?"

"Chace'll be here Sunday morning and Caleb and Tyler are going to come once school's finished." I told him.

"So I take it Caleb's not going back to school then?" Tommy questioned.

I laughed. "Yeah, school was never his thing."

"Boy did I know that." Tommy laughed as well.

We were silent for a moment and I began to think again.

"What are you thinking about now?" Tommy asked me, his eye's curious as they studied me.

I shrugged. "Just how much everything's changing so much, you know?"

He nodded, understanding. "Yeah, I know how you feel. It feels like yesterday we were just two nerdy kids playing in the paddocks."

I reminisced over our childhood together. "I miss those days. It was so much easier back then."

"Would you trade it then? This life, for just one more chance to go back to how it used to be?" He asked me.

I shook my head. "Nope. Cause then this wouldn't be the same. I'd rather have everything like this then go back and change it all, 'cause I know in the end this is what I truly wanted. Of course some things could be left out but in the end-"

"You'll leave knowing you gave it all and were strong enough to overcome you're trials." He finished for me.

"I've missed you heaps Big T." I smiled, hugging him.

"I've missed you heaps too Little Z." He whispered, holding me tightly just as if he'd never left my side.