When I Met You in the Summer

1

Ben stood in his room, clothes scattered all over the bed as he tried to figure out what to pack for his summer trip. Every year, he spent his summer vacation at his cousin Cameron's house in Baltimore, and this year was no different. But packing was always a challenge. Cameron always had the best ideas for adventures, and Baltimore felt like a second home by now.

He started with the essentials: a stack of t-shirts, a couple of pairs of shorts, and his favorite hoodie because Cameron's basement was always freezing. As he folded his clothes, he thought about all the adventures they had planned. Cameron had mentioned something about a new arcade and a cool new pizza place they had to try. His mind wandered to the backyard crab feast Cameron's parents have.

Ben grabbed his toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste, tossing them into his toiletry bag along with his shampoo and soap. Then, he carefully packed his camera, making sure it was snug in its case. He had a feeling this summer would be full of photo-worthy moments.

"Ben, you almost ready?" his mom called from downstairs.

"Yeah, almost" he shouted back, though he wasn't quite sure if he was being truthful. Every year he knew about this trip and every year he would wait until the last minute to throw stuff in a suitcase.

"Do you really need all those video games?" his dad called from the doorway, eyeing the stack of game cases next to his bookbag.

"Yeah, Mom, Cameron and I are going to have epic gaming marathons," Ben replied, grinning as he stuffed a few more into the bag.

"Just make sure you pack some clothes too," his dad joked.

"I have clothes dad." He jokingly rolled his eyes

Finally, after much shuffling and a bit of sitting on the suitcase to get it to close, Ben was ready. He took one last look around his room, making sure he hadn't forgotten anything crucial. With everything packed, Ben hauled his suitcase down the stairs and set it by the front door.

"Benji did you pack your whole room." His younger sister Rosalind teased him

"You're just jealous." He stuck his tongue out

"Leave your sister alone." His mother walked over to them " And you leave your brother alone."

"I was just joking" She crossed her arms " I wouldn't want to go to cam's anyway there's no girls there." She shrugged

"And there's too many here." He rolled his eyes as his older sister Serena came down the stairs.

"Don't roll your eyes at me? You may be taller than me but you're still my little brother."

"Everyone in the car, we gotta get Benji to the airport." Their dad shook his head.

The drive to the airport was filled with the usual dad jokes and mom reminders. His mom went over the checklist again – phone, wallet, boarding pass – like she always did. Ben just nodded along, already mentally in Baltimore.

At the airport, they checked in his luggage and made their way to the security checkpoint. Ben's mom hugged him tightly, and his dad gave him a firm pat on the back.

"See you in a couple of months, Benji. Make the most of it" his dad said.

"I will," Ben promised, waving as he headed through the security line.

The flight to Baltimore was smooth and quick, and soon enough, Ben was walking through the arrival gate, scanning the crowd for a familiar face. He spotted Cameron and his dad almost immediately, holding a brightly colored sign that said, "Welcome, Ben" in big, bold letters.