Song of the Chapter: Sunset Lover by Petite Biscuit (I did this whole 'song of the chapter' with my Steve Harrington books an people seemed to enjoy it.)
Warning: Unedited!!
Friends are the family you choose. -Jess C. Scott
Bright rays of early morning sunlight beamed through the leaves of the cedar trees, shining through the cover that Remington Elliot had perched under. The whimsical girl was stretched out on an old hammock with a book in hand, dressed in a short sundress. The warm, sugary beams of light met her skin, illuminating the countless freckles that dotted her body like stars on the night sky. In the sun, her bright red hair defied all odds, appearing brighter and even more fiery than usual.
This corner of her grandmother's property was Remington's favorite. From the hammock she and her brother had set up as kids, she could hear the babbling of the marshy creek, lapping at the dilapidated and small dock covered in climbing vines. The dirt driveway was visible, so she noticed all visitors and after years, remembered the sounds of their cars approaching. She could crane her neck to see her home, the quaint cottage that her grandmother brought her and her brother into all those years ago.
Even Remington, a girl who found beauty in everything, could admit their little home had become slightly rundown within the past few years. Light yellow paint was chipping from the exterior, the loose second step on the porch had nearly taken out Remington's ankle the other day and weeds ravaged the yard-- a stark contrast to the fauna in her grandmother's carefully manicured greenhouse.
It wasn't an uncommon sight on this side of the island, and though the Elliot girl was born and spent the first years of her life on the North side, referred to by locals as Figure Eight, this was where she belonged. Home, to her, went beyond just a house, it was the whole island. There was a safety within the waves she surfed, the light salty breeze that blew against her, the noisy chatter of chill beach-side party.
She couldn't imagine living anywhere else, but that didn't mean life on the cut was full of good times, all the time. It was a land where children had to heal from their childhoods, failed by their parents. Where nearly everyone barely scraped to get by, often turning to illicit means to stay financially afloat. People were running from their past or doing everything they could to relive it. It was broken beer bottles, shingles falling off roofs, empty fridges and running from the cops. Still, Remington would take it over the kook life any day. Not that she could exactly recall much from her life on Figure Eight-- the Elliot girl never had the best memory.
To save face, kooks hide their problems if they can't pay them to go away, locking them deep within their unnecessarily enormous mansions, full of diamonds and pearls, nannies, butlers and distant families. As soon as a dirty little secret gets out, it becomes the talk of the town-- and if you're unlucky enough, it becomes the reason friends turn their back on you.
That was one thing Remington was probably most grateful for, other than her grandmother, was her friends. Moving to the Cut was a harrowing experience for the girl seeing as she had just lost her parents, Elizabeth and James Elliot. Her friends wanted nothing to do with her, and she had to attend a new school with students who saw her as nothing but a privileged kook. Her life was uprooted and she was left in the choppy waves with no life preserver.
Her saving grace, however, came in the form of a bright young boy in one of her classes. Pope Heyward was the first friend she made, the two bonding over their interest in nerdy topics such as physics, space, forensics, medicine and even comic book heroes. They found that they could talk endlessly about black holes, autopsies and crime cases. It was Pope who introduced Remington to John B. and JJ.
John B. was instantly welcoming to the fiery-haired girl, not caring if she was previously a kook. JJ, however, was a little more hesitant. Outwardly, he had poked fun at the girl, never being too harsh but letting his disdain towards the north-siders known. When Remington threw joking insults right back at the blonde boy, he knew she'd fit right in with the pogues and wasn't as hard on her. She was a pogue at heart, after all, and JJ could see it.
