Summer Fling

Aw crap. Why? Why did they have to bring me? I could have stayed at home but no, they forced me to spend two weeks of my life in an absolute hellhole. I could spend those weeks helping humanity by discovering a cure for cancer, or how to stop climate change; I’m sure a sixteen year old could manage that…completely realistic.

But alas here I am, sat in the car next to my eight year old sister and her friend who are currently bouncing around in their seats while screeching the lyrics to “Barbie Girl” after their second can of coke each. When are my parents going to learn that just because they say they’ll be good if they get another soda doesn’t mean that they actually will?

Well at least I had my iPod to listen to. Couldn’t survive without it. My ears would have probably started bleeding if I weren’t drowning out the dying cat impersonations with some Linkin Park. My parents say that they’re just another one of those bands that scream rather that sing in their songs but I suppose parents will never learn that our generation’s music is superior.

I continued to stare out of the window while trying to hide the annoyed expression on my face that was probably going to be permanent on this car journey. Could they not just settle with listening to it? If I started so much as humming along with a song I was listening to I was likely to get a punch in the arm or a slap in the face and mum or dad would, more than likely, ignore it! If it were the other way around I’d get a right bollocking!

Just an older sibling thing I guess…so unfair.

“Put it on again mum!” I heard her yell as the track finished playing.

“Seriously sis, I’m going to go insane if I hear that tart and her annoying voice belt out of that CD player again!” I shouted at Lucy.

Oh damn. Swearing in front of the girls. Well I’m sure “tart” isn’t really a “swear word” but my mum would still class it as a “naught word” which sucks…a lot.

“ANDREW!”

Double damn, she used my full name; she usually just calls me Andy. If she called me by my full name then that either meant something was wrong or I was in for it.

I was debating in my head whether I should fight back or apologize. I mean I genuinely was going to snap but they had warned me about foul language around the girls so I guess the “You never said that” technique wouldn’t work. I figured option two would cause less trouble so I went for that.

“Sorry mum” I mumbled.

She gave me a stern look from the passenger seat before turning back around and carrying on reading her book. My dad on the other hand barely even flinched at the whole conversation, keeping his focus entirely on the road.

I turned my attention back to the scenery outside (after turning the volume on my iPod up to full as Lucy and her little friend, Vicci, started “singing” again) to take in my surroundings. After going to the same caravan site seven years in a row I’d found myself starting to actually remember the way there despite how far it was from where we lived to Wales.

I had to admit that the site was quite impressive; lots of activities to do like football and basketball pitches, water park, rock climbing, abseiling and quite a few more. But after two or three trips you’ve pretty much done everything. We’d made a few friends there too, some of them we saw several times but it was unlikely we’d see them every year considering different schools would break up at different times.

I sighed as Lucy leant in to my arm and started howling some of the lyrics to “Baby Cakes” in to my jacket. Where the hell would they get a compilation album with those two songs on it? The annoying thing was that I couldn’t do anything about it. If I pushed her off my arm mum would yell at me and if Itold asked her to get off she’d purposely annoy me even more! I lost either way so I just pretended she wasn’t there. It was difficult when she started poking me in time with the beat while trying to sing the rap part but failing and decided senseless babbling was the next best thing.

How do I live with this girl? She doesn’t even know what the word privacy means and just takes it upon herself to decide when she can come in to your room and when no one else is allowed in to hers. It was annoying that because she was the “baby” of the family (not to mention she was a girl) it meant that my parents pampered her since the day she was born.

I don’t mean to say my parents didn’t love me as much, but they didn’t treat me as a child for as long. They expected me to act almost like an adult at the age of around fourteen so that I could be a suitable role model to Lucy. Didn’t really work out that way and I’m not going to be someone that they want me to be rather than the person I want to be.

XXX

Two hours. TWO FREAKING HOURS of listening to nothing but cutesy pop songs. Kill me. Kill me now, please. End my suffering, it won’t take long. All you need is a knife or a blunt object. One strike, that’s all it’ll take and I won’t struggle, I swear.

