remi .

REMI TRAN .

full name. remi nafia tran nickname(s). mimi, peaches  age. 29 date of birth. 2 august 1992 gender & orientation. cisfemale. bisexual. occupation. nail tech @ base coat height & weight. 5′1. 104 lbs. place of birth. tampa, florida. residence. downtown sarasota.

BACKGROUND .

“what? no, of course not.” jaxon wasn’t an idiot. he knew that kind of information would land him in a hot seat. knowing remi didn’t want him to say anything to the detectives about it either helped warm him up to the idea of trusting her a little more. not that he didn’t trust her already; but this secret was bigger than cheating in a game of football, or stealing one of his father’s expensive cars to go on a joyride with some girl he’s trying to impress. jaxon has shared those kind of secrets with remi over the years. but this? this was murder. “yeah, no, i agree with you. between you and me, one of the detectives is sleeping with alesia, and he doesn’t like me much. if they could put me away, they would in a heartbeat. then he could fuck my step-mom as much as he wants.” jaxon promised not to say anything about that, but there were some things he needed to get off his chest. “and listen, you can’t tell anyone about that. no one.” 

jaxon dropped the news about alesia so casually remi almost missed it. hot stepmom was fucking the homicide detective? there was a motive right there - for alesia, anyways. if jaxon’s dad was dead and not disappeared. remi knew her; she was the only one who alesia let do her nails and remi cared about all of her clients. she was their confidant. they told her things they wouldn’t tell their friends or families. but she had known jaxon longer and her concern was making sure jaxon was okay. “no, yeah, of course not. i won’t say anything...” licking her lips nervously, remi sucked down a mouthful of frozen lemonade until there was nothing left. “...but do you trust her? like you know for a fact she had nothing to do with your dad going missing?” remi paused. “or that detective? like he could be some kind of, like, stalker creep, y’know?”

“i don’t know. i’ve been working at the dealership and nothing seems off.” as was alesia. they have been working there together since he returned home from school. jaxon knew there was nothing fishy about his father’s business, but for the sake of coming off innocently unaware, he feigns consideration. “i think i know which one you’re talking about…” there were two guys at his house regularly. detective malval and detective harding. harding was the bigger of the two. not much in height, but muscle. he was also very blunt and assertive and that worried jaxon. if it weren’t for alesia sleeping with the other one, they probably would have figured it all out by now. but it was malval who was stalling, wanting more time with the cuban widow. “well, thanks. you know, between you and me, i’m nervous. you know, i got into it a lot with my dad. one of the last times i saw him, he wrecked my darkroom. said i was wasting my time taking pictures. he was drunk, angry, and broke everything. i just want all this to go away.” 

“damn. god, he’s such a dick. what the fuck?” her mother always told her not to speak ill of the dead, but jeffrey jameson wasn’t dead and, rightfully so, deserved to have shit talked about him. and if he were dead, he still deserved it. remi wiped grease from her fingers as she chewed up another onion ring. “did you mention that to them?” she asked. “the detectives? ’cause. . . like, i don’t know if you should, you know?” jaxon’s cameras and darkroom were important to him. she could see him being extremely upset over it. a little shiver raced down her spine as she, for the first time, considered whether or not jaxon could have done anything to his father. remi pushed the thought from her mind. “with your dad being so well known and them having no leads about where he is? i bet they’re getting desperate to wrap things up and that’s the kind of thing that’d make them look at you funny. like - i completely believe those yahoos would try to do a making a murderer thing just to close it.”

remi was too well versed with the jameson family. if he says too much, she’ll be able to dissect everything and pick apart the flaws. which was something the police hasn’t been able to accomplish yet. it made jaxon wonder what remi would say to the police if questioned. has she been questioned? that was something he hasn’t ask, but it’s at the forefront of his mind now. “yeah, but maybe it’s embarrassing being with some young 20-year-old. siesta is a small town. wouldn’t the gossip be bad for business— being known as the serial cheater? i don’t know…” in high school, jaxon had a bad reputation. yet, being known as a fuck boy didn’t actually hurt him; girls were even more attracted to him because of it. “i’ve gotten a few calls from my mom, but i didn’t answer any. i have nothing to say to her… but that’s a good question. i do wonder if she’s talking to the police.” he nodded, thinking about it for a minute before finishing his cup of lemonade. “what about you? longtime family friend. you’re like family. did the police question you?”

