Actually, our summer vacation was probably when all of the trouble really started.

"Hello, boys! I have an exciting announcement for you today!" Mom said.

"Ooh! Did you and Colt finally decide to split up?" Barley asked.

"What? No…" Mom said. "We're going on a family vacation!"

"Oh, okay," said Barley. "Colt's not coming with us, is he?"

"No," said Mom. He's too big to fit on the airplane."

"Ha, ha!" Barley laughed. "What an idiot!"

"Stop being mean!" Mom said. "It's not his fault!"

Mom had to force him into the car when we left.

"I don't want to go!" he whined. "I want to stay at home and play Quests of Yore with my friends!"
"Well, I paid for all four; I mean three, of us to go! So, you're going!" Mom said.

We stayed at a very nice hotel by the beach. Of course, he still managed to complain about it.

"So… I have to share a bed with Ian?" Barley asked.

"Yes," Mom said. "Is that a problem?"

"I might roll over and crush him," Barley said.

"There might not even be enough room for both of us!" I said.

"So what?" Mom said. "Having fewer beds saved me a lot of money."

While we were at the beach, Barley built a sand castle.

"Really? A sand castle? That's so childish!"

"It's not just a sand castle! It's a Wizard Castle!" Barley said. "You know, in the olden days…"

"Come on, Barley! We're at the beach! Get in the water!" Mom interrupted him.

"I… I don't want to…" Barley said.

"Why not?" Mom asked. "You know how to swim! I know you do!"

"I just don't want to, okay?" Barley said. "Leave me alone!"

"Waah! You're so mean!" Mom said, jokingly.

She then tried to push him into the water when he wasn't looking, but he noticed and pushed her back.

"Oof!" Mom said, falling down.

"Oh, no!" Barley said. "Mom! I'm sorry! I didn't mean that!"

"It's fine," Mom said, forcing a smile. "Everything is perfectly fine."

Barley was in bed before I was, fast asleep and snoring. Right in the middle.

And he had his shirt off.

Yuck.

"I don't want to share a bed with Barley!" I said.

"Where will you sleep?" Mom said. "The floor?"

"I ummm… well… I'm not tired!" I said. "I'll just stay up, all night!"

But suddenly, I really did feel tired. It had been a long day, and the urge to sleep won me over.

I went to bed.

When I woke up the next morning, Barley was out of bed, talking on his phone to somebody. He spoke very quietly (something he rarely did), and I couldn't make anything out. But he sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

Eventually, he noticed that I was awake and quickly ended the conversation.

"Morning," he said, turning to look at me.

"Good morning," I said, smiling sleepily.

"Hey, wanna go to the pool?" he asked.

"This hotel has a pool?" I asked.

"Sure does!" Barley said.

"And it's open already?" I asked.

"Yep," Barley said.

"Why does it have a pool? Can't people just swim in the ocean instead?" I asked.

"Come on, enough questions!" Barley said. "Let's go!"

When we got to the pool, he still did not swim. He just sat, looking like he was thinking of something to say.

"Why don't you want to swim?" I asked.

He ignored him.

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!" I shouted, but he continued ignoring me.

"Fine, be rude like that," I said. "I don't know why you wanted us to be here, anyways."

After several minutes of awkward silence, I had a hilarious idea.

"HELP! HELP! I'M DROWNING!" I shouted.

In an instant, Barley was in the pool.

"Ha! Just kidding!" I said, swimming away from him.

"That wasn't very nice!" he said.

I didn't want to swim anymore after that.

I just sat on the edge of the pool, until he finally spoke again.

"You know…" Barley said." I'm really going to miss spending so much time with you,"
"Why? Are you going somewhere?" I asked.

"College," Barley. "Remember?"

"Oh," I said. "That's right."

Barley seemed very distant and withdrawn for the rest of the day.

He didn't even seem excited when we decided to go to a restaurant.

Mom noticed, too.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. "You love to eat… right?"

He sighed. "I… I think I'm getting sick."