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Down to the Boardwalk (Part 1 of 2)

Our first semester had gone well. Aaron and I had passed our exams with flying colors, so to speak. His project for engineering -the auto-drummer- had been well received, Professor Hopkins (also my swim team coach), had even suggested an internship at a local engineering lab over the summer, as a way to get some experience.

So, our classes over, and summer break underway, we decided to take a trip down to the beach, a few hours drive up the coast. Aaron's family, the Collins, had bought an old beach house a few years after his oldest sibling was born, and had spent the good part of a decade renovating it.

"I can't- get the stupid- Uhg!" Aaron groaned, trying to zip his suitcase shut.

"Why are you packing all that stuff anyways?" I asked. "We're only going to be there one day anyways."

"Because, rudder butt." He answered, using an old moniker for otters. "I plan on having a good time on this trip, and that means packing some nice clothes."

"Does that include your entire wardrobe?" I said with a smirk.

He laughed back. "It's not my fault I like to dress well."

I reclined on my bed, waiting for the fox to finish packing. I'd been ready the night before; my suitcase packed and waiting by the bed. I didn't understand his desire to bring an entire wardrobe full of clothing to the beach. My own bag was filled only with a swimsuit, some shorts, and a few t-shirts.

Aaron finally got his bag packed, and we headed down to the parking lot. The dorms were empty, most of the students having already left a few days ago.

Parked just outside the dorm build was the car Aaron and I used. An old Lexus LX470, Aaron's parents had given it to him for his 18th birthday. We loved that car, and the freedom it afforded us.

We tossed our bags in the back, and headed off to Bay City, where Aaron and I's families lived. The small town (not a city, like the name suggested) was only an hour away.

"Got the snacks?" I asked, looking for the cooler in the back seat.

"Do you really need to eat already?" Aaron asked with a laugh.

"What? I've got a fast metabolism."

"Otters and their fish." He mumbled with a smile.

Ironically, I'm not a big fan of fish. Something about the taste, and the texture of the meat just grosses me out. Family reunions could be hard. Get a bunch of otters in one place, and you're bound to be offered fish a dozen times in the first ten minutes.

I didn't bother responding to him. I knew he was only teasing me. Reaching into the cooler, I grabbed an apple and strapped myself into my seat.

"Ready?" I asked Aaron.

"Just a minute." He answered, fiddling with the radio.

"Just- Let me." I said, brushing his paws aside. I tuned it to a local radio station, and we pulled out of the parking lot.

...

Bay City was a pretty small town. With a population of only 80,000 people, it barely qualified as a city. Most of the local economy was centered around the two manufacturing plants on the outskirts of the industrial district, and the massive forests surrounding the northern edge of the town.

A large lake, the bay where the city got its name, sat on the western border of the town. Aaron and I had spent countless summers there, just chilling and relaxing in the cool waters that trickled down from the mountains.

We drove into the suburbs, where Aaron's family lived. We pulled up to a light blue two story home, with a large elm tree in the front yard. A tire swing was hanging from one of the lower branches, installed by one of Aaron's older brothers a few years ago.

With the car parked on the side of the road, we hopped out and walked up to the front door. Aaron's parents held onto the keys to the beach house like they were made of gold, and we needed to pick them up before we could continue.

The chime of the front bell rang out across the quiet neighborhood.

"Guess they got a new one." I said.

Aaron nodded in acknowledgement, raising a paw to knock on the door when no one answered.

The door swung open just before his paw made contact with the wood. Standing on the other side was a short fox, his fur all messy and covered in what looked like syrup.

"Aaron!" The kit shouted, rushing forward and embracing his older brother. He quickly moved on to me, rubbing his sticky face against my shirt.

"Cody!" I yelled back at the kid, bending down to give him a hug.

Aaron had a large family. He was the second youngest of five, and all but his younger brother Cody had already moved out. I, by contrast, was an only child, so going over to Aaron's house for dinner or a sleep over had been a chaotic experience. Foxes rushing everywhere, squabbling and fighting like siblings do.

