Rydellington Oneshots

"California Beautiful" Part 1

This one has two other parts. :) It's based on the song "19 You + Me". It's not entirely accurate with how the band is in real life, as you'll see. It's just for fun. :)

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“Rydel. Rydellllll. Delly? RYDEL!” I immediately sat up and snatched the hood from my sweatshirt away from my eyes. “Wha?” I asked blearily, looking around me in confusion. Riker and I were the last two left in the van. He jerked his head towards the doors. “We’re here.” He said simply. I groaned and rested my head against the window once more. “Why?” I grumbled. Riker looked at me in confusion. “Umm…because we got into the van and drove?” he said simply, clearly not understanding. I shook my head. “I mean why HERE? Why did we have to come to some crappy, East coast beach for the ENTIRE summer? We practically live on a dang beach anyways.” I muttered. Riker sighed and scooted closer to me. “Look…with the band becoming more and more popular, mom and dad want us to have one last summer together. Away from the Hollywood glitz and glam. Three months won’t kill you, Rydel.” He said, kindly but firmly. I sighed and nodded in resignation. “Fine.” I reached underneath the seat and pulled out my small Hello Kitty travel bag. I followed Riker out of the van onto the dirt driveway leading up to the old, two-story farmhouse we would be staying in until August. I looked back and forth as we walked, admiring the tall oak trees that lined the driveway. It was pretty. No denying that. I felt a few flies buzz near my head. I grimaced and swatted them away. My frown only deepened when I realized that my usually straight, blonde hair was beginning to curl at the ends. Good old southern humidity. Fantastic. I missed California already. I missed the gorgeous beaches and the deep, blue water. I missed my friends. I missed everything. I didn’t know if I’d be able to stand South Carolina for three whole months. I walked up the creaking steps and entered the house, still following closely behind Riker. I dropped my bag onto the floor just inside the kitchen. Mom was already beginning to pack groceries into the fridge. She turned around when she heard me enter. “Nice of you to finally join us, Rydel. The boys put your suitcase in your room. Upstairs, third door on the right.” She instructed. I lifted my bag off of the floor and wordlessly whirled around to face the staircase. I tromped up the stairs slowly, taking in the view around me as I walked. We were staying in an old farmhouse about thirty minutes from Myrtle Beach. It appeared to have been built in the late fifties, maybe the early sixties. The wallpaper had yellowed and was beginning to peel slightly at the edges. The pattern was very outdated. The even more faded paper showing through underneath led me to believe that it had been redone at some point. I had noticed a barn outside when I came up the driveway with Riker. It was your typical red-and-white colored wooden structure. Just like you would see on the cover of a children’s book. One of the doors was barely hanging on by one remaining hinge. The other was still intact. I would have to check that out later; it might be a nice little hideaway for the next couple of months. I reached the top of the stairs and stopped to look around. The upstairs walls were paneled with a dark wood of some kind. I turned to the right and began counting doors. One…two…three. I swung open the third door on the right, as mom had instructed. Sure enough, my suitcase was already lying across the bed. I stepped inside hesitantly and glanced around. The walls were painted a light shade of pink. The paint, like the wallpaper in the rest of the house, had begun to peel. The bedframe and the dressers were both made of a similar dark wood as the panels in the hallway. I sighed. No TV, as I had expected. And I sincerely doubted the house was WIFI enabled either. I flopped down onto the bed. It was surprisingly comfortable. The handmade quilt lying atop the mattress felt like it was made of goose down. That was a pleasant surprise. I tilted my head back and looked up at the ceiling. I watched the ceiling fan go around and around for a few minutes. I could hear the boys talking excitedly out in the hallway. Something about camping in the woods near the house later. I grimaced. At least they were having fun. I heard a gentle knock at the door. “Come in.” I mumbled. Riker poked his head into the room. “Hey Delly, since mom and dad finished unpacking they’re going to drive us down to see the beach. You coming?” he asked expectantly. I shook my head, keeping my eyes focused on the ceiling. “I need to unpack. You guys go on without me.” I insisted. He shrugged. “Suit yourself.” He closed the door gently behind him. I waited until I heard the van pull away from the house before I got up. I swung the bedroom door open and stepped out into the hallway. The house was eerily quiet. I tiptoed slowly down the wooden stairs; they creaked rather loudly with every step I took. I wandered aimlessly through the house, exploring every inch of my new surroundings. The living room was just as outdated as every other part of the house. The couch appeared to have come straight out of the 1970s. It was, sadly, the only room in the house with a TV. Unfortunately, there was only a dusty old VHS player sitting underneath. No DVD player. And more than likely no cable either. I turned around and wandered back towards the front part of the