The last week of school flew by and before I knew it we were pulling up in front of the beach in a few buses. This particular beach reminded me of a Hollywood movie. The sand was white and the water blue and not that weird dark greenish blue color. Teddy and I grabbed our duffel bags and jumped off of the bus and ran towards the water.
"Summer vacation at last!" Teddy yelled.
"We can finally do what we want!" I fist pumped.
"Not so fast," America grabbed Teddy's shirt and wrapped his other arm around my waist and picked me up.
"Hey! What are you picking me up for?" I asked.
"Because you'll try to escape and I can't let that happen for the next fifteen minutes," He replied.
"Ugh," I let my body go limp trying to make it harder for him to keep a good grip on me and possibly me drop me but it didn't work.
"You look like a disgruntled puppy," Ami walked over to us and laughed.
"I just want to go and swim," I struggled feebly in the direction of the ocean.
"Rules first," Alfred carried me over towards England.
"It's summer there should be no rules," Teddy protested.
"There are always rules, Theodore, even if they go unspoken," England cut in and began to count the numbers of heads.
Not everyone from school came, only about fifty. Most students wanted to be home and spend time with their family, like Kiko and Rose.
"Can everyone hear me? Good. Before we all spread out to our cabins let's get a few things straight. There are fifty of you and five of us. We've assigned ten of you to a group and each group will be staying in a cabin together. And against my better judgment the groups will be coed as will the sleeping arrangements. You are the best of the best and we expect you to behave as such. Any sexual misconduct between a male and a female or a female and a female or a male and a male or, I can't believe I'm saying this but it has happened before, a human and an animal you will be immediately sent home and face possible expulsion."
"Did he say animals," Everyone in the crowd echoed.
"Find your damn chaperone and get to your cabin, they'll explain the rest of the rules there," England snapped and began to call people on his role.
"Sam, Teddy, Leroy, Ami, and Lucky you guys are with me," Alfred grinned.
"Who are the other five?" Ami asked.
"Molly, Dmitri, Sarah, Selene, and Yuki." Alfred called out louder than the rest of the teachers so they could hear his roll call.
"Wow, lots of babes," Leroy nudged Teddy.
"You're an ass," I told him.
After everyone was found and had their luggage, America finally put me down. I actually had to remind him that he was still holding me.
"Heh, sorry Sam you weight like nothing, anyway this way dudes," He picked up his own suitcase and led us down a narrow concrete path. Our cabin was second to the last; we were pretty close to the boys and girls bath houses. There were several floor to ceiling windows that covered the side nearest the ocean. Five sets of bunk beds were pressed up against the opposite wall and against the back wall. Compared to the dorms we had stayed in the cabins felt simple, cheap, and bare.
"Top bunk!" Leroy yelled as he climbed up the nearest one.
"Top or bottom?" I asked Ami.
"I'll take bottom," Ami answered," I don't want to roll off in the middle of the night."
"That's what the sides are for," I threw my suitcase on the end of mine and pulled myself up.
Teddy also picked a top bunk too and was sitting cross-legged in the bed nearest to mine. Under him Lucky was already unpacking. The other five where busy picking their beds without complaint. The only bed that was left was under Leroy, which Alfred grudgingly took.
"Okay, let me get the rules over with so I don't have to listen to England nag me about it. There is a 10:30 curfew unless we're going a group activity that lasts longer. This is a democracy and everyday we'll vote for what we do since we have to travel in a pack. No straying from the group either or you'll have to spend the night handcuffed to Russia. Try to travel in pairs if you have to go to the bathroom. Breakfast at eight, lunch atnoon, and dinner at seven...uhh... Is there anything I'm forgetting? Oh and be polite, clean up after yourselves, and don't do things that your mother would be ashamed of. If I think of anything else I'll let you know!"
"What do you mean don't do anything that my mother would be ashamed of?" Leroy asked.
"It's already too late for you, Leroy," Teddy called over his shoulder while unpacking.
The whole cabin erupted into giggles and America had to excuse himself to go laugh outside.
"We need some music in here," Ami pulled out her iPod and hit shuffle.
Tonight, Tonight by the Hot Chelle Rae came on. Ami danced around off beat and sang into her hairbrush. Yuki jumped in and sang along with her while the rest of us cut in to sing the chorus while we finished making our beds.
"Can we go swim yet," I threw a flip-flop at America.
"Don't ask me, you guys vote."
"Fine. Who wants to go swimming? Raise your hands."
Everyone's hands shot up.
"Swimming it is, go get your suits on," Alfred dug around in his suitcase for his.
