It was the first weekend of summer break, and Alexa and her younger brother Jake were both buzzing with energy as their parents pulled into the driveway of the beachside Airbnb in Redondo Beach. The house was a dreamy two-story with a big balcony overlooking the ocean and giant windows that made everything feel light and open.

“Alright, we’re here!” their mom announced, hopping out of the car with her sunglasses still on. “Who’s helping unload the car?”

“Not me,” Jake said immediately, sprinting toward the front door with a backpack slung over one shoulder. “I’m claiming the room with the ocean view!”

“Oh no you don’t!” Alexa shouted, taking off after him, flip-flops smacking the pavement as she chased him up the steps. “You got the window seat on the plane, I’m getting the good room this time!”

By the time their parents made it inside with the bags, Jake and Alexa were already arguing over who had more “vacation points” this year, a made-up system they always used to keep score on family trips.

Their dad rolled his eyes. “How about you both take a shared room, and we get the one with the view?”

“Fair,” Alexa said quickly. “As long as Jake doesn’t snore like a wild raccoon again.”

“I DO NOT—okay maybe once,” Jake muttered.

After unpacking and settling in, the family walked down to the beach, only a two-minute stroll from their Airbnb. The sky was painted in soft oranges and pinks, the waves rolling in gently as surfers carved along the water. Alexa had her camera out, taking photos of everything: seashells, seagulls, and Jake doing dramatic poses in the sand.

“Stop being weird,” she laughed as he attempted a slow-motion Baywatch run. “I’m trying to get aesthetic shots for my feed.”

“I am the aesthetic,” Jake said, tossing a handful of sand in the air like confetti.

They played around for hours—Alexa helped build a sandcastle (and then knocked it down), Jake tried skimboarding and mostly wiped out, and their parents just relaxed in beach chairs, sipping iced coffee and watching their kids be, well… chaotic.

Later that evening, they walked along the Redondo Beach Pier, lights glowing over the water, the scent of salt and funnel cake filling the air. Alexa begged their dad for one of those giant churros from the food stand.

“You said you were going on a health kick,” he teased.

“I said that yesterday. Today I’m on vacation mode,” she declared.

Jake ended up with a chocolate-dipped ice cream cone that melted too fast and started dripping all over his hand. Alexa took a picture and laughed. “I’m sending this to Mom’s group chat. Caption: ‘Jake vs. Ice Cream: Ice Cream Wins.’”