house. I stepped through the front door and out onto the porch. It stretched the entire length of the house and extended several feet out. It appeared to be newer than the rest of the structure; clearly it had been added on recently. I looked around the yard. It was wide and grassy. Weeds had begun to spring up in patches throughout the thick, green grass. Tall trees surrounded the house on every side. It was quite peaceful, honestly. I quickly shut the screen door and stepped off of the porch onto the ground. I followed a slightly beaten-down path around the house towards the barn. Clearly I hadn’t been the only one to explore this yard. I reached the barn after what felt like an eternity of walking; the backyard was a lot longer than it looked. I carefully swung the door that was still intact open. There was no light, but thanks to the sun shining overhead I could see fairly well. I poked my head inside and looked around. It was completely empty, except for a few rolled bales of hay lying around. “Might wanna be careful. Snakes love it in there.” I immediately jumped and whirled around. The sudden movement cause my feet to become tangled in the tall grass; I fell to the ground with a hard ‘thud’. A few seconds later I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist and pull me back to my feet. “Sorry about that.” The same voice said, laughing. I could hear a faintly detectable southern accent. I looked up through the blonde strands that had fallen into my face. I found myself looking into a pair of warm, hazely-brown eyes. His brown hair was flopping messily across his forehead. He had one of the most adorable, and genuine, smiles I’d ever seen. I stepped back awkwardly and tucked the stray strands of hair behind my ear. “It’s fine. I probably shouldn’t have been nosing around back here anyways.” I said shyly. He shook his head. “You’re rentin’ the place, you can do whatever you want I suppose.” He shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. They were faded and worn, a clear indication of a lot of hard work. He was wearing a plaid button down with the first few buttons undone. I quickly snapped my head back up to look at his face before he noticed my gaze had lingered on his chest. He was still smiling kindly at me. “You aren’t from around here, are ya?” he asked pointedly. I sighed and allowed a small grin to break out across my own face. “Is it that obvious?” I asked hesitantly. He laughed and nodded. “Yeah, kind of. I’m Ellington.” I nervously reached up and ran my fingers through the ends of my now-tangled hair. “Rydel.” I said quietly. He was still grinning widely at me. “Pretty name. Unique. I haven’t heard it before. Where are you from?” he questioned. My grin widened. “Guess.” I challenged flirtatiously. I was slightly taken aback by my own attitude. I normally couldn’t manage to say more than two words around guys. He pursed his lips and stroked his chin thoughtfully. I noticed a small bit of stubble peppering his tanned skin. “Hmmm…” he said aloud. He began pacing circles around me. I giggled and glanced down at the tops of my Converse. “Well, blonde hair. Clearly not entirely natural.” He teased. I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “Hey now. Just because you have a cute accent doesn’t mean I’m going to let you get away with that comment.” I threatened playfully. He raised his hands defensively and continued. “Tan skin. And you’re clearly NOT from around here… Or anywhere near here.” He stopped walking. I turned around to face him once again. He was studying me silently, arms crossed. I crossed my arms as well. “So?” I asked expectantly. He smirked. “I’m going to go with………west coast. California?” he questioned. I grinned once again. “Very good. Los Angeles specifically. Actually I was originally from Colorado but we moved when I was young so my brother…and now I’m babbling. Sorry.” I apologized, looking back down at my feet. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. He laughed lightly. “No, it’s fine. Your brother what?” He questioned. I glanced back up nervously. “My brother wanted to pursue acting. So we all made the move. And then we all got into music and now…we’re a band.” I finished quickly. He looked impressed. “A band…really?” He seemed genuinely interested. I nodded. “Yeah, me and my four brothers. R5. And no, you probably haven’t heard anything by us. We’re kind of just getting started.” I admitted shyly. He was still beaming. “Well I can’t wait to hear something by y’all one day. I’m sure you guys are going to make it big.” He said kindly. I smiled widely in return. “Rydel?” A voice called from the front yard. I whirled around. They were home? No! Too soon. I scowled and turned back to face Ellington. “I think my family just got back.” I said crankily. He shook his head, still smiling kindly. “Well we can just pick this up some other time.” He said hopefully. “Maybe…tomorrow? Meet me back here at 5:00?” he suggested. I nodded silently, feeling a blush creep up my neck once more. “Sounds good.” I said quietly. He gestured towards the woods next to the barn. “I think I’ll just cut back to my place this way. Don’t want to raise any eyebrows…with you having four brothers and all. I’ll see you tomorrow.” And with that, he was gone. I watched him go for a few moments, his blue and red plaid shirt disappearing through the trees. I finally turned and jogged back towards the house once he had completely disappeared from sight. Maybe these next few months wouldn’t be so bad after all.