Everyone dashed to the bath houses to change and met outside of the cabin with towels.
The beachfront was only a five-minute walk away and empty except for people from school.
"Teddy, get over here," I ordered.
"Why?" He was just about to run into the water.
"Sunscreen."
"I'm not five!"
"I hope you burn then!" I began to rub generous amounts on my shoulders and nose.
Teddy grabbed a sand bucket and filled it with water and while I was spreading out my towel he dumped the cool water over my head.
"You punk!" I chased him into the water and dunked him.
"Alfred, Sam's trying to kill me!" Teddy garbled as he was fighting to stay above water.
"Sam, no killing your brother," Alfred waded into the water but didn't seem to concerned that Teddy was being drowned.
"Go get him, Sam!" Ami cheered from the beach.
"You should be watching your back instead of cheering," Lucky picked Ami up and threw her into a large wave.
"This is war!" Ami splashed at Lucky but ended up splashing Leroy.
"Oh you just brought out the beast!" Leroy began splashing everyone that was in range.
I stopped dunking Teddy long enough to team up with him and take out Leroy. We grabbed both of his arms and dunked him under.
"Get him!"
Everyone around started to splash Leroy until he yelled in defeat.
"No fair that was like ten against one!"
"All's fair in love and war," Teddy and I said in unison.
"Stop the creepy twin thing!"
"What creepy twin thing?" We said together.
"That!"
"We don't know what you're talking about."
"No seriously guys, it's creepy," Lucky pointed out.
We all played in the surf and sand for the rest of the day until it was dinner time. Everyone ate around a few campfires and bouts of laughter rang out until curfew. We all trampled back to our bunks to fall asleep.
Leroy decided to jump in bed with me and wrap his arms around my waist and snuggle my neck," I'm scared of the dark, Sam, protect me!"
"How about no," Alfred grabbed Leroy by his foot and dragged him off my bed.
"Hi, Mr. Jones," Leroy grinned sheepishly from the floor where he had been dropped.
"If you're afraid of the dark then I'll protect you," America gave Leroy a dark grin and his glasses flashed.
"You know suddenly I think I'll be okay thanks," Leroy scrambled into his bed and turned his back to everyone.
"Thought so, lights out! Night kiddos!"
"Night," Everyone chorused.
The week seemed to blow by. Everyday we did something different. One day we surfed, one day we snorkeled, at night we sat around and sang or told stories around the bonfires. Alfred knew some really good ones and with a bit of help from England and Russia none of us could sleep. Teddy and I crawled in bed with America, one on either side.
We played pranks on each other. Leroy was the first to fall asleep one night so we all took a sharpie and drew Harry Potter glasses, gave him a curls mustache, a really awful beard, and wrote any insult we could think on his face. When he got up the next morning we were able to keep straight faces until breakfast. I paid dearly for that because the next morning I woke up with red, white, and blue hair. Then there was the prank that didn't go as well as we had hoped. Teddy and I were planning to get back at Leroy with a trap we had set up. It was the one you saw on TV where they step in a certain spot and a rope tightened around their ankle and suspended them upside down. The trap worked perfectly but who we ended up catching was Germany.
Ami and I spent our last few days sitting on the beach getting a tan and watching boys.
"Doesn't Lucky look great without a shirt?" Ami asked.
"Yes, he looks nice," I answered for the fifteenth time without looking up from my magazine.
"You know I hate to admit this but Leroy is toned," Ami said.
I peeked over the top of the pages," Yeah, but if he ever wants to get a girlfriend he needs to get a better attitude."
"It's not that he's a bad guy but..."
"He's cocky and acts like a jerk around women. If he can fix that he'd be a really good guy."
"He reminds me of Mr. Jones," Ami mused.
"He's nothing like Alfie! Sure they're both cocky and idiots but America is a nice idiot and goes about doing something nice the wrong ways some times. He's always respectful towards women he dates."
"No need to get defensive." Ami held out her hands in surrender.
"You know, Mr. Jones looks good in a bathing suit too."
I felt my cheeks heat up, yeah I noticed I wanted to say.
"Does he?"
"Mhmm."
We lapsed into silence for a while just listening to the ways and far away music.
"I can't believe the boys talked Teddy into joining Rugby," Ami started the conversation up.
"Me neither. I'm worried because he's so tiny," I sighed.
"I'm sure he'll hit his growth spurt soon."
"I wonder if they'll let us girls start a cheer team," Ami changed the subject.
"All you need are a few signatures," I muttered and turned the page.
"Would you join?" She gave me a puppy dog stare.
"Not, going to happen."
"Come on its fun!"
"Not my cup of tea."