now, both of remi’s expertly shaped and trimmed eyebrows rose skeptically. “maybe if he was trying to get married again, babes, but your dad’s business is solid. unless it isn’t - like he’s cooking the books or something and somebody found out. maybe he did one of his clients dirty?” spitballing was something remi could do all day. talk about nothing, talk somebody’s ear off... not great for a resume unless she wanted to work in sales and she did not want that. she saved her talents for gossiping with her clients. and speaking of... “one of ‘em stopped by the salon. big dude. i didn’t really have much to say to him. he only came to me ‘cause my stepdad said you and i were close so i guess he figured i might know something you weren’t saying.” her eyes settled with jaxon’s and she shrugged one shoulder. “told him i didn’t know anything and it wasn’t my business.” 

His smile grew when she jumped on him and hugged him, he returned the hug by wrapping his arms around her body. He was a hugger, so he never minded when his friends hugged him without a warning, and he was strong, so he was able to handle her jumping on him. He also saw it coming, but if he didn’t, he would probably almost had fallen, if it didn’t actually happen. He could be really clumsy, the majority of the time when he was distracted, “I can see why, I mean, it’s not really the kind of party I usually go to,” he pointed out, and she probably knew that, “Yeah, just a pain killer, so I’m all good.” 

“definitely not your vibe.” definitely hers. even if she felt something akin to a damn grandma here. there were people of all ages, she knew, but she could hear her stepdad’s voice asking if she hadn’t grown out of this lifestyle yet. she shook her hair back and shook the thought from her mind. fun times. jello shots. find brooke. that was the mission. “if you feel weird though, you let me know.” she fixed him with a brief, intense stare before becoming seemingly satisfied that franco had his shit together for the time being. remi jerked him after her in her dogged pursuit of jello shots. she had half a mind to put him in front of her and use him as a battering ram to part the people crowding the jameson property. “what made you come here?”

remi  always  fascinated  harper,  forever  mesmerized  as  she  leans  casually  against  the  nearest  wall,  watching  in  interest.  fingers  hold  darkly  wrapped  joint  as  she  inhales  and  exhales  steadily,  a  small  smirk  on  her  lips  at  the  scene.  fire  left  in  her  wake  and  harper  always  admiring  steps  forward  and  through  the  crowd  of  people  to  meet  her.  tall  auburn  smirking  at  her  slowly  with  casual  ease  as  she  glances  down.  “  that  was  like  so  hot,  i  swear  to  fuck  remi.  fuck  them.  whatever  they  did.  ”  casual  laughter  as  she  peers  at  the  shots  glowing  orange,  green,  and  dark  red.  “  yeah  babe.  ”  a  nod  she’s  wrapping  her  lips  around  and  inhaling  the  burning  ember  before  turning  her  face  and  blowing  the  thick  haze  away  from  remi.  moving  closer  to  her  she’s  holding  out  the  tightly  wrapped  paper  to  remi  in  offering.  free  hand  picking  up  a  green  shot  and  giving  it  a  squeeze  before  bringing  it  to  her  lips  to  swallow.  smirk  softening  as  the  tosses  the  empty  plastic  to  look  at  her  and  the  extended  green  between  her  fingers  in  anticpation.  "  you  look  so  beautiful  tonight.  "   

Having to take a pill to get in the party was one of his less favorite things about it all. He drunk alcohol, but he wanred to be far away from drugs, the idea of not controlling his own behavior, was terrifying for him. He hated to think about what kind of effect they could have in his body, but he got luck, and ended up taking something that didn’t really do any damage, “Sure,” he smiled at the familiar face, he didn’t drink a lot, so he still had some room for a few drinks. He never drunk pass his limit, so you wouldn’t ever see him drunk, due to what happened to his dad, he promised himself that he wouldn’t ever reach to that point, “Just like two or so though, I figure that whatever is in it is probably pretty strong.”

