Strawberry Sunscreen - JJ Maybank - Outer Banks

Chapter 1 - Pilot || Part 1

Elizabeth Thornton's eyes lit up as soon as she saw the exit to the airport, a weight dropping from her chest as she rolled her bag through the motion sensored doors past groups of people. Friends, family, and lovers all embraced outside the doors, the feeling of happiness flooding throughout the area. Elizabeth turned around, her eyes scanning the area for her mother or brother, who had told her they would be picking her up and ferrying to the island she previously called home-- The Outer Banks.

Elizabeth had been gone for six months-- half of the school year. She was one of four students from the kook academy that attended an exchange program located outside of Sydney, Australia. There she had been engulfed in their land and culture as she managed to live a completely new life-- one completely free of the drama of her past one. That was until she began dating Steven Brentley, another exchange student from the Outer Banks currently living in Australia. They were the perfect kook couple-- well, until they weren't.

Regardless of her relationship status, the girl wanted to take her knowledge and experience from her trip and turn herself into something better than she was-- someone happier. She had left the Outer Banks as someone who needed to get out and experience a brand-new part of the world. And she was coming back as someone who wanted to experience more of the adventure and thrill that she had while away.

The girl laid her luggage down on the cool pavement as she watched the sunset lower slowly. The wind tickled at her arms as her hair blew with the air, the smell of home seemingly moments away. She scrolled through her phone, tapping her mother and brothers contact cards-- neither did. Around thirty minutes had gone by when she called once more, with the same result as the first one. She sighed, crossing her arms as she laid back against the outer wall of the airport. She watched as those who had embraced previously had departed in their families' cars or in paid taxis, the girl becoming envious of anyone who shared any image of love. After an hour of waiting, Elizabeth finally gave in. She stood to her feet and waived her arm towards a bright yellow car, which pulled over for her almost instantly.

The man rolled down his window, politely smiling towards the girl. "Hi, I need to get on a ferry to the Outer Banks." The girl stated, somewhat as a question as she asked for his permission. The man understood, nodding his head and waving her inside. Elizabeth opened the back door, sliding into the seat and shutting the door behind her. She wishes she could say that she couldn't believe that her mother and Topper forgot about her-- but that would have been a lie.

The man drove smoothly out of the airport, eventually pulling up to the ferry where she would be on her own. She sighed as they pulled up, the girl thanking the driver as she paid for her fare. She stepped back out of the car, signaling to the worker at the ferry that she only needed a single passenger ticket. The girl was allowed on board and escorted into a small area for passengers without cars. Sitting on her phone, Elizabeth scrolled through social media and immediately paused as her boyfriend's story came up on her screen. He would still be in Australia for another week despite Elizabeth's early departure. A story displaying Steven videoing around a Sydney bar lit up her phone as he raised his camera up high. From there, Elizabeth noticed the girl who he had been with— one that was supposedly 'just a friend.' Elizabeth chose to ignore this as she did most things and continue on with her life as she swiped the story closed.

After many minutes of overthinking about herself, her family, and her boyfriend, the ferry finally docked at home— the Outer Banks. Elizabeth cautiously stepped off the watercraft and towards land, taking in the salty smell of her town. She looked around for a familiar face, unfortunately finding none. The girl dropped her shoulders as she began her walk back to her home, the path becoming familiar to the girl once again as she walked on it. Remembering her skateboard in her bag, the girl grabbed it out and began to make her way towards home. She continued holding her suitcase, making her look ridiculous, but doing the job nonetheless.