The group of four didn't stay just four for long, however. Just a few months after Remington moved to the south of the island, her old friend, Kiara Carerra found something was weighing heavily on her conscience. All of the kook kids in their circle of friends had dropped the redhead as soon as her life got complicated-- and Kiara did the exact same. She sat there as they gossiped about their old friend, spreading rumours about the dead Elliot parents, about Remi, and her brother. Her good-hearted nature wouldn't allow her to surround herself with the toxic kook kids any longer. She ventured into The Cut, knocking on Remington's front door and tearfully apologizing right there on the front porch. As soon as the north-siders had caught wind of this, Kiara Carerra was socially exiled as well. It still hurt both girls that the people they had called their friends, especially Sarah Cameron, who had been their best friend, had dropped them so quickly.
At least they had each other once again.
The girls reconciled and Remington wasted no time in introducing Kiara to the boys. Just like that, their little group was solidified into a family.Middle school turned into highschool. They spent their days after school swimming, surfing, getting drunk for the first time and getting into all kinds of trouble.
The sound of dirt and gravel being disturbed catch the girl's attention, pulling her focus from the novel in her hand and to the driveway. As soon as the noisy muffler is within earshot, she knows exactly what vehicle it is, yet confusion still clouds her mind.
The familiar Volkswagen van comes out from behind some trees and into view. From the chipped brown paint to the haphazardly placed bumper stickers and the rickety surf board rack atop of the van, no other car would fit the needs of their friend group like John B's van did. Pulling to a stop a short distance from the girl, she sits up in the hammock as the two front doors open, her friends John B and JJ stepping out into the dirt.
"What are you guys doing here? We don't go out for at least another hour." She calls out, lifting a hand to shield her eyes from the bright sun. JJ beats John B. to speak, something he does often and only John B would not grow mad at the hyperactive boy.
"Yeah, but we want breakfast." JJ simply states as if it were obvious. His overgrown blonde hair is nearly reflective in the sunlight. John B buttons an additional button at the top of his tropical shirt, hiding away more of his tanned chest.
"I am not making you guys breakfast." The girl laughs, closing her book, but not before folding the top corner of the paper to mark her page. She stands from the hammock, making her way to the boys.
"Truth. But Grandma Lori will." John B smirks, his dimples deepening on his freckled cheeks.
"Dude, you can't just sucker my Grandma into making-"
"Yeah, we can. She loves me." JJ interrupts Remington, motioning to himself with joking arrogance before he follows John B to the home. Bugged that he cut her off, the girl playfully smacks her book on the boy's back, causing him to laugh and swat her away as she nearly stepped on his heels. The scent of her sunscreen carried on the breeze to the boys, reminding them that it was officially summer.
The thought of her famous brownies also reminded them that it was summer. Neither boy had to ask if she had made them-- they knew she did. This year however, JJ had provided 'the goods', as he had called it, courtesy of his cousin. Remi simply added the very special ingredient to the brownie recipe she had been making since they were younger.
"She doesn't love you." The girl jokes, all three teenagers knowing that it was blatantly false.
As they reached the porch steps, the screen door opened with a loud creak. Loretta Craven, Remington's maternal grandmother stepped onto the porch with open arms. John B, ahead of both of his friends, stepped right into the women's embrace. With his face smushed into her lavender-scented and long white-gray hair, Loretta turned to her granddaughter.
"Of course I love him. Come here, baby." She motions for JJ to hug her next as John B steps to the side. Remington stays at the bottom of the stairs as JJ takes them two at a time, letting Loretta wrap her arms around the boy. He'd never tell anyone that this was why the older woman was one of his favorite people on the island-- she greeted him with a hug every time.
"I love when she calls me baby." The blonde spoke to no one in particular.
A light, morning breeze flowed through Remington's hair and sundress as the family dog, an old mutt named Aunt Daisy, prodded out of the front door. The name came from an eleven year old Remington, who was never close with her father's sisters, so she fashioned her own pseudo-aunt in the form of a stray taken in by her grandmother- the woman never opposing the odd name. The dog plopped herself at John B's feet, expecting to be pet by the boy who immediately crouched to do so.