Luckily my dad finally ended it all. Not with something sharp or heavy but with two words. The two most wonderful words I could have ever thought to hear.

“We’re here” he chirped.

I could tell that even he was getting annoyed with the girls from the irritated voice he used. Thankfully it shut them up and they both clambered to look out the window, Lucy not caring where she stuck her elbows on me and how much it hurt.

I know she’s only little but I’m surprised she still gets excited. To be honest I think she might have just been overacting because Vicci was with her.

“Look Vicci look! Over there is the swimming pool where Andrew lost his trunks!” she pointed.

Oh God, why did she have to mention that? I went a slight shade of red as the girls giggled and my parents gave a few chuckles. I shot them a glare but I don’t think they noticed. I was so embarrassed that day; there were loads of girls around my age watching when it happened. I just had to wait for mum to go back to the caravan to get another pair while hiding myself and Lucy howling with laughter, attempting to get me to come out of the water.

She was so annoying.

Lucy and Vicci were humming with excitement while dad collected the keys to our caravan and during the whole ten minutes we spent trying to get there, my parents were hopeless with maps. Pretty much as soon as the car stopped both girls jumped out of the car and rushed to the front door.

“Dad, hurry up! Me and Vicci want to see our room!” she ordered, little princess my arse. And all the caravans were pretty much the same layout anyway, why would she think this was any different?

My God she was impatient, none of us had even unbuckled our seatbelts yet.

“Alright sweetheart I’m coming” my dad sighed.

She always got them to do just what she wanted.

I watched on as dad got out the car and obliged to Lucy’s every command while mum started getting out things out of the boot.

“Andy, would you mind taking the girls’ stuff in for them?” she asked.

“Yeah fine” I muttered, I couldn’t be bothered arguing with her; too much effort.

I walked round the back and instantly spotted the girls’. They were hard to miss really; brightly coloured with ponies printed all over them, one pink and the other purple. I grabbed them both by the handles and slung one over each shoulder. Walking up the steps and in to the front door I noticed I was right: it was exactly the same layout and every single other caravan we’d been in.

I turned right and took a few steps down the narrow corridor before turning left and opening the door I could hear some high pitched squealing behind and dropped the bags on the floor.

“Andrew! Don’t throw them! They have important things in there that could break!” she screeched.

I rolled my eyes and was met with a pillow thrown, full pelt, in my face.

“Now get out! This is our room and you’re not allowed in!” she commanded.

That was rich; I wasn’t allowed in her room but it was likely that by the end of the day she would be rooting through my bedroom.

I went back to the car to collect my bag and carried it to my bedroom at the very end of the corridor. I always chose that one. It was tiny and had two single beds crushed in to it along with several cupboards fixed to the wall which gave me barely any space to move. I was probably going to have to use the bathroom to get changed.

I flung my bag in to the minute space between the beds and practically collapsed on the one closest to the window, squinting my eyes as I was blinded by the sun that was streaming through the glass. I closed them and rubbed my temples with my fingertips just running things through my head.

Things like what I could be doing at home with my mates and how much fun I’m going to miss. After that I started making a mental list of things I could do to pass the time, most of them I’d done before but it couldn’t hurt to give rock climbing another go. It was one of my favourite activities here and I was actually quite good at it.

I sat up again and saw Lucy standing at the doorway.

“What do you want?” I snapped.

“I just wanted a look in you room” she whined.

“Well I’m not allowed in yours so you can’t come in mine” I replied sharply.

“Mum! Andrew’s being mean!” she shouted, stomping her foot.

“Fine then, do what you want” I stood up and shuffled past her “I’m going for a walk, just don’t break anything.”

I stormed out the front door and past my mum and dad who were still unpacking bags from the boot.

“I’m going for a walk” I stated before either of them could ask.

They both just turned to each other and shrugged their shoulders.

Well at least they didn’t stop me.