Cody was twelve years old, much younger than the two of us. He'd been a toddler when Aaron and I met, so he was as much my younger brother as he was Aaron's. The kit had tagged along a lot when we were little, always following us around.

Aaron ruffled the fur on the top of Cody's head. "Hey kid, is mom around?" He asked.

Cody nodded excitedly. "She's in the kitchen, come on." He said before grabbing my paw and leading us through the home.

The walls were covered with photos of family vacations, graduations, and birthdays. There were even a few including me, having gone on vacations with them in the past.

We walked by the living room, the TV turned on and set to the pause screen of some video game. There were a lot of memories in this house; countless nights spent up in Aaron's bedroom, playing games, studying, or just enjoying each other's presence.

Cody led the two of us into the kitchen, where Aaron's mom, Mrs. Collins, was standing over a cutting board, chopping at what looked like cucumbers.

"Aaron, Sam!" She greeted us. She set down the knife and walked around the counter, grabbing us both in a tight hug.

I hugged her back, holding my breath as I did. Mrs. Collins had always had the unfortunate habit of wearing too much perfume, and had done it again tonight.

"Are you here to pick up the keys and your brother?" She asked, returning to the counter.

"Yeah, are they just on the dresser like- Wait, what?" Aaron started, just processing what she had said.

Mrs. Collins smiled, not looking up from the board. She moved the cucumbers to the side and put a tomato on the wood. "Cody. We talked about this on the phone earlier, remember? You agreed to take him with you on your little trip."

Aaron was flabbergasted. "No we didn't." He said, knowing full well what she was doing. She'd always been a manipulative lady; it was the only way to raise five foxes, as she was fond of saying.

"Of course you did silly!" She said. "Cody has had a hard time the past few days. Some kids in his class had a party and forgot to invite him." She began to explain, trying to rewrite history apparently. "You mentioned that you and Sam were going to the beach house, and offered to take him."

I smiled as Aaron's muzzle dropped open. I had actually been the one to call and ask her for the keys. Aaron had been waiting outside his professor's office while waiting for the results of one of his exams. She was always doing stuff like this.

"Mom, I never agreed to take him, this was just meant to be for Sam and me, you-"

I placed my paw on his shoulder. "Aaron, she's doing it again."

Aaron looked at me with a confused expression. "Wait- Oh!" He looked back towards his mother. "Mom!"

"Yes sweetie?" She said, deftly chopping up another vegetable.

I grabbed Cody by the shoulder and ushered him out of the room as Aaron and Mrs. Collins started to argue. No need for him to hear any of that.

"Do you want to see my new game?" The kit asked me excitedly as we headed towards the living room.

"Sure."

Cody and I sat down on the couch as he picked up the controller. He un-paused the game, and started explaining the mechanics to me, apparently forgetting that Aaron and I had been the ones to introduce him to gaming in the first place. I let Cody keep talking, as I tried to listen to what Aaron and his mom were saying.

My ears aren't as sensitive as other creatures, and I couldn't pick up more than a few faint words.

"So, how school been?" Cody asked me.

"Huh?" I said, focusing my attention back on him. "It's been fine. We actually just got back from a swim competition a few weeks ago."

"Yeah, Mom was talking about it. Did you win?"

"We did, as a matter of fact." I said with a smile. I was still riding the high of that last competition, having been the final swimmer at the meet. While I wasn't directly responsible for us winning, it had fallen on me to finish it out. It had been a massive boost to my self-esteem.

"That's awesome!" Cody said, before starting on a tangent about his own soccer team. I tuned it out, focusing on the game. For someone so small, his ability to hold a conversation while playing what looked like a pretty focus-heavy video game was impressive. It'd taken Aaron and I years to master that skill.

A few minutes later, Cody's repertoire of stories exhausted, Aaron entered the room with a look of annoyance strew across his face.

"Are your bags packed?" He asked his younger brother.

Cody paused the game and nodded his head. "They're upstairs, in my room. Mom didn't mention when you were arriving, so I got ready after breakfast."

