Chapter One: Wash Over Me
Disclaimer: I do not have any ties to the OC; I'm just a fan of the show!
Author's Note: This one's for all my reviewers! Thank you so much. As for Ryan's awkward relationship with Elle, it's not that he doesn't care about her. He's just become a workaholic. Don't worry, all your questions will be cleared up in the upcoming chapters.
Elle's wavy blonde hair flew in the wind as she slowly stood up on her surfboard. As she caught her balance, her eyes scanned the beach. A familiar man raised his hand, waving at her. She smiled at him, but his wasn't the face she had hoped to see.
The beach was almost empty; only surfers were out at six am on a saturday. However, the waves were only mediocre, and the sky was cloudy. She wondered if it would rain.
Sighing, Elle began to paddle back in. As she reached the beach, he began jogging towards her. He grinned. "Nice work out there."
"Thanks, Sandy!" She wrung out her wet hair, tying it into a loose ponytail. Tying her towel around her waist, she began to walk with him towards the ice cream shop. This was their ritual.
However, they usually weren't the only ones surfing and getting mint chocolate chip ice cream. "Do you know where Cam is?"
He shook his head. "No. I'm sure it's nothing serious. He probably just couldn't reach us to let us know."
But to Elle, it was something serious. She had been doing this with him and his grandfather ever since they were seven. The only time he missed a surfandicecream session was when they were nine, and Cam's puppy died.
Maybe Sandy was right though. Maybe he had a cough or something, and Summer was paranoid he was getting sick. She was like that sometimes. Elle knew he would have called her, and she thought sadly of her pink cell phone, which was sitting at home on her bedside table.
Marissa was sitting at the kitchen table sipping her morning coffee when her daughter walked in. "Hey sweetie," she smiled.
"Morning, Mom." Elle opened the cabinet and took out a bowl and the box of Captain Crunch. Sitting down next to her, she poured the cereal and milk into the bowl.
"You have that meeting with Mr. Collins today," she reminded her daughter.
Elle rolled her eyes. "I know! That's only like the third time someone's reminded me today."
"Okay. I just don't want you to miss it again! You know he made a lot of effort to schedule you in for a Saturday." Marissa worried that her daughter missing a second meeting with the lawyer would not be a good sign. Who knows, they might bring it up in court. She wasn't going to let anything stand in the way of her having at least joint custody of Elle. Her little girl meant the world to her.
"Don't worry! I'll be there," Elle promised. She spooned out more cereal, and Marissa sighed, returning back to her newspaper.
Ryan uncomfortably shifted in the chair. He could feel his cell phone vibrating in his pocket, probably one of the contractors again. If there was another problem with the model home, he would seriously shoot someone. It was all so much, and at the worst of times, just when his divorce was finalizing. Taking his cellphone out of his pocket, he clicked the power off button. He didn't want to give his fourteen year old daughter even more ammunition against him.
Mr. Collins opened the door, letting Elle out of his office. She politely thanked him for his time, and turned to walk down the hall. "Daddy!" She was shocked to see him. She hadn't known he'd be picking her up, and if she had, then she would definately expected to wait. He had taken over The Newport Group after Caleb died, when Elle was just a baby, and she knew it was hard work.
His blue-grey eyes collided with her identical ones and he gave her a small smile. "I thought Mom was going to pick me up," Elle asked innocently.
"I wanted to," he replied. She couldn't help but be surprised. She knew he was working on a new development, as well as a strip mall. It was rare for him to voluntarily take a day off, especially of his own choice. Her Mom had always been nagging him to spend more time with them, but she guessed that wouldn't be happening anymore. Even Elle knew it made her parents hearts ache to see each other, let alone spend time together. "I was thinking one of our famous father-daughter outings? Shopping trip, maybe? South Coast Plaza sound okay?"
Elle nodded happily and he stood up. As they walked towards his car, she asked, "Can we pick out some more shirts for you? That one is disgusting. I can see your wifebeater through it!"
"Whatever you want, sweetie." He inwardly smiled. She was definately her mother's daughter. But he loved her for it.
