Perfection With Some Flaws

“Raq! I need you! AHHH!!!”

The first thing I usually like to do in the morning is wake up peacefully, brush my teeth, wash my face and eat breakfast. Today, I woke up suddenly, only because Carlos had been messing with the stuff on the bunk above mine, where everyone seemed to store everything. I pulled back my curtain to see Carlos on the floor, assorted items all around him. He looked at me, glaring as if it was my fault he was in this situation.

“I didn’t throw all of that up there,” I started. “That’s my shirt, but those are Daniel’s pants, that’s Sam’s jacket that Paul threw up there, that’s the hat Paul thought he lost, I think that’s the bag you claim to have brought, but couldn’t find. Hmmm… what else is up there?” I climbed out of my bunk and stood on the side of it, rifling through the stuff on the top bunk. There was more clothes and lost items, as I pointed out to Carlos, who simply glared, grabbing the pair of shoes he been looking for and walking away. I threw everything back up onto the bunk, vowing to put make the boys put it away later. Not bothering to change out of my pajamas, I walked into the kitchen area, looking forward to Cinnamon Toast Crunch and coffee. Too bad Sam and Daniel had had the same idea.

“You guys finished my love!” I exclaimed, holding up the empty box. Sam and Daniel both shrugged.

“I thought you couldn’t buy love…”

“There’s an exception to every rule,” Sam answered Daniel, like the wise old man he was. Daniel shrugged and continued eating.

I threw the box back into the trash and began digging through the cabinets to see what else there was. They were bare, aside from forgotten Raisin Bran and some barbecue chips. I grabbed the chips and some orange juice and slipped into the booth table beside Sam, who raised an eyebrow at my “breakfast.” I pointedly glared at his delicious looking bowl of cereal and turned back to my food.

“What are you doing today, Raq?” Daniel asked, sipping his coffee slowly. I shrugged.

“I don’t know. Where are we?”

Sam pulled back the curtain on the window and I squealed in delight.

“No way!”

“Yeah,” Sam nodded, letting the curtain fall back and opening up the Los Angeles Times in front of him. I climbed over him to admire the scenery again. We were parked right by the Santa Monica Pier, my favorite beach in the world. I loved to explore the Pier and all the little shops and vendors that inhabited it. Plus, the rides never got old.

“Where the hell did all the food go?” Paul interrupted. I turned to look at him, his face buried in the cabinets. Sam politely pushed me off of himself and went back to his newspaper. Paul closed the cabinet doors and turned to look in the fridge, which was equally as bare.

“We bought food two fucking days ago! What the fuck!”

“Actually,” Sam began, his voice muffled by the paper. “We bought chips and water, along with some Stella Artois and frozen burritos. I think you might be able to guess where all of that went.”

Paul sighed, closing the doors he’d opened and sauntering back towards the bunks. I finished up my food and looked up at Daniel. He stared back.

“We’re going shopping, aren’t we?” he questioned, as if afraid of the answer. I shook my head.

“Nope. I just want to relax. Hanging out on the beach sound good?”

Daniel nodded, “Yes, it does. Care to join us, Sam?”

Sam peered at us from over his newspaper. “Why not? I could use some relaxation.”

It didn’t take long for the three of us to change into swim suits and run onto the beach. Paul and Carlos had gone to get some food, vowing to meet up with us later. We found a nice spot on the beach and set up our towels. Sam walked towards the water, meanwhile Daniel and I attempted to build a sandcastle.

“This would be going so much better if we had buckets,” Daniel mumbled, his fingers digging through the sand. He threw a fistful on the mound that was the base for our masterpiece and frowned.

“What’s wrong, Dan the man?” I asked, still piling sand onto the mound.

“This looks like a hill. We’re not going to be able to make turrets, a drawbridge or anything cool that castles have.”

I looked down at the mound and shrugged, poking two holes and curved line into it to form a smiley face. “I declare this ‘Smiley Territory.’ Now, wipe that frown off your face and let’s go swimming.” I began running towards the water, Daniel following me. We both immediately went towards Sam, tackling him into the cold waves.

“That was near death experience if I ever had one,” Sam laughed when we all emerged from the water. He sneak attack splashed me, which caused me to splash Daniel and a water fight to ensue. After Sam and I both tackled Daniel into the water again, we decided to go grab some food.

“I think I have sand in my ass,” Daniel complained as we walked back to the bus to change. I grinned, a comeback forming in my mind, but Sam beat me to it.

“That’s not all you’ve had up your ass.”

“Hilarious,” Daniel replied sarcastically between fits of laughter from Sam and I. Once on the bus, we took turns taking showers and getting dressed. When I was done, I sat on the couch with Sam and waited for Daniel.

“What time is it?” I asked. He looked at his watch.

“4:51 pm,” he answered. “It doesn’t seem like we were out on the beach that long.”

“No, it didn’t,” I nodded. “It’s because we were having fun.”

“Okay, let’s go,” Daniel walked out of the back, fixing his jacket. Sam turned to me and motioned to the door.

“Lead the way.”