Summer is almost over, and school is just around the corner. This makes for the perfect opportunity for my Mom to plan a family road trip. With my siblings and I becoming older each year, it’s just a matter of time before we leave the house to start our adult lives’, leaving no more time for family vacations. This year, my Mom went a little crazy. Instead of staying at a hotel or resort like most people do when they go on vacation, she decided we are going to go camping. Her reasoning is that it will be able to spend more quality time together, plus I think she’s just being cheap. I’ll admit, I’m actually kind of excited to go on this trip, but I am a little hesitant to see how my four older siblings will react.

One of my oldest siblings and my only brother is Rob. He is going to be a senior in high school, around 4 years older than I am. Sports are Rob’s life. Every new season is an opening for Rob to do a different sport. Fall is soccer, winter is basketball, spring is lacrosse, and during the summer, he has his only break from his busy schedule. I have a feeling Rob will like this trip our Mom has planned. I mean, he spends most of his time outside anyways, so I don’t think he’ll really mind. In addition, this will be one of his last family vacations since he is graduating this year, so I think that he’ll appreciate spending time with us.

Out of them all, I would say that Carrie is my favorite sibling, probably because she is nicest to me. (Being the youngest has some advantages, but mostly disadvantages). She is going to be a junior this year, and is a twin, along with my other sister Bridget. Carrie is a lot different from the rest of our family, in the sense that she doesn’t like any of the activities we like to do. Instead of playing sports, Carrie loves to draw. She’s actually really talented…which is kind of weird since no one else in our family is artistic at all. Carrie will probably like this trip; she’ll probably just draw the whole time.

My sister Bridget is definitely the highest maintenance out of all of us. Most people would call her a diva. She is going to be a junior, but isn’t really that into school. Her grades are okay, but she mainly puts all of her effort and attention to her social life. Bridget likes to go out and party, sometimes getting into trouble, but we all expect that from her. Aside from her friends, she spends a whole lot of time as a gymnast. For a girl who doesn’t really have that many cares in life, Bridget is really serious about gymnastics. She is also aiming to get a scholarship for college for gymnastics (probably her only way to get into a decent school). Judging how Bridget is such a girly-girl, she is absolutely going to hate this vacation.

Sophia is going to be a sophomore in high school. Unlike Bridget, she takes her studies very seriously. She wants to go to an Ivy League school, already mapping out which colleges’ interest her. Sophia is like the perfect daughter. (This quality gets really annoying for the rest of us). She always does what she is asked to do, never argues with my parents, never gets into any trouble, and always keeps up with her school work. Everything she does is flawless. During the vacation, knowing her, she’ll be doing her PSAT book or something like that. I’m not even sure how she is going to react to this.

The last and youngest child is me. My name is Lily, and I am going to be a freshman this year. Of course, this isn’t a big deal or anything because I’ve seen my siblings go through it four times already. I basically know everyone too, which is also due to my siblings. I would say I’m a mixture of all of my sisters. I’m definitely kind like Carrie, really outgoing like Bridget, and I try my best to do well in school like Sophia. In a way, I can be like Rob too. We both share a passion for sports. The only difference is that I only play one, while Rob plays three. I am an excellent lacrosse player, and I’m hoping to make varsity once the spring arrives. I for one am eager to go on this family trip. With my siblings becoming older and busier, they barely have any time for me anymore. This trip should be very interesting….
***

Today is the day of the trip. I have barely slept at all last night, so anxious to start our adventure. It’s around six A.M. and no one in my family is awake yet. Knowing my brother and sisters, they probably won’t be up for another four hours or so. I climb out of bed, and creep down the hallway to my parent’s bedroom. I peek inside and see that both of my parents are sound asleep. I know better than to go into their room, because if I were to wake up my Dad, my life would be over. He works really late each night, and on the weekends is extremely tired, so he usually sleeps in. I’ve accidentally woken him before, and let me say, I’ll never make that mistake again. I close their door and shuffle down the stairs. I ease myself onto each step, making sure they don’t creak. Once I arrive to the bottom, I head straight for the kitchen. It is still dark outside, so I turn on the lights, the empty room becoming illuminated. I want to get some energy in me, so I open the cabinet to get the coffeemaker. It is on the top shelf, a little out of my reach, but I attempt to grab it. I latch hold of it in my hand, but I don’t have the greatest grip on it. As I’m pulling it down, it quickly slips out of my hand before I can grasp ahold of it. The coffeemaker breaks into pieces, smashing onto the ground. The bang was so loud, echoing through the entire house. It was just a matter of seconds until I heard the pattering of feet running down the staircase. My parents sprint into the kitchen with my siblings following closely behind. I look like a deer in headlights right now, my expression surprised and my eyes as big as possible. My Mom walks around the counter to see the coffeemaker scattered across the ground. Now I feel embarrassed, my whole family just staring at me, blank expressions on their faces’. My parents look beyond mad, and I’m just waiting for one of them to start yelling. Before they can do that, Carrie intervenes, saying now that everyone is up, we might as well get ready to leave. My mom nods her head in agreement, not lifting her eyes from her precious coffeemaker. They all retreat upstairs to get ready, including my Mom. I stand there for a minute or two, then remove the pieces off of the ground and place them in the trashcan. I slowly make my way up the stairs, scared to see how the rest of the day is going to go from here.

I change quickly, and brush my hair back into a ponytail. I grab the bag I packed the night before and slip on my sneakers, making my bed before I leave my room. As I walk down the hallway I peer into each of my siblings’ room, seeing them all pack their overnight bags for the trip ahead. I go down the stairs again, to the kitchen where my Mom is packing the coolers full of food and drinks. Once she finishes, she heads to the garage to load them into the car, not even looking at me in the meantime. I follow her out to the car, where my Dad is located putting all of the necessities into the trunk. I place my bag in the back, and go back inside to tell my brother and sisters that it is time to leave. Rob comes down quickly, with only a small bag accompanying him. Carrie and Sophia follow, both looking half asleep still. After about five minutes of waiting, Bridget makes her grand entrance, holding at least three bags. My Dad sighs at this sight, reluctantly throwing the bags into the trunk. We all pile into the car, none of us saying a word.

We drive silently down the street, and after about twenty minutes of driving, chaos begins to emerge. Bridget and Rob are going at it, screaming at each other about who knows what. Sophia and Carrie are pushing each other, Carrie starting it after Sophia grabbed her drawing book from her. I just sit quietly between Bridget and Rob, looking at the road straight ahead. To add to all of this, now my parents are beginning to argue, my Mom muttering things under her breath. My Dad, who didn’t get the rest he needed, is becoming very agitated.
“Wait, turn where?” my Dad asks impatiently.
“Left! Left!” my Mom shouts.
“I don’t see it!” barks my Dad.
“That’s because you missed it!” my Mother says throwing her hands in the air.
“Well why didn’t you tell me sooner? It’s not like I know where I’m going!” my Dad yells, becoming increasingly frustrated.
“Well I assumed you could see a giant opening on your left!” my Mom points out.
My Father just shakes his head in disbelief.
“God you’re horrible at giving directions,” my Dad says rudely.


I just sit and listen to my family get at each other’s throats. This was obviously all my fault. What a great way to start a family vacation…