"You don't like tea."
"That's beside the point."
"Hey," Lucky yelled at us," You guys wanna play some beach ball?"
"Yeah, just let us put up our stuff!" Ami called back.
"Thanks for making my decision for me," I grumbled.
"You don't want to play?" Ami shook off her towel.
"Yeah but you could have checked with me first," I carried my magazine back to the cabin.
When I arrived back Teddy, Lucky, Leroy, Ami, Italy, Japan, America, Yuki, Dmitri, Russia, and Germany were waiting by a net that was placed waist deep in the water.
"Took you long enough!" Teddy threw his hands in the air.
"Заткнись, придурок!" I snapped back. (Shut up, moron!)
"Bless you" Lucky, Leroy, and America chorused.
I rolled my eyes and tried not to be the stupidity out of them," What are the teams?"
"Teddy, Ami, Italy, America, and Yuki are on one team. Lucky, Japan, Dmitri, Russia, and Sam, you all are on the other team. I'll be the referee," Germany counted off heads.
We split into our groups and faced each other off. Leroy served the ball off first. Russia easily intercepted it and batted it back with a smile. The ball bounced off America's head and Ami bounced it over the net. I moved to hit it back but the water was surprisingly hard to move through and I ended up falling short as the ball landed several inches in front of me in the water.
"Point for team one," Germany called out.
"Why team one? Can't we be called something cool like the Rocket Space Cowboys?" America asked.
"No," Teddy and I said together.
"I think we should be called Pasta fighter, maybe not fighters how about lovers!" Italy chimed in.
"Did someone say lovers?" France appeared out of the waves from nowhere.
"No, and no!" I said.
"I rike the Setting Sun Samurais," Japan nodded.
"No, cool but no," Teddy said.
"Why can't we have cool names?" Leroy asked.
"Because-" I was cut off by America and Italy going back and forth making names.
"What about America's side kicks?"
I grabbed the volley ball and chucked it at Alfred's face.
"No! Team one and two and that's final!"
"Why did you do that for?"
"Because you're an idiot."
"You don't have to be so mean about it," He grumbled and rubbed his cheek.
"Are we going to play?" Dmitri asked.
"Yes," Teddy passed the ball back to Leroy and we continued the game. After an hour of playing team one won by five points.
"Hahaha we beat you!" Leroy jumped up and down.
"Can I hit him?" Lucky asked.
"Please do," Everyone replied.
"Ow!"
"Is it supper time, I hope we're having seafood pasta~"
"That sounds good."
"I wonder what's for dessert."
"I just want a nap."
The last night on the beach everyone lay out under the stars for hours after eating. The bonfires burned low and cast shadows that reached on forever. The stars gleamed cold and abundant in the velvet sky. I fell asleep next to Teddy and I vaguely remembered America carrying me to bed.
The next morning there was a soft collective sigh from everyone as we packed our bags and boarded the buses that would bring us to the airport and take us back home. We all said our long good byes and promised to IM or email when we got the chance. Ami invited me over for a few weeks in the late summer. I told her that I would think about it but now all I wanted to do was lay in my bed.
Once back home Teddy and I both slept for the whole day, neither of us could take jet lag very well. Even though I had planned to lay around for most of the summer after three weeks of watching Netflix and devouring book after book I spent much of my time outside. I rode Freedom several hours every day and practiced pitching baseball. Alfred mentioned that there might also be a baseball team started up this year. Teddy spent his time eating more food than ever and trying to build his strength up for Rugby.
It felt right being home again. I didn't have to worry about appearances nor did I have to follow silly rules. Teddy and I slept in the same room most of the time, sometimes Alfred would join us if we were having a movie night. I enjoyed every moment that I spent with America and Teddy and didn't have to share. It was just the three of us except for when England stopped by and Canada came over for dinner, and a went out to visit Ami for a week, her house was really nice almost as big as Alfred's but then again her mom had connections.
"Hey, kiddos get up!" Alfred burst into the room with more energy than humanly possible.
"уходить" Teddy groaned. (Go away.)
Отвяжись," I threw a pillow at him. (Fuck off.)
"Hey, I actually know that one. No swearing, Samantha."
I just looked at him.
"What are you here for?" Teddy sat up.
"School starts in a couple of days and we have to get our stuff together and get a few last-minute stuff."
"Fine." Teddy and I said together.
"No swearing, yelling, fires, or resistance?" Alfred put his hand over his heart shocked.
"School isn't that bad."
All Russian phrases are from Google Translate so if anyone is Russian or reads Russian and it's wrong my apologizes I only know English
Thanks for reading and feel free to review!