"MAX!" Tess yelled, rushing toward me and giving me a hug. I laughed.

"It's been a grand total of 24 hours since I last saw you, Tess."

"Yeah, well, that's too long! Where's Nick?"

"I'm over here," Nick called from the picnic table. Tess went over and started a conversation while I turned to Iggy.

"You're a lucky guy, Igs." I told him. He grinned.

"I am, huh? Well, I'm especially lucky, because my girlfriend is totally awesome at tube wars. Your boyfriend however-"

"NOT my boyfriend!"

"Okay, okay, male friend, geez. Anyway, he's a newbie at this. He has no skill whatsoever."

"He's good at kickball. That has to count for something."

"Aha! So you admit the guys won."

"Yeah. Just don't tell Nick, he'd never let it go."

"You're right about that. However, you did not factor in the fact that I will not let it go, either."

"Oh, shut up."

Iggy grinned in my general direction. I scowled, wishing for the umpteenth time that he could see it.

"Hey, slow pokes! If there was ever a time for a tube war, it would be now!" Ella yelled from the boat. I laughed.

"You're only saying that because you don't have to. Tube wars require months, if not years of training. I'll be another two months or so, if not more." Iggy called. Ella stuck out her tongue without remembering that he couldn't see it.

"Well, as riveting as your conversation seems to be," Mom said lazily, "I think it's about time we piled into the boat."

We all laughed and went to the boat.

"You're going down." I taunted Tess and Iggy on the next tube.

"Au contraire," Tess responded. "For it is you that shalt be going down."

"In your melodramatic novels, Shakespeare." I retaliated.

"You guys' trash talk set too high of a standard!" Iggy complained from next to Tess. "How can I ever hope to live up to Shakespeare references?"

"You can't," Nick replied. "You just have to do the best you can."

Suddenly, the tubes jolted forward.

"Oh, its on now, Falkin," Iggy called to Nick.

"Give it your best shot, Griffiths," he shot back.

I grinned. "Now we're getting into the tube wars spirit!"

Upon hearing this, Tess lunged over to Nick and I's tube, a hand catching on one of the handles with the other hanging in between her and Iggy's and mine and Nick's. I grinned, wanting to torture her in the most dramatic way possible.

"One," I said, prying a finger of a handhold. Her face darkened.

"Now, Max-"

"Two," I continued, and she paled.

"C'mon, Max, don't you think-"

"Three," I said dangerously, and her face got red.

"Please, I'll do a belly flop!"

"Four," I said slowly, and she started to sweat. Nick was cheering me on in the background.

"You can't be that cruel-"

"Sure I can," I said, grinning wickedly and I pried her pointer finger from its death grip on the handhold. Behind me, Nick cackled evilly.

"Nooooo!" Iggy cried, reaching his hand out toward her. He turned to us, a mad glint in his eye. "I shall have my payback!"

With that, he leapt onto our tube, grabbing our ankles. Suddenly, a huge wave bucked us airborne.

I squealed as Iggy yanked on my foot, pulling one hand free. I knew I was a goner when the next wave sprayed in my face, and my fingers loosened.

"It's all up to you now, Nick!" I called dramatically. As I flew threw the air, I cried, "Avenge meeeee!"

I hit the water with a loud splat, watching as Nick rolled onto Iggy's tube. With no weight to hold it down, the other tube went flying through the air. Iggy was wrestling with Nick on the tube (and I have to admit that it was pretty hot) when the airborne tube flew into Iggy's stomach. I burst out laughing as he went flying off the back of the tube, all the air knocked out of him and the most hilarious surprised look on his face.

Acknowledging that there was a winner, the boat slowed and Nick did a victory lap, kneeling on the tube and waving his fist in the air victoriously. The boat slowly rounded over to pick us up, and I climbed up the ladder.

"Oh my lord, Iggy," I said. "You got knocked out by a tube, you're such a wimp-"

My taunts, however, were nothing compared to Tess'.

"Oh my god! Here I am, totally at Max's mercy, and you don't do squat! Then, my death is in vain, because you get killed by a freaking inanimate object!"

At this point, all parties involved were rolling on the floor of the boat gasping for breath except for Iggy, who was sitting red in the face next to Tess, having to endure her rant.

"If this is true love, I don't know if I want any part of it," I stage whispered to Nick.

"Agreed." he replied.

HA! I loved this one. The entire thing was based on an experience I had with my cousins and brother (I won, of course).

Am I great or what, updating so often for my adoring fans? I am amazing. No wonder you guys worship me.

Oh, and I have a question for you: do you want more lake stuff, or should I take them back to school? I didn't know if it was getting too old.

Fly on.