“FRANCOOOOO!” not even the booming thunder of the baseline blasting out of the speakers could drown out the sound of remi’s voice once she recognized franco. she jumped on him and wrapped him in a hug immediately before gripping the sides of his face and planting a kiss on his cheek. an imprint of her lipstick was left behind. she wasted no time in grabbing his hand and hauling him off in the direction of where she’d last seen said jello shots. “i didn’t think i’d see you here!” she stopped abruptly, whipping around to size him up with eyes narrowing suspiciously. “what’d you take? you good?”

“you don’t think i can do a laidback summer?” jaxon chuckled, feeling his lips pulling into a involuntary smile. she was right, of course. there was no way siesta’s king of kegs could ever lay low during summer break. he lived for parties. even in college, he joined a frat just so he could continue raising hell. if anything, his tolerance for alcohol and drugs were even higher now. in the same vein, his depression and anxiety has also worsened.  hooking up with brooke helped. for awhile, he felt like they were a thing, but, they weren’t. they were already beginning to fizzle out now that they were back home. she probably didn’t want any of her friends to know she’d been banging siesta key’s biggest asshole. 

“no. no news, but cops have been around the house, like, constantly, it’s annoying.” especially given the fact that his step-mother has sex-eyes for one of the detectives. “i think he just skipped town. money was withdrawn from his bank and a suitcase packed. i’m not worried.” that’s because jaxon was the one who withdrew the money and packed the suitcase. he wanted them to stop looking into it, but jeffery was too big of a figure for them to leave things at a dead-end. “it wouldn’t surprise me if he ran off with that college girl who went missing, too. i mean, he left my mom for alesia.”  

“really?” remi’s brows furrowed together, skepticism written on her face plain as day. she sucked in a mouthful of frozen lemonade to help her mull it over. she didn’t consider herself the be all end all expert of deadbeat dads, but she knew plenty. what jaxonw was saying didn’t jive with what she knew of his dad. but how well did she actually know him? “like, yeah, he left your mom but he didn’t bounce up out the picture then. rich dudes don’t just d.b. cooper it, y’know?” chewing on her straw, remi tapped a finger against the styrofoam cup. “is your mom sticking her nose back in or is she keeping her distance? did the police look at her?”

finding a dyed blonde white chick in a black bikini and cat mask at a jaxon jameson party was probably more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack. it didn’t help that brooke wasn’t answering her phone either. sent to voicemail, remi squirmed from the outside of the house and back in. “if you’re breaking the hoes before bros co- excuse the fuck out of you, bitch? don’t fucking touch my hair!” remi shook out the sting in her palm from dealing out a slap. “you better not break the hoes before bros code, broo broo.” she tucked her phone back into the straps around her arm before someone could stumble into her and send it crashing to the floor. at least she was less likely to lose it this way. she tapped the nearest person on the elbow. “yo - do you wanna go do jell-o shots?”

jaxon has heard people talk about how tall he is for most of his life. it was somewhere between 12 and 13 when he shot up and then continued growing until sixteen when he was already 6′5. it was different with remi though. she knew him his whole life and she was right, he’d always been taller than her. “well, i can grab you a booster seat or something?” he teased, leaning in with a smile that almost always reaches his eyes with her. he felt closer to her than anyone else in the whole world. they were like family. but the good kind of family. the kind you choose not the kind you’re burdened with. “nothing popping. this week is going to be lowkey.” he didn’t want to tell her about his upcoming party because there will be drugs galore. in a weird way, he still felt like she was watching over him. he may have outgrown her as a babysitter, but he’d never not see her as his guardian angel. she was so small but with the spirit of a warrior. growing up he wanted to be just like her. confident. outgoing. strong. that’s how he sees her anyway. “we could catch a movie next week? for the next couple of days i’m going to be holed up in my room, working on a summer project for class.” the lies don’t taste right in his mouth but that’s what the frozen lemonade is for - just wash it right down. 

liar liar pants on fire. remi plucked another onion ring up with neon orange nails and stuffed it in her mouth instead of calling him on his bullshit. she’d show up arm in arm with brooke unannounced then. “i’ll believe it when i see it. nothing’s ever quiet around here when summer hits.” she crunched halfway through another onion ring. “but i could do a movie. i think the drive-in is doing a two-fer or some shit like that next weekend.” she had a list a mile long of things they had done back when he’d practically lived at her stepdad’s house more than his own. not that she couldn’t blame him for it. most of her interactions with jaxon’s dad had been when he was putting on a show for everyone. she didn’t have to know everything to know he was a piece of shit and god knew she had dated enough guys just like jeffrey jameson. even before her own lived experiences, she had always found reasons to keep jaxon out of his own house - and to keep herself out of it, regardless of whether or not his dad was there. 