"We came by for breakfast." JJ revealed shamelessly, looking right at Remington with a grin in his face. She stuck her tongue out at him quickly, before her grandmother could catch her. The older woman pulled away from JJ, holding the boy at an arms length as she talked.
"You're in luck! I was just about to start making biscuits and gravy." Loretta suggested a filling breakfast, knowing the boys didn't have much to eat at home-- they didn't have much of anything at home and it hurt the woman's heart to think about. She often let them know that they were always welcome in her home. They might not have had much, but they took care of their own.
"Sounds good." John B spoke, standing up from petting the lazy dog, still at his feet. JJ followed him through the door and into the cozy home. Loretta spun to her granddaughter as the girl came up the steps.
"Don't be so rude to your friends." She scolded in a pointed whisper.
"I was joking, grandma." The redhead smiles, throwing her leg to hit lightly against Loretta's backside before stepping to go inside.
Not a day passed when Remington was ungrateful that her relationship with her grandmother was so relaxed. It was quite the opposite from how her parents had been. Their old home was full of tension and things left unsaid. They had always found something about their children to pick apart, while Loretta raised the brother and sister in a open and accepting home.
Remi was welcomed by the air-conditioning circulating throughout the house. The smell of hanging dried herbs filled the space and a few photo albums rested on the coffee table. Flipping through the albums every now and then brought Remi so much joy, reminiscing over a mostly forgotten and murky childhood. The collection of odd trinkets and bottles caught the gleam of sunlight, reflecting it from their place on an old bookshelf. Her grandmother's eccentric style didn't do anything to help the town rumor that the woman was a witch-- it was a silly assumption coming from the uptight bible-thumping women of the island, though Loretta took it as a compliment. Perhaps Loretta following her intuition and mixing together medicinal herbs was witchcraft after all. The dog, Aunt Daisy, padded into the home as Loretta shut the creaky screen door.
"You were joking, huh?" The woman smiles at Remington, bringing her hands to pinch the girl's backside. Remington jerks in surprise, covering her own butt with her hands in defense.
Loretta pinches once again, beside Remi's hand, causing her to move her hand around her butt dramatically as her grandmother messes with her.
"No, no, no." The girl laughs, turning around to face her grandmother. Loretta complies, of course, pressing a loving kiss to her head before she heads into the kitchen where the boys are.
Remington Elliot was so very thankful for her grandmother.
After the filling breakfast, fine grain sand made it's way into Remi's old, beat-up tennis shoes as she circled John B's now parked van. A rather skinny, orange cat scurried away from the girl, taunting her to feed and love it.
Remington Elliot had a long history with this cat. It had hung around the public beach with both The Cut and Figure 8 bordering it, for as long as she could remember. From the first time the girl had set her eyes on the creature, she wanted nothing more than to pet the cat but it evaded her every time. It made her feel a little better that the cat scurried away from other locals and tourists as well, but she was determined every time she saw the cat. They were both gingers after all.
"I just want to love you!" Remi groaned, circling the van a final time before JJ's hand jutted out, grabbing the girl's upper arm. Her heart sank as she watched the cat dash into the wooded area just off of the sand covered parking lot.
Nameless Orange Beach Cat won this round.
"Dude, help us get your board." JJ urged, reaching up to guide the surfboard down from the rack on top of the van. John B stood on the roof of the vehicle, undoing the bungee cords holding the boards down.
Remi stood beside JJ, grabbing onto the faded rails and pulling the board onto the ground beside her. Since she waxed her board the day before, she sat in the open sliding back door of the van, zoning out as John B and JJ rubbed wax on their own boards. She almost didn't notice her other two friends approaching from the far end of the parking lot.
Pope had always insisted on walking to Kiara's and then to the beach, all because the girl didn't like walking alone. That was the thing about the Pogues, they went out of their way to help one another and Pope was no different-- especially when it came to Kiara.
