Effortless

"Okay guys, listen up!" Kailey announced. She held a map of the park in one hand as she stood before us, her other hand on her forehead to block the sun as she studied it.

We stood at the entrance of the park. We had just finished listening to ten minutes of the chaperones' lectures. They only reiterated everything they had told us multiple times before we got here. It was all of the kids that they had to keep track of, so they wanted to make sure we knew what was expected of us.

We were allowed to freely roam the park, we didn't need a chaperone to be with us at all times. They had made special shirts for us all that we were required to wear. Maybe they thought that would make it easier to spot us, but I doubted that it would help that much. We were required to check in with our chaperone, as well as attend lunch at the designated time they selected for us.

But Anita insisted that she follow us around. It was because of me, she wanted to make sure that I was okay. She told me that she wouldn't hover over us, that she would do her own thing for the most part but stay close by.

Once Kailey had all of our attention, she spoke. "I have planned out our entire first day! I did lots of research to see where it's best to be during each time of day, and I think I've done a really good job."

"She stayed up all night working on it." Bella added. She stood next to her friend and faced us. "So you boys better put on your listening ears and follow it."

"Does this plan account for bathroom breaks? Because I already need one." Paxton asked as he stretched his arms.

Kailey's lips formed into a straight line. "Uh, no. You have to hold it all day."

"You shouldn't need to go, we just got here." Javier told his friend with an unamused look.

Paxton shrugged casually, but I could tell he was stifling a laugh. "A man's gotta pee when a man's gotta pee."

"You can pee once we get to the opposite side of the park." Kailey said. "We need to at least get over there so we can stay on track."

"The other side of the park? Kailey's trying to give us all bladder infections." He mumbled to no one in particular.

"Do you want to be able to do everything in the short amount of time we have?" Bella's eyes narrowed at Paxton, but she was also stifling a laugh at his antics.

He put his hand on his chest. "I want to piss."

"I wasn't going to say anything but I have to go too." Javier announced hesitantly.

"You shouldn't need to go, we just got here." Paxton mocked his friend in a tone that sounded absolutely nothing like him.

I couldn't help but laugh at how difficult it was already proving to be to get everyone to cooperate. Kailey pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration while Bella gave both Paxton and Javi stern, disapproving looks. They shrugged innocently.

Anita was standing next to us now, she hadn't been before. She was in line to buy popcorn, the smell of it when we got here immediately compelled her to buy some. She was giggling as she listened to our childish conversation.

"Did no one go to the potty before we left?" Bella asked in a baby voice as she bent down and talked to us all like children. She then rolled her eyes. "I feel like I'm with a bunch of toddlers."

"All of this time spent talking, we could be walking." Ricky said.

Kailey waved her hand like a windmill, urging us to follow her. "Let's go, let's go."

We walked across the park—it was not too bad of a walk, but it was still far, especially considering how much walking we had to do to get into the park itself. I took in the scenery as we followed Kailey's lead. The different foods, the souvenir shops, the big-ass castle in the middle of the park—it was all exciting. It was noisy, as expected. There was music playing in the speakers and children yelling to accompany it.