A Day at the Beach
"Going to the beach! Everybody, pack up!" Dervish yells as he strolls into his house, or, what some might call it, mansion. Three heads shoot up at the word 'beach' and are now staring at Dervish like he's mad. "What?" he asks in response to their looks. "Can't we go on vacation?"
Now, the three grin and launch into action. They all have their own rooms in this house, so they run to them and begin to pack. All are thankful that they thought to bring a swimsuit with them when the claimed their room. Quickly stuffing various items into their bags, the three of them jog down the stairs to see Dervish staring blankly at his motorcycle.
"What's wrong?" Bill-E says, the first to notice his stare. Dervish blinks, as if waking from a daze.
"I was just wondering how all of us are gonna fit on that motorcycle," he says, and points to it for further clarification. Everyone suddenly looks worried, afraid that their trip will have to be canceled. Just then, Grubbs grins broadly and leans over to whisper in Tabatha's ear. Her eyes sparkle as she smirks back at him and nods.
"We'll be right back," Grubbs says to Bill-E and Dervish, while pulling Tabatha along with him. "We have to get some supplies." He grins and Tabatha smiles shyly. They both race up the stairs and to their rooms.
Dumbfounded, the other two merely stand there, staring after them. Grubbs slides down the banister instead of using the stairs, and that kicks Dervish into action.
"Grubbs! I've told you not to do that! Those are practically antiques!" Dervish yells to him. Avoiding the confrontation, Tabatha walks down the stairs and out to the motorcycle. Bill-E wonders what she's doing and follows.
"Relax, Derv. I'm not going to break them!" Grubbs replies and walks out to the motorcycle as well. Tabatha has just finished tying amazingly secure knots into a rope which is wrapped around the motorcycle.
"Tabby, you should tie a few more knots around the other ends, so we have something solid to hold on to," Grubbs says, and bends down to lace up his roller blades. Tabby does as he suggests, then bends down and laces her own up. After they're finished, they both stand up straight, and Grubbs glides over to Dervish.
"If it isn't obvious by now, you and Bill-E get on the bike, and Tabby and I ride behind," Grubbs says and grins at how Bill-E's jaw drops. Dervish looks like he's about to protest, but then he realizes he won't win.
"Yeah, okay. Just don't let go, okay? I won't come back for you if you do," Derv says, and Grubbs nods. Tabby does, too, even though she wasn't being spoken to. "Let's go, then."
Bill-E follows Derv quietly and gets on the back of the bike. Grubbs grabs the rope tied to the bike and wraps it around his wrist a few times before gripping it firmly with both hands. Tabby mimics his movements. "Okay!" Grubbs yells to Derv, then remembers something and nudges Tabby away from the back tire. He jumps away just in time to not get covered in mud as well, and grins.
Derv breaks the speed limit right away, and Tabby and Grubbs nearly have their arms pulled out of the sockets. They hold on tight, though, and make their way to the beach.
"We're here!" Derv announces and slows the bike jarringly. Quickly realizing what will happen if they're still going sixty miles per hour when the bike stops, Grubbs and Tabby quickly unwrap their arms. They keep going after the motorcycle stops and plow into the sand. They come up sputtering and giggling. Bill-E and Derv point at them and laugh.
The two sit upright and remove their roller blades. Everyone then heads towards the convenient changing booths that are at the edge of the beach and parking lot. They all change quickly and emerge at about the same time. Grubbs stares at Tabby for a minute before knocks on his head. "Earth to Grubbs!" she says jokingly, and he snaps out of his trance immediately.
"Sorry," he mumbles as he blushes. The rest of the group laughs as they walk to water's edge. Tabby grabs Bill-E's arm and pulls him back the few feet they need to, to be able to talk to Grubbs quietly. She whispers something to them with a mischievous glint in her eye, and all three grin.
They rejoin Derv and continue walking to the water. When they reach it, Tabby gives a discreet cough, and Bill-E walks to the other side of Derv. He doesn't seem to notice and stares out into the ocean. With another discreet cough, they put their plan into action.
They all grin devilishly. Bill-E stoops down and pulls Derv's ankles out from under him while Grubbs goes behind him to catch his upper body. Tabby just stands there, amused. "Hey!" Derv yells, but it's futile. "What're you guys-" He cuts off when he realizes they're walking out to the ankle deep water with him. "No!" he yells, trying to wriggle free. "Damn it, Grubbs!"
Grubbs snickers and says, "It was Tabby's idea." With that, they swing him a few times and throw him out into the water. He doesn't go very far, but far enough so that he doesn't hit solid ground before a few seconds of sinking. They all walk back to the beach and plop down, gasping for breath. They've been laughing very hard, and now they're not getting enough air. This situation only worsens when Derv pops his head out of the water and glares at them while wading back to shore.
Getting their breathing under control, they wisely back away from the area where Derv will exit the water. When he does exit the water, he growls at them, then walks to the beach, lays out his towel, and relaxes onto it. They all giggle, but then get on with the day.
Grubbs and Tabby run into the water and dunk their heads in while Bill-E stays on the beach and begins to make a sand castle. After popping back above the surface of the water, Grubbs waits for Tabby to resurface. She gets an idea, though, and makes a beeline towards his legs. Tabby pushes his legs out from under him and moves just in time to not let him fall on her. She stands up in the waist high water and waits for Grubbs to come up as well.
When he does, she sees his mock outrage and giggles. Grubbs splashes her harshly in retaliation. She sputters when water gets in her mouth and half-heartedly glares at him before splashing him back. This water fight goes on for about ten minutes before they get tired and just float on their backs in the water.
Seeing Bill-E's, small, finished sand castle, Grubbs grins and walks back to shore. He approaches the sandcastle and Bill-E smiles proudly. Looking around, Grubbs is relieved to find that there is no one close by, or anyone watching them. Snickering, he uses magic and creates a sandcastle that nearly quadruples Bill-E's. Bill-E gapes at him, then recovers.
"Show off," he mumbles, and Grubbs laughs.
"Of course!" Grubbs exclaims in response, then goes to lay on his out stretched towel. Tabby walks out of the water and lays her towel next to his. They lie together and chat while sun bathing. Bill-E goes and sits inside the castle that Grubbs made to hide from the sun.
A woman walks over to where Derv is laying and lays her towel relatively close by. As she lays down on it, Derv casts his glance over to see who's lying down next to him. Doing an impressive imitation of an earlier Grubbs, he stares for a few minutes before the woman speaks.
"Not even gonna say 'hello', then?" the woman asks, in a teasing tone. It snaps Derv out of his trance and he looks up at her face.
"Meera!" he exclaims, happy to see her. She laughs, and they catch up on what's been happening in their lives that the other knows nothing about.
After they finish catching up, there is a silence that is bordering on awkward. With much effort, Derv speaks. "So, Meera, wanna go and get a drink later, after I get these guys home?" he asks, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the teens.
Meera grins at how awkward the question was for Derv, but then answers easily. "Of course, Dervish," she replies and kisses him. They only break apart when a wolf whistle is heard. Turning their heads, they see Grubbs is the one who made the noise, and that the other two are now giggling along with him.
Derv blushes slightly and looks away, while Meera just grins and asks, "Jealous?"
"Nope, I've got Tabby!" replies Grubbs, and Tabby blushes.
"Oh, yeah," Bill-E says, transfixed. Grubbs nudges him and he snaps out of it. He coughs awkwardly and looks away, blushing. The entire group laughs at Bill-E's expense, but he seems not to care, as he joins in.
The End