Remi had always suspected that the boy liked Kie-- they all did-- how could you not? He was just quieter about his admiration rather than throwing out sleazy compliments like the rest in the group. At one point or another, they all had harbored small crushes on one another, but they lived by a very important rule.
No pogue on pogue macking.
Kie and Remi created the rule to ensure their friendship, to ensure that their family didn't get broken apart because of silly little mistakes. That didn't stop them from joking with one another, they were comfortable after all.
"Hey guys." Kiara greeted, dropping her board onto the ground and walking towards the van with open arms. The boys muttered responses, glancing up from their boards as Pope joined them to wax his own surfboard.
"Hey, babe." The redhead smiled at her friend, standing to hug her. The two girls embraced, Kiara's curls tickling at her nose and the wind rustling Remi's dress against their legs.
"Hot." JJ announced, not at all out of earshot of the girls.
"Gross, J." Remi scrunched her nose.
Sitting in the edge of the van's open doorway, the two girls carried on with casual conversation, going on about celebrity crushes and guessing where passing tourists were from. The boys joined in every now and then, the girls rolling their eyes at the fact that it was taking them so long to wax their boards. They didn't have the foresight to do it beforehand?
"I almost forgot!" Remi blurted. At the beginning of their friendship, the pogues may have been caught off guard about her outbursts, but now they were unphased by them, Remi's habits even rubbing off on them. The girl somersaulted backwards, further into the van, grabbing her backpack. Digging into the main pocket, she tugs out a Tupperware and a small plastic bag, crawling back to the opening of the back door.
"Brownies?" Kiara deduces excitedly as Remi removes the lid. The squares of chocolatey goodness that she baked the day before were stacked together in the plastic box.
"Special brownies this year." The redhead elaborates, offering one to Kie who gladly takes the offering. Remi hops out of the van, holding the box out to John B and JJ, the boys fighting over the larger brownie.
"See this is why you're my best friend. I don't see any of you baking baked goods that get us baked." JJ announces to the group, pointing a finger around as he spoke through a bite of the fudgy and sweet dessert.
"Say baked again." Remi urges.
"Baked." JJ mutters back without question or thought, nearly spitting out the bite in his mouth.
Stepping to Pope, she holds out the single brownie in the plastic bag. She knew the boy like the back of her hand. He valued his grades more than almost anything and didn't want drugs of any kind getting in the way. It was his goal to get into a good college and practice mortician work. It was a topic that the rest of the group was creeped out by, but Remi always listened to his rambling, occasionally throwing in her random knowledge from whatever books she had read that applied. A bright smile makes its way onto the boy's face as he reaches for the bag.
"Don't think I forgot about you." She assures.
After all devouring their brownies, the group stripped from their clothes, being left in their swim suits. With her surfboard tucked under her arm and her friends by her side, the girl gazed out at the open ocean. The roaring blue waves extended into a cloudless sky. From over the water, a group of birds flew overhead, heading further inland. Her toes dug into the warm, velvety sand below her. Salty air brushed against her face like a parent caressing their child-- or so she guessed, her parents hadn't been the most affectionate, unlike her grandmother.
It was a tradition amongst the pogues to surf on the first day of summer. The savage and merciless waves washed off all stress from standardized testing and asshole teachers. Why do people become teachers if they don't even like children? It was a question that would always perplex Remington, but chasing down and riding a wave made her forget all that was wrong in the world.
As if sharing an unspoken understanding, all five of the teenagers charged straight forward. The warm and shining ocean surged to their feet, they kicked up splashing water as they waded through it. When the ocean level reached her hips, Remi hauled herself onto her surf board, paddling alongside her friends.
They passed the other few surfers at the beach, mostly tourons and kooks who didn't know what they were doing. The further out they swam, the larger the waves got, no longer folding as soon as they surged. These sturdier waves were the best to drop in on. Remi's arms ached from paddling as she sat up on her board, looking out into the distance at the waves that formed. Up ahead, the blue ocean water gathered in the distance, rising into a promising wave.
