As my friends and I were nearing the start of our senior trip to Carolina Beach, I began to think, what could be better than spending a week with my friends at the beach?  Little did I know that there were many layers beneath our ever growing friendship.  It is pretty easy to overlook the bad when you originally plan a trip, but when taking some thought into it, how are sixteen teens going to coexist in a house together for a week?

 It began with my friend Kira when we decided we would drive down together in the same car.  Now, I would not usually have a problem with a nine hour drive with some friends, but our relationship was complicated.  As singles in a group of people who were all dating together, we were brought into a strange scenario where we were closer together because we both did not have a significant other whereas everyone around us did.  It made for an interesting drive down where there was some laughter, but also clear tension from the start.  

Upon arriving, we were met with the vibrant sounds of people and the wide roads of Wilmington, North Carolina.  As well as this, the type of weather that I can only describe as windows down and radio turned up. 

Kira and I were the first out of the group to make it to the house, and as we waited for the others to show up, something seemed off.  Little did I know that would lead to a downhill turn in our relationship for that week.

At last, everyone showed up, ensuing the week of fun that we had all been looking forward to since the start of our senior year.  We were all finally adults, and to our knowledge, we thought that we would do just fine.  The first few days were filled with time at the beach looking at the crisp blue waters that seemed to go on to the edge of the earth, and the beautiful sun that radiated 9 uv rays at us all week long.  All that time in the sun turned me into a golden brown color, darker than I have ever seen myself get.  As time went on however, it slowly got worse and we were all ready to go home. 

Most of them got sick, my friend Andy got pinkeye and sunburnt all over his body, my friend Lily got a cold sore on her lip, and my other friend Kira got an ear infection.  How could everything go from so good to so bad in such a short amount of time?

In a way however, all the bad brought us closer.  We all took care of each other and made sure that everyone was doing well.  My biggest fear was that my friends who were very close to me were not who I thought they were, but luckily, I came to realize that they were more than just friends, they were my family away from home.  Getting into arguments is normal, but our ability to overcome those issues connected us more than before.  Seeing people in school or on the weekends casually is very different to living with them for a week.  It is pretty easy to put up a front when you're seeing people for a couple hours at a time, but when you live with someone, you can see how they truly are.

Besides the ailments, we were able to make the most out of the week together.  We met another random group of kids our age, but we got fed up with them very quickly.  They were preppy UNC Chapel Hill students who were full of themselves, and we immediately realized that we do not need to meet new people to have fun.  We swam in the ocean, played football on the sand, cooked food together, watched movies, and other things that young adults do when they are alone without supervision for a week.  

One of the memorable events of the trip is when some of my friends and I would go on the beach at midnight and sit in the lifeguard chair.  We did not necessarily talk to each other when we sat there, but we soaked in the time that we spent together.  The only thing that could be heard were the crashes of each wave hitting the shore coming one right after the other.  Not only that, I was also able to surf for the first time ever.  My friend rented a surfboard for three days, and she was learning and also tried to teach me how to do it.  At the start, it was rough. I would get on the board and wait for the wave to carry me up above the water, but everytime it did, I would flip immediately and get folded into the water.  However, the one time that I did do it, it was the most exhilarating experience that I have had.  The thought of just riding the water and getting carried back to shore is amazing.  Not only was it a personal victory, but my friends sitting in their lawn chairs on the shore all cheered for me.  

After the week came to an end and we began to pack things to go home, most would think that we would not see each other for a little bit considering that we were just all together nonstop for a week, but that was not the case.  We barely waited a day or two before hanging out like we did before.  

All in all, it was a very successful trip that truly showed me that these are “true” friends of mine.  It was also nice to spend as much time with them before we all embarked with our future to college.  It showed me that I want to be with these people for a very long time, and that I do not want to lose touch with them over the time we are separated during college.