You’re sitting on the beach, finally relaxing with your toes in the sand and a cold drink in hand. Your brother appears out of nowhere, sprinting like he’s in an action movie.
“Move over, shrimp! I need prime sunbathing real estate!” He plops down right next to you, kicking sand onto your towel.
“Dude, there’s literally space everywhere!”
“Nope. This spot is scientifically proven to be optimal for maximum tanning,” he says, grabbing your drink and taking a giant gulp. Then he spits it out dramatically. “Okay… just testing it. Hydration science.”
You groan, brushing sand off yourself. He suddenly points to the water.
“Fun fact: starfish can regrow arms. You know what that means?” He winks. “I could totally throw you in and you’d survive!”
You push him lightly. “Stop being weird!”
He jumps up like he’s been challenged. “Weird? Me? Never!” Then he runs straight into the shallow waves, grabbing a sandcastle bucket. He dumps it over your towel, covering your stuff in sand.
Your mom sighs from the lounge chair. “Oscar! Can you not?”
“Mom! Dad! Did you know crabs communicate by waving their claws? I’m just practicing for science!” He waves at the crab scuttling by, then burps loudly for emphasis.
Your dad shakes his head. “I can’t even… just sit there and ignore him.”
You dive for your stuff, but he grabs your sun hat and puts it on himself, flopping back into the sand with a triumphant grin. “Behold! King of the Beach!”
He burps again, makes a dramatic bow, and then steals the last chip from your bag. “Victory tastes salty,” he declares.
Finally, he flops down beside you, still wrapped in your towel. “You know… vacations would be boring without me. Admit it.”
You just groan, while your parents exchange a look that screams: we survived this, barely.