Waterline

A Day in the Sun

Penelope flips the last pancake on the plate. The dining table was filled with fresh fruits, homemade syrup, and in the center was the huge stack of pancakes. Mae yawn as she set the plates and placed the utensils next to them. "You look tired, you should've slept with me" Penelope playfully scolded at her. Mae smiled at her as all the plates and utensils are set. "Too bad" she commented.

"Breakfast is ready!" Penelope yelled. Almost instantly feet started stomping on the floor and the three boys were racing down the stairs. "Finally, I'm starving!" Toby said as he sat down at the dining table. The two other boys sat beside him as the girls sat on the opposite side. "Thank you for this amazing breakfast," Pj said the other boys followed along, thanking her too.

"Feedback would be nice," Penelope told them. Everyone got a pancake and put whatever they want on top of it. Each plate was different and everyone enjoyed it. Penelope truly wanted feedback with what everyone thinks. She wishes to pursue her dreams of becoming a chef and the only way to make it to the top is to at least make it to the top of her friends.

"The pancakes are fluffy, fresh and have a perfect texture was pleasing" Pj started off pretending to sound professional.
"The syrup is warm and smooth," Conor said.
"It was delicious," Toby said.
"Thanks for the input" Penelope thanked them. They all went back to finish eating their pancakes. After that, they decided to converse a bit longer.

"So are we doing anything today?" Penelope asked them.
"Mae and I are going to hang out at the boardwalk" Conor shared with them. Everyone gave him a questioning look except for Mae. "What about you Pj?" Conor asked.
"I have to go back home with Scooter and maybe just rest," Pj told him.
"So I'm just going to be alone?" Toby commented.
"You can join me and Ashley while we go shopping" Penelope suggested.
"Shopping? Um, no," Toby response. Penelope laughed as she got up from the table and taking her utensils to the sink. The rest followed her actions.
"Good news, Toby. Since you have nothing to do, you can wash the dishes" Penelope smirked.
"There is no way I'm doing them"
Toby countered.
"Everyone else has something to do except you," Penelope told him.
"Fine but only one time" Toby gave in as he picked up the rubber gloves.

"We're leaving!" Conor called out as he waved at them. Everyone waved before Mae and Conor left. Both walking down the stone steps and heading straight to the boardwalk. But along the way, they bumped into a new friend of Mae's.

"I'm so glad I caught up with you!" Libby smiled and waved. Conor smiled back at her. "So we heading to the boardwalk?" Libby asked them. Mae nod at the energetic girl. The three of them started heading to the boardwalk. It was a short walk since Penelope did live decently close. The number of people were low, which means that they don't have to deal with huge crowds.

"Hold on" Libby stop in her tracks making Mae and Conor look back at her. "Are you two dating?" She asked them. Conor quickly denied the fact as Mae started to fluster up. "No, we are just hanging out" Conor cleared up for her.
"Okay! And I'm joining you!" Libby laughed it off.
"What should we do first?" Conor asked them.
"I wanna swim" Libby pointed to the beach. Not many people were out swimming and the water looks calm.
"We didn't bring any bathing suits," Conor told her.
"I know a discount bathing suit place, follow me," Libby said as she led the way.

The place sounded sketchy but Libby had a positive mind about the place. The doorway was beaded and the lights were slightly dim. "Welcome- hey Libby!" The boy behind the counter waved. The side of his head was shaved and his hair was combed to the side. His hair was black at the roots but turned to a light brown at the rest. He had a peachy color skin, his eyes were a hazel color. Distinguishing features were his many freckles and nose piercing. Lastly, there was a large scar that went through his right eye. It was hard to miss it. "What brings you here today?" The man asked her. He looked to be at least in his late 20s.

"Hey Eddie! Me and my friends are looking for swimsuits" Libby explained the situation. Eddie got up from the counter and stared at Conor and Mae. "I got the perfect getup in the back, stay here" he said before going into the back room that was behind the counter. "Don't worry, Eddie can pick out the perfect swimsuit. It's like magic" Libby emphasizes. Conor smiled at the girl but Mae seemed to question it. "I can't wait to see it!" Conor said.

Eddie came back with swimsuits hanging off of his left arm. He handed it out to each of them. "Try them on and tell me what you think," Eddie said showing them where the changing room is. There were only two rooms so Libby and Mae went first. Conor waited, luckily he had Eddie to talk to. Both made small talk but found that they didn't have too much in common. The conversation was cut short when Libby walked out of the changing room wearing a blue ruffle top and a black skirt.

"This swimsuit is the best!" Libby giggles as she spun around. "I knew you would like it" Eddie chuckled as he watched her spin. Mae was the next to walk out. She wore a white bikini with a red flower on the top and red ribbons on the side of the bottoms. Libby's smile brightened even more. "You look gorgeous! Do you like it?" Libby asked her.
"This truly fits my style" Mae admitted, she was shocked by how much this fits her. It made her question how he did it.

A few minutes later, Conor walked out of the changing room wearing his swimsuit. It was a light blue that had white stripes at the hem. "How is that for you, sir?" Eddie asked Conor.
Conor seemed that he liked it but said, "it was kinda big but I tied it up."
"I hope it won't be too much trouble, here, have some towels. It's on the house" Eddie said as he went to one of the cubbies. It was all white nothing special.

"I'll pay for them," Libby said as they all walked back to the counter. Eddie was at the counter waiting for them, the towels were folded next to the cash register. "I wish I could give them to you for free but this is my living, I still want to design and sell my own swimsuits" Eddie explained to them.
"Don't worry, we understand" Libby smiled as she pulled her wallet out from her pants pocket.

"Do you want to leave your clothes in my office? I have a trunk you can put them in" Eddie says as he puts the money in the cash register.
"Thanks, that's really nice," Conor said.
"Do you want me to take them back?" Eddie asked.
"I'll take them, you've done too much for us," Mae said as she took everyone's clothes.
"Okay, it's the room to the right" Eddie was slightly confused but told her where to go.

Mae walked into the room and found a trunk settled between two shelves. She put all of the clothes in the trunk and looked around for a bit. There were quite a bit of sketchbook and art books. On the desk was Eddie's laptop and a whole bunch of sketches that were discarded. Mae saw one sketch that caught her eye, it was a picture of a familiar looking girl. It wasn't like his swimsuit designs, instead, it was a detailed drawing. The girl on the picture was holding a book and is looking up towards her. Mae didn't stay longer, she rushed out to meet with her other friends.

"Bye Eddie!" Libby waved as she walked out of the shop with Mae and Conor.
"He seems really nice," Conor said as they walked across the boardwalk.
"He is, and a great artist. I let him draw my photos" Libby told them. The group reached the stairs and walk down them. They chose a spot that was sorta close to the rocks and left their towels there. All of them couldn't wait to get in the water.

"Race you!" Libby said as she ran to the ocean. Conor and Mae followed her, running to the water. They tried to get as far as they can until it was as far as they can go.

An hour went by, the three spent the time swimming but did leave the ocean once in a while. Now they were tired from all the fun that they had. Not wanting to be completely done with the beach, the group found lounge chairs to sit in. It was a fun day and everyone enjoyed themselves until it was over.

"I can't believe you didn't invite me, Conor!"