Day 1
Man, summer sucks. All my friends are either away on vacation or busy with their "summer jobs" which are basically just glorified chores. I'm stuck at home with Rowley and my annoying little brother Manny, who seems to have discovered the art of annoying me at a whole new level.
My mom, bless her heart, decided we should all "bond as a family" by going on a road trip to visit my grandpa. He lives in this tiny town called "Pleasantville" - which, honestly, sounds like a nightmare. Apparently, it's full of "family friendly" activities, which basically means no video games or internet. I'm already dreading it.
The worst part? I'm stuck in the backseat with Rowley and Manny. Rowley is cool, but Manny is a literal demon in disguise. He keeps kicking my seat and asking annoying questions like "Are we there yet?"
Day 2
We made it to Pleasantville. It's exactly as boring as I imagined. Everything is clean and perfect, like someone decided to build a town based on a stock photo. The only excitement I've found so far is a dusty old arcade, but all the games are from the 80s.
My grandpa seems nice enough, though. He's a retired teacher and loves telling stories about his "glory days" when he was a "young whippersnapper." I'm pretty sure he's trying to make us appreciate the simpler times, but I'm not buying it.
Day 3
Today was "Family Fun Day" at Pleasantville's annual "Summerfest." We went to a "classic car show" (basically just old, rusty cars), watched a "community theater production" (it was so bad, Rowley and I almost walked out), and ate "artisan ice cream" (which basically tasted like melted sugar).
The only good part was the "Escape Room" exhibit. It was actually kinda cool, even though we all got locked in a room with a bunch of other kids. I'm pretty sure we were the only ones who didn't get out before the time limit, though.
Day 4
My grandpa decided we should spend the day at the "Pleasantville Science Center," which is basically just a glorified museum full of dusty exhibits. I was bored out of my mind until I met this girl named Jessica, who was even more bored than me. We ended up spending the whole day talking about video games and escaping the boring "science stuff."
Jessica is cool. She's into the same stuff I am, and she's actually pretty funny. I think I might have a chance with her. Maybe Pleasantville isn't all bad after all.
Day 5
My grandpa took us to this "vintage comic book store" today. It's actually pretty cool, and I got some sweet comics I've been wanting. Jessica was there too, and we spent the whole day talking about comics and sharing stories about our favorite characters.
My grandpa even bought me a vintage "Archie" comic book. I was surprised, but it actually turned out to be pretty funny. Maybe Pleasantville isn't so bad after all.
Day 6
We're leaving Pleasantville tomorrow. I'm actually kinda sad to go. Jessica is coming to visit me in the city next week, which is awesome.
I learned something this summer. You never know what you're going to find when you least expect it. I thought Pleasantville was going to be a nightmare, but it turned out to be pretty fun. And I met a girl who's actually cool.
Maybe my mom was right. Maybe family vacations aren't so bad after all.
P.S.
Don't tell my mom, but I secretly enjoyed the "artisan ice cream." I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty good.