“not just any party, the party.” a jaxon planned event was sure to get the whole island talking. no person ever walked away from one of his house parties unscathed. and considering, brooke’s taken a sip of the jaxon-koolade, she was sure she’d be no different. part of why she needed remi there was because, if anyone could keep her away from jaxon, it’s mimi. which is all the more reason why, coming clean to her now would be difficult. “god, no. she’s a total bitch. she better not show her face there either.” not that brooke could control it one way or another. “i kind of have to tell you something but, i need you to promise me you won’t judge or freak out when i tell you.”

nothing good ever came from a sentence like that. never ever. remi had heard just about every single follow up under the sun, from an i’m pregnant and i hooked up with your ex to i left a snail trail on his car seat and i like getting pissed on and anything else in between. it was always information that remi didn’t want to know, but apparently nail techs and bartenders were everyone’s diaries. “girl, i mean - you know me. i’m not one to judge.” she was, actually, but that was neither here nor there when it came to brooke. “but you better rip that damn bandaid off before i go buy you a pregnancy test or some shit. what’s up?”

if there was one thing remi couldn’t pass up, it was a food truck advertising freshly fried onion rings. well, freshly fried anything was her weakness. onion rings, pickles, tomatoes, oreo balls... spearing a tiny one from the styrofoam container with her nail, she quickly devoured it before she even made it back to the table where jax was waiting. sitting down, he was nearly taller than her. “i think when i met you, you were taller than me even then.” with a toss of her head, she shook her hair back from her face and took a sip of her frozen lemonade. “what’s popping?”

“I’m glad you say that because, I need a favor.” Well, two favors if they were to get technical. But only one will reap the benefits for her as much as it will for Brooke. “First, it’s been awhile since we’ve filmed anything together for my channel and my followers keep asking when you’ll come back for a second debut.” The last video they filmed broadcasted over six months ago. “We could bust out one of our old routines. You’re the OG. You need to show them how it’s done.” Not to flatter Mimi but, it’s the truth. “And secondly, how would you like to be my plus one to a party this weekend? It’s at Jax’s.”

"easy peasy lemon squeezy babes.” remi might not have been the reigning queen bee of the cheer world anymore but she could still pull rank and put them all on their heels with one herkie. she kept tight with her old all star gym for reasons just like this. snapping her gum, she tapped brooke’s finger lightly with her cuticle pusher - the universal signal for ‘stop moving before i make you bleed’. “a party huh...” brooke had her minions for arm candy detail and remi didn’t play second fiddle to anybody. she clipped a cuticle into line. “is he still dating what’sherface? ‘cause i don’t really fuck with her, y’know.”

AT:  BASE COAT. 

WITH: @remitran​

As much as Brooke’s taken up residency on this leather chair, had her hands primped, polished and pampered, you’d think her name would’ve been engraved in it by now. It never fails. Any time Brooke’s back in town, Remi’s her first call. Or one of them. Who else could help her look her best and make sure she’s summer ready? “Have I told you lately, how much I adore you?” More than that, when it comes to Mimi, when B says it, she actually means it.

“well, you know me-” briefly, remi took her gaze off the delicate fingers in her hand to look up at brooke and wink. “i won’t complain if you tell me again.” she looked forward to each and every facetime with brooke because this girl? this girl was the reminder that remi hadn’t royally fucked every single good thing up in her life. brooke was the duckling to remi’s mama duck and she’d peck the eyes out of anyone who fucked with her. she was the also only one remi would come in for on her day off, too. “you’re my girl, b.”