Role Models

12// morning boating

Parker

"Mmmm," I groan, rolling around under the sheets on the couch. "Shh," Comes somebody's voice nearby. "Ok, ok, ready?" I squeeze my eyes shut tighter when light starts creeping in and I assume it's morning. "3.. 2.. 1.. GO!" I jolt awake at someone yelling and the sun blinds me. "Ah! What the f-" A loud scream escapes me as the blankets are ripped away and I'm splashed with a cup of cold water. "Andy!" Gasping, I claw at the wetness on my face and clothes, sitting up quickly and shoving him. "Morning shithead." He smiles. "Yeah, morning." I sigh back, setting my head in my hands.

"Griff let's go get Grant and Blake!" Andy yells running off down the hall with him. I rub at my eyes and grab my phone checking the time to see it's 6:30. Landon groans across the room so I assume they got him too. Standing up, I walk to the kitchen to see Uncle Brandon steering the boat through the dark blue waters. The reflection of the sun on the surface is bright now that it's getting light outside. "Morning, Parker." He greets with a smile. "Hey." I say back still squinting through my dry eyes. I have officially lost my contacts again.

I walk over to the refrigerator and pull out one of the three cartons of orange juice then grab a cup from the cabinet. I notice the lights inside it are off and it's not cold. Pouring myself a glass, I ask "why's everything turned off?" "Power went out last light." Uncle Brandon sighs leaning to look out the ship window. I listen into the radio static voices coming from the wheel where he's sitting. "Hello? This is boat 757. We have no water. Our showers won't run." A man's voice cracks through the server interrupting the last woman who was complaining about her air conditioning not working. I realize that's why it's so hot in here- no air.

Now that everybody else is starting to get up, our main room is getting pretty lively while we float through the lake. Landon and I sit down to watch youtube on our phones since there's no tv right now. We have to pass the time some how as we have about fourty five more minutes of a ride to the docks where we get our speedboat.

Voices flood the boat when Grant and Blake walk out in pajamas, soaking wet hair, looking pissed with Griffin and Andy following close behind them laughing.

"They got you too?" Landon asks while they walk by and dig into the bagels sitting out on the counter. "Yup." Blake sighs, sitting down on a stool across from Grant who's reading the labels on the cream cheeses. "Who the hell wants this stuff on their bagels?" he questions in disgust, setting it down harshly, unraveling the plastic wrapping on the raisin bread rolls. "I don't know, the majority of people?" I answer sarcastically, walking back to the counter and throwing out my paper plate. "Nasty." He scoffs. Blake laughs, pulling out his phone when it rings softly. "Who is it?" Grant asks while chewing through almost a whole box of blueberries. "Dunno, random number."

Us boys sit around and eat, talking about whatever until everybody else decides to come get breakfast too. "Soo, which one of you is gonna come help me with the coolers?" Aunt Veronica asks when she comes out of the bathroom dressed in her bathing suit and a sundress with big, triangle shaped glasses covering her half her face. Grant is still stuffing his mouth full with what's left of the bagels and fruit, ignoring her question entirely. She taps me on the shoulder lighty and leans against the counter with a big smile.

"Blake, your mom wants you anyway so you're off the hook." Blake sets down his plate and walks to where Mary is calling him. Grant and I make brief eye contact before he stands too up saying "I should go get dressed anyway, I'm sure Parker will help." and leaves the kitchen with all his dishes scattered on the counter. "Dipstick." I mutter looking to her with a fake smile. "I'll help I guess." I didn't want to help. At all.

She laughs walking ahead of me out to the deck. Little splashes of water hit me in the ankle when we pass by the outer edges on the railing and the boat cuts through the morning waves. We make our way to the pile of coolers which are now leaking out melted ice, damp to the touch. "What am I doing with these again?" I ask, lifting one and already having to readjust under the significant weight and slippery handles. "Dump them all out in the water hun, just make sure you pull out all the drinks first. We need the space to put new ice in."

Nodding my head I walk to the edge of the deck, check for any sodas or beers and dump the freezing water over the side. I keep my toes as far away from the splash zone as possible. After lifting and dumping four huge coolers I'm done and set all the stuff back inside the now warm, empty boxes. "You think you'd live if I threw you overboard?" Landon asks from behind me with a chuckle, walking through the screen door and swatting a bug out of his face. He scared me at first but I play it off quickly saying "I hope not," and sit on top of the railing making sure I have my full balance. He leans himself against the wall and stares out at the water looking short of words. "You got the time?" I ask him, realizing suddenly that I don't have my watch. "7:30"

"Shit I gotta go get dressed." I stand up and go to walk past him back to the living room where my bags are. "No waitt," He pleads annoyingly, grabbing me in a headlock. I start laughing and ask him to let me go. "No, really I have to change!" He starts scraping his knuckles against my head but releases me before it really hurts. "Gotcha." He smiles, flashing finger guns my way. "Yeah, ok." I sigh.

I walk over to the side of the couch and grab my duffel bag, noticing someone has put away the pull out so that all of my sheets and pillows are scattered on the floor. "Ok then," I mutter while unzipping the main pocket and grabbing my white and blue swim trunks. I search through my bag for a shirt and cant find one so I grab the long sleeve vineyard vines one I wore yesterday. "I'm gonna be sweating." I sigh, pulling it over my head quickly. After I have my bathing suit on I put my pajamas back in my bag and brush my hair before placing my stuff back by the couch.

Now that I'm ready, I sit down next Griffin and Landon who're on the couch watching surfing on someones phone. Griffin is wearing bright pink trunks and a white Nike shirt with the sleeves cut so that his muscles and part of his chest are poking out. Landon's wearing a plain black swimsuit and no shirt so when I look at him I see that his chest is already sunburned. "Dude you're literally pink." I laugh looking up from my phone to his irritated face. "I know, it hurts like a bitch."

"Oh it's not that bad," Griffin grins and smacks him in the middle of his rib cage. "What the actual fuck?" Landon growls, watching a white mark appear in the shape of Griffin's long hand. It turns bright red and I smile a little when Griffin says, "Five star for the fourth of July, duh."

We can see the marina outside the windows now and I know were getting close so I lay down and go back on my phone to pass the next couple minutes.

We pull up to the dock and a few workers come over and tie us off. "Okay everybody grab a life jacket and a towel and go around to the speedboat. If you gotta pee do it now." Aunt Veronica says stepping onto the wood carrying her beach bag and cell phone, Mike's following closely behind carrying a cooler full of drinks and sandwiches. Lila wanders off after them, glued to her phone. I watch where they put everything, specifically which boat they put it on, and then we all split up bringing our life jackets, towels and whatever else down and then going to the shop or the restrooms. I'm walking with Andy, Grant and Landon which makes me so nervous there aren't words, but I'm safe cause we're in public. After we go to the bathroom, we wait on the speedboat for everyone to come back.