Over the Line

Chapter One

"RT, the buy in is one hundred this year. Are you in?" One of the guys shouted from the patio as Remi seasoned the steaks and chicken for the grill. The floor to ceiling glass doors stood open between the kitchen and the spacious deck overlooking the lake. The gang was scattered between the open concept living room and the outdoor living space, so Remi had missed part of the conversation.

"Which buy in?" Remi questioned as she delivered the platter of meat to Sam who was acting grill master for the evening.

"Fantasy football. C'mon Remi, keep up." Travis shook his head playfully as he brought a beer bottle to his lips. 

"I could say the same thing to you after your shotty performance last season." She gave him a sly grin and the rest of their friends lost their heads laughing. 

Travis talked so much trash last season and ended up getting shut out during the first round of the playoffs. It just so happened that Remi was the one who shut him down and their friends wouldn't let him forget it. They thought it was hilarious how he had wagered an even larger bet against her and lost his tail on it the same week. It was all in good fun really, but Remi couldn't help but to feel a little satisfied with herself.

"Dude, you got beat by a giiiirl!" Warren, Sam's  fifteen year old brother, goaded Travis.

"Ha! Warren, did you even make it to the playoffs?" Sam shot back. Warren's face immediately fell and he quickly shut up as not to draw more attention to himself.

"Soak it up, RT. It definitely won't be happening again." Travis called after her as she stepped back into the kitchen.

"We'll see about that!" She laughed as she pulled a bottle of white wine out of the cooler.

"I'll pay her dues just to see her kick your ass again this year." Zander abandoned his seat in front of the TV in the living room and decided to get in on the action.

"Why are you guys even talking about football right now? Isn't it like months away?" Sienna groaned as she followed Zander into the kitchen to join Remi.

"It's a very exclusive league," Another friend, Yvette, chirped and rolled her eyes.

"Damn right it is," Sam and Zander both agreed. Remi just shook her head and smiled at the girls.

Remi Tatum, RT, Rems. Practically one of the guys. She still had her girlfriends, Yvette and Sienna, but most girls hated how excited she got talking about draft picks and trade deadlines. Others envied her relationships with Sam, Travis and Zander for all the wrong reasons.

Remi understood why it could be a confusing dynamic from the outside, but it was really pretty simple. She had known Sam and his family her entire life as they grew up on Lake Challen right next door to each other. Travis and Sienna were step siblings who moved in down the road just before sophomore year of high school. Zander's had lived across town, but played on several rec teams with Sam and his older brother, Mitchell, growing up. Yvette was newer to the group, but Remi's college roommate immediately found her place amongst the friends.

Often times people would confuse Remi's witty banter with the boys as flirting. This has made several past girlfriends insane with jealousy, which prevented her from becoming close with any of them. While they were in high school, a few guys tried taking advantage of their friendships with Sam, Travis, and Zander to get close to Remi and Sienna. Those attempts fell flat when the guys realized the level of expectation the boys set to even let someone close to the two.

The friends had been through it all together, even at a fairly young age. They'd seen first loves and heartbreak, high school rivalries and State Championships, parents divorcing and unplanned siblings, going off to college and chasing dreams, one of them even eloped which was followed by the quickest annulment. But with good comes bad. They'd been struck with tragedy and grief  that rocked them to their core.

Growing up if you could find one, you could find them all. Usually at Remi's house since her's was the "fun house". Her Mom and Dad, Kellie and Scott, were like everyone's adopted parents. Remi's dad was always in on helping the kids prank each other, her mom made sure their bellies were full, and you could go to either one to talk about anything that was on your mind.

Remi was pretty sure Scott gave Zander the talk when he was younger because Zander's single mom was either too embarrassed or busting her butt to make sure the bills were paid. When Sienna's "first love" dumped her for stuck up Jillian junior year right before prom mom stocked up on Ben and Jerry pints and told us all about how guys suck (except for Scott of course, she added). They invited the whole neighborhood over to cookouts, organized bake sales and fundraisers to support our sports teams, and poured love into everyone around them. Don't get it wrong though, they weren't without their faults. They bickered and fought, yelled at the kids, and stressed just like everyone else. They always brought it back to center though, which was one of the best lessons they could have taught Remi she felt.

Remi knew Kellie and Scott had issues with fertility which is why she didn't have any brother or sisters. She kind of thought that's why her parents surrounded themselves with so many people, because they had so much love to give. They created a family that was more than just blood.

Sophomore year of college though right before summer break, Kellie and Scott were in an accident on the lake. It shouldn't have happened. Remi, Sam, Sienna, and Zander were all away at their respective colleges. Travis had been the one to call Remi to tell her to come home since he had stuck around Challen for work. The accident never should have happened. Their was a drunk boater that struck the jet ski Kellie and Scott were riding. They had on their life jackets and wore the cord that kills the jet ski if they fell off, but the impact was too much.

Everyone rushed home. Yvette ditched a week of school to stay with Remi while arrangements were being made and ends tied up. As sole heir, Remi inherited everything. All she wanted though was to have her mom hold her one more time or her dad kiss her cheek. It took every ounce of will to go back to school and finish the semester.

That summer was a somber one, but true to the family Kellie and Scott built everyone rallied around each other. Sam's parents, Linda and Kyle, were so supportive of Remi. Kyle had lost his parents around the same age as Remi, so he really took her under his wing and helped her work through her grief. Help her feel her emotions, let her loose herself when she needed to, but helped guide her back to pick up the pieces when she was ready.

It wasn't easy for any of them though. None of them had experienced that type of pain before, so Remi, Sam, Travis, Sienna, and Zander clung to each other. Yvette moved in with Remi at her parents house on the lake and assumed almost a mother hen role. She'd met Kellie and Scott several times, but wasn't as close to them as the others. She had lost her mom though her sophomore year of high school, so she knew more than any of the others what Remi was feeling.

That summer bonded them in ways that was hard to explain. Most high school friends grow up and drift apart, especially through college and beyond. They had something different though. Even hundreds of miles apart at different universities, making new friends, and exploring new interests couldn't separate them.

Two years later Remi, Yvette, Sam, and Sienna had just graduated and were back in her hometown for the summer. Zander was never much for school, so he had dropped out about a year ago when offered a position on the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad. Travis had worked his way up through the ranks of a local HVAC company and was learning the ropes to one day take over for a man whose children had no interest in the family business.

They had made plans to spend the first week of summer together since there'd probably never be another opportunity like it. Remi was thankful to have them all under one roof, her parents old lake house. With everyone working and chasing their own dreams, she knew life would quickly sweep them away again. Even if they'd be friends forever she knew it wouldn't quite be the same and she wasn't sure if she was ready for that.