Aaron nodded his head towards the stairs. "Go get 'em."

The small fox sprinted out of the room, running up the stairs. I heard the patter of feet, and the slam of a bedroom door being pulled open.

I looked towards Aaron. "What was that about?" I asked him.

Aaron sighed, running his paws through his face fluff. "Cody wasn't invited to a party some of his classmates threw. Mom said he's been down the past few days, which is why he apparently got a new game." He said, gesturing to the TV.

"Which is why your mother invited him." I said, trailing off at the end. While I was a little annoyed that Cody would be tagging along, Aaron was clearly frustrated. It wasn't the end of the world though.

He flopped down next to me on the couch. "It was meant to just be the two of us." He said. "A way to celebrate our first semester."

"Hey, it's ok. We can still have fun." I said, trying cheer him up.

"I guess." He grumbled.

Cody thumbed down the stairs, pulling a suitcase behind him. "All ready!" He shouted eagerly.

I walked over and took the suitcase from him. "Sheesh kid, what do you have in here, rocks?" I asked with a laugh, feeling how heavy the bag was.

"I don't know." He shrugged, heading towards the kitchen to say goodbye to his mom.

Aaron started searching through a drawer in the hallway, searching for the keys to the beach house.

"Looking for these?" Mrs. Collins says, walking out of the kitchen and into the hallway.

Aaron took the from his mom, thanking her. She kissed him on the cheek, smoothing down some of his fluff.

"Thanks for taking your little brother." She whispered to him before giving me a hug.

We said goodbye, and left the house. I hefted Cody's bag into the back seat, pushing it next to mine.

"Buckle up." I said to him as he climbed in the back, just behind the driver's seat. He pushed the buckle into the lock with a click.

Aaron stood on the driver's side, staring at the car. He just stood there for a moment, before sighing and climbing in.

"Everything ok?" I asked, worried about his hesitation.

"I'm fine. Let's just get going."

...

The sun had already begun to set as we pulled up to the beach house. It was a two-story building, looking very similar to their regular home, actually. Four bedrooms, a full kitchen, dining room, and living room. It even had a game room in the basement!

We pulled into the driveway as I stared out at the water to the side of us. It was calling my name. A few hours of being stuck in a hot car with two other furred creatures was exhausting.

Aaron parked the car, and we unloaded the luggage. He tossed Cody the keys, and the kit ran excitedly up to the front door, unlocking and holding it open for us. He was trying so hard to be helpful, and I wondered if he had picked up on Aaron's annoyance with him being there.

I walked in the front door, taking in the smell of the ocean. Salt, seaweed, with just a hint of the floral perfume that Aaron's mother liked to set up in a diffuser.

We headed to the living room, passing by the open concept kitchen and dining room. I sat down on the couch, stretching my cramped limbs and tail. I heard the door shut, and Aaron entered the room.

"Want to start working on dinner?" He asked me.

I shook my head. "Let's just reheat something. It's getting late."

Cody bounded down the stairs, his tail wagging as he ran into the living room. "Can we have pizza? I think there's some frozen ones in the freezer downstairs!"

Aaron and I shot each other a look, and nodded. "Sure." I said. "Go grab one."

He spun around and headed down to the basement. It was a bit of an odd choice, to build a basement into a beach house, but the building was at least fifty years old. Maybe that was the style at the time?

I crossed over to the kitchen, and started heating up the oven. The kitchen faced the beach, and I stared out at the water, watching the sun set below the horizon. It was peaceful, and I was beginning to relax. The past few weeks had been stressful, and I was grateful that Aaron had the idea to take a short trip down here.

We tossed the pizza in the oven, and chatted for a bit as it cooked. After it was done, we ate quickly, and went to bed. Tomorrow was our only full day at the boardwalk and beach, so we were determined to make the most of it.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading everyone! I would have uploaded the full thing, but I've been a bit distracted with a new VR Headset I got as a gift. Part 2 should be coming in a few days though!