"So, who'll take the first wave of the summer?" John B spoke up as they all stared right at the wave gaining towards them. To block the sun beating down into her eyes, Remi held her hand against her brow. The group all shared glances, wondering who would take the honors.
When nobody made a move for a few seconds, Remi laid back down, her stomach against her surf board. She barely had the chance to paddle forward when a hand wrapped around her ankle, tugging her and her board back with little effort. Spinning around, she glares right at JJ, who lets go of her ankle.
"Dude?" Remi shouts, kicking her foot into the water and splashing right at JJ's face.
"Dude?" JJ mimics in a forced, high-pitched voice, making it clear that his only reason in pulling her back was to get the girl mad.
They did this often, much to the annoyance of the rest of the group. One would poke at the other and start an unnecessary argument, only because it was so easy. They knew exactly what buttons to push to get the other riled up. As much as it infuriated them, they were content in irritating each other. JJ Maybank and Remi Elliot would always be friends at the end of the day.
JJ smacked his hand against the surface of the water, splashing some at Remi who froze in place, her mouth gaping open in disbelief. She was falling right into his trap, just like always.
"You did not just do that." Remi warned, causing the blonde boy to splash her once more. This set her off, her foot kicking into the water, sending splash after splash JJ's way, the boy returning the favor.
Shaking her head with a smile on her face, Kiara made the move towards the incoming wave and ignored the bickering of her two friends, while John B and Pope enjoyed the free entertainment. With the wave meeting up with the back of her board, Kiara stood up, balancing as she effortlessly guided her board's movements.
Right before the wave met up with the rest of the group, Remi and JJ dropped their pointless argument. Grabbing the sides of her board, the redhead dove down below the wave as it crashed above her and her friends.
The few moments she was under a wave were a close second to actually surfing one. The water roared audibly around her, being the only noise she could possibly hear. Force of the wave's momentum pounded against her body, yet she and her board sliced through the water, making her feel invincible. She felt as if all her problems, for a moment at least, were carried away by the ocean. Time slowed down when you dove under a wave and Remi swore she could feel the effects of the brownie kicking in.
Resurfacing, she sat up as her board bobbed on the water. Remi slid her hand over her scalp, smoothing her bright red hair. Squinting against the sunlight, she spotted Kiara, surfing the last of the wave.
This was it-- summer was finally here.
Unable to contain her pure elation, Remi cupped her hands around her mouth, cheering on Kiara loudly. John B was the first to join in, followed by Pope and JJ, all yelling beside her. Kie glanced back at the group, waving her hand in the air before stepping of her board, falling feet first in the water.
It was then-- shouting with her best friends in the ocean and ignoring the glances of adults who saw them as nothing but rowdy teenagers-- that Remington Elliot knew she would rather be nowhere else. With Pope and John B to her right, JJ throwing her glances to her left and Kiara just ahead, popping out of the water, she was content.
Summer had just started and she was full of excitement.
___
A/N: I hope it didn't drag on too long?! I wanted to take the first chapter to establish her relationships within the group and with her grandmother before I dove into the actual storyline of the show. I hope Remi's kind and sweet vibe came through, because she's baby. She's full of love and wouldn't hurt a fly... or will she? DUN DUN DUNNN. Also, Remi and JJ won't get together right away, they're friends first and have to see each other in a new light.
I'm not going to stick to any type of schedule but I'll try to stay motivated and not take half a year to post chapters (like my 2nd Steve Harrington book), though I did have tons of stuff happening in my real life!
**Editing: I've decided to change the family dog's name from Sadie to Aunt Daisy. I read another OBX book where a dog is named Sadie and it no longer felt original. Plus, I feel like Aunt Daisy is a more Remi name anyway.
***Editing pt. 2: Oops more stuff happened in my life and I put this off again lol. Not 100% back into writing but I'm just looking over my old works and can't ignore the mistakes lol
Hope you enjoyed! <3