BACKGROUND INFORMATION,

Chiara Joan Ridley or known as Chiara Joan Ridley-Hawthorne after her stepfather, Shaw Hawthorne had adopted her on her fourth birthday after only being married to her mother, Joana Ridley for two years. Chiara was born and raised in Kildare County, North Carolina on January 21st of 2003, presumed to having a twin brother, who had mysteriously disappeared from the Kildare County Hospital just a few hours of being born.

Chiara is fairly known on the 'figure eight' side of the island of Outerbanks because of her mother, Joana, opening a local clothing business, "Joana's Boutique" with her best friend, Diana Garcia. Her father, Shaw, runs his boat company called "Hawthorne Isle Boatworks." Ridley is also fairly known own for the "Kildare County Surfing Competition" which is held at the last weekend of May, winning first place for five years since joining at the age of eleven.

The sixteen year old had attended a private school for three years of her pre-k and first grade years before her parents had pulled her out of it saying that she 'needed' to socialize more than just being friends with the rich kooks of Kildare County. Her best friend, Fallon Garcia had unfortunately been withdrawn from the private school as-well due to jabbing a pencil into a little Sarah Cameron's hand. After leaving the girl had a harsh time adjusting to the new atmosphere of a public school, thankfully she had made friends with a few kids in her second grade class; Grayson Crawford and JJ Maybank.

In the third grade, Grayson and JJ had introduced Chiara and Fallon to their new friends; John Booker Routledge, Pope Heyward, and Kiara Carrera. They were all inseparable including JJ Maybank and Chiara Hawthorne, who had made a pact at recess with each other about marrying each other if they never find anyone to deal with their antics.

Chiara dusted off the flowered sundress of hers after standing up from underneath the tree where she would read at during recess, her eyes immediately catching sight of a tiny JJ Maybank rushing over towards her after being let out of time out for throwing a pair of scissors across the classroom. A smile forming on her lips before standing patiently by the willow tree with a book in her left hand, grasping it tightly so it wouldn't drop to the dirt filled ground. The heels of her white mary-jane shoes twisting and turning in the dirt, getting her shoes and white socks dirty.

"Do you know what love is, Chi-Chiara?" JJ spoke up, stuttering over the pronunciation of Chiara's name unable to pronounce it correctly even after a year of being friends with each other. He watched Chiara's face contort in confusion with a shrug of her shoulders. "Love like- To be able to love someone like your dad loves your mom."

The mention of her parents made Chiara's face brighten, "I don't know what love is. We are only eight, Jay, but why do you ask?" She questioned the boy, who was fiddling with his hair in attempt to get it out of his face because of the wind blowing in every direction.

"Because I want to know what love feels like," He told, dragging out the 'e' in like. His attention fully on the girl in front of him, it was so obvious that he had a tad crush on her but he wouldn't ever tell her because he thought she was too rich to give him a care in the world and that she was only being nice to him because her parents told her so.

"Maybe you'll find out what love feels like when we get older, we has tons of times to figure out what loves is and means by the time we get older." She explained, kindly.

JJ hummed curiously, lightly flicking her forehead with his index finger and thumb before dropping his hand back to his side, "I'd love you when I get older. You are nice to me and bring me those little gusher candy things from the grocery stores."

A laugh escaped Chiara then she crouched down to her lunchbox, opening it and pulled out a pack of gushers, holding them out to him to take. After he took the pack and shoved them into his shorts pocket, "So kind of you,"

"Of course, couldn't forget about it." She responded, closing the lunch box of hers before picking it up, seeing the her class and his starting to rush towards the school indicating that recess was over.

They walked together back across the playground, "What if we say I love you to each other and we stay together forever?" JJ asked in a hypothetical scenario which made Chiara to glance over at him with an odd look.

"Well, if we get older and we don't get married to anyone, we can always marry each other." Chiara answered as she moved the book to the hand she was holding her lunchbox with. Her attention being brought to a teacher, JJ's teacher to be exact yelling for him to hurry up and get back into class. "I'll- I'll see you after school?"

She nodded towards his question and watched him starting to walk the opposite direction as her, "Love you, CJ!"

HAILS SPEAKS 🌊,
this is a little filler thing ig
and it gives a bit of a background
story to who Chiara is and a bit of
insight of Chiara and JJ's friendship.

my little babies ☹️ #keepthemsafe