Title - Beach Girls
Rating - PG-13
Disclaimer - I own not one thing about One Tree Hill or anything or event that this story is based on. I have not taken any direct quotes from this story, but I have used the basis and the plot that occurs.
Summary - Years ago 3 girls grew up in North Carolina as best friends and formed a bond they thought would last. As time drew them apart one was lost. Her daughter and widowed husband return to Tree Hill to find the beach girls of her mother's past.
Author's Note - This story is based on the book by Luanne Rice, Beach Girls. I was reading this and it just came to me about the similarities. So, I decided a new story would work. I do hope you like this and review for me.
Chapter 1 - The summer of 2004
They had been at the beach all day. The three towels were neatly arranged down by the water and they were laying on top under the golden sun. The tide was slowly moving up and the towels would need to be moved in order to keep their towels dry. But neither wanted to interrupt the June afternoon they were enjoying.
Peyton saw how easily the world changed. She knew about loss and grief from the age of nine. She had been drawing since before then and still could not draw a moment in time that she wanted to capture. Something always got in her way. The lighting would change or the trees would blow and wreck that picture that she had on the canvas. Drawing was the only thing that got her through most of the time though. It was the only way she could remember and the only way to keep all of her memories immortalized in time...
Haley would never let those thoughts enter her mind. Her older brother was one of the most popular kids, and only a year ahead of her. So, as long as she tagged along behind him, she was always safe and always protected by him and she loved him for it. She lay under the sun, enjoying every second of it. This was summer to her. Tanning with her two best friends and she knew tomorrow would hold the same day.
Brooke had never truly enjoyed just laying in the sun. She loved being with her friends and being by the water. The ocean was something she has always loved, it had power and no matter what it was always there. She knew that as soon as she hit the water the surge of cold and salt would tumble through her body, it always made her feel so alive to be by the beach.
"Guys?" Brooke said quietly as she lay back onto her towel. No one made the effort to reply as they enjoyed the laziness of the day.
"Ick, do we have to go anywhere? It's just a moment I want to remember forever," Haley said sitting in the middle of the two girls.
"Peyt, Hales, you two ready to hit the water? It's too hot here," Brooke said as she pushed herself from the ground.
The other two slowly followed and Brooke grabbed their hands. Her parents always believed they should be upbeat so Brooke repeated the actions and she was always the happy one out of her friends. She would make a whole mall happy if she had the time.
Peyton was looking kind of upset from where she was standing but Brooke tried to block that out. She avoided all emotions but happiness and usually limited her thinking time with shopping, boys, or the two girls standing beside her.
Peyton looked out to the ocean and closed her eyes for a second. Brooke caught this and smiled to herself. She knew Peyton couldn't wait until morning when she could be out on a boat in the ocean and sketching the world around her. She had been Peyton's best friend since they were in diapers and they were best friends until Haley came and completed their circle of 3. She had names for each of friends too. She was "cheery". Haley was "sassy". And Peyton was "broody". It was what kept their routine going.
Haley and Peyton didn't know just how much Brooke loved them though. She knew from the first time they were all together that she would do anything for them. She would take a bullet and die for them. They meant the world to her, and everyone else thought she just took them for granted. But they were her best friends that she knew could go any day. She looked forward to being back in Tree Hill every summer and having her beach girls back by her side.
"Why're we just standing here? Let's go!" Haley said grabbing them and pulling them towards the ocean in front of them.
"I..." Peyton said as she squeezed Haley's hand.
Brooke felt a chill run down her spine. Peyton saw the world in such a magical way and had such different thoughts that Brooke couldn't think of if she tried. She looked over to see Peyton's face, it was pale, and framed by her curls. She was thinking and Brooke was almost scared of what was going to come out her mouth.
"What?" Haley asked quietly while watching Peyton as did Brooke.
Brooke could see that Peyton was going to say something that they would probably ponder about for weeks after. She was an odd girl, but she had always appreciated nature and always had been drawing what she saw around her. She seemed to be a loner to everyone around her, especially the way she would go off by herself and draw her mother's grave. But no one else knew about the need Peyton had for love or connection, no one but Haley and Brooke.
Peyton would always come back with a story after drawing, though. One that enveloped Haley and Brooke into another world and made Brooke think of the children's books she grew up with. She teased Peyton constantly about never forgetting her two best friends when her face was on the side of bus when she was famous, but Brooke was jealous of Peyton's view of the world. Peyton was never selfish, and she just truly loved the world around her. But Peyton was so vulnerable too. It was like she traded her shield in, to see the world for what it was.
"What?" Brooke asked again.
"I just wish that we could stay like this forever. Like, we could always be this happy," she said simply.
"This is memories...we're a piece of history right here. So, keep it in your heart, Peyt," Haley said to the blonde girl on her left.
"Write a book," Brooke said, "about all of our summers here," as much as she hated to tell Peyton to do that she did anyway. She never wanted to be second best and if Peyton got famous then she would be.
"Let's go!" Haley shouted as they took off towards the water.
They were floating as Brooke tried to get the salty taste from her mouth. She never did like that one piece of the ocean, but perked up as Haley questioned their plans.
"So, what're we up to tonight?"
"I wanna see the moon," Peyton said as she focused on the sky above her.
"Ok, we can go to the bonfire and watch moon later. There's gonna be guys there!" Brooke squealed happily.
Peyton remained in her position. Her eyes up towards the clouds. She could only think of how many other girls spent their summers like this. All the other beach girls. Summer was in full swing and she was ready for it as long as it was with her two best friends.
WELL TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS SO FAR...I KNOW IT'S OFF TO A SLOW START BUT YOU'LL SEE. IT'S GONNA BE GOOD, SINCE IT'S BASED FROM A BOOK I JUST FINISHED AND IT ENDED JUST THE WAY I WANTED TO.
NEXT - Jumping in years / meeting characters / getting to the plot.