Mr. Ken stopped at the ticket booth in order to pay the entrance fees for him and the 20 people he brought along. He pulled out his black American Express card and presented it to the attendant who took it and entered it into the computer. It didn't take the system long to refuse the credit card and it also told the attendant to call for the manager.
"Sir, would you hold on for a moment, please? My system is telling me to contact my supervisor," announced the worker, who then closed the window, turned his back to Mr. Ken and walked out of his little enclosure.
Ken Thomas looked around at the 20 men and boys who were anxiously waiting for their ticket to enter. He didn't have an answer to their questioning faces until Robert reminded him of the first time they were there that they wouldn't let him pay then, either.
Ken Thomas smiled at his young foster son for that reminder and as he was about to explain the possible problem with their tickets, a man came outside and approached the group.
"Mr. Ken, I presume," declared the man, who probably was the attendant's supervisor. "I'm sorry but your money is no good here."
The lads all looked at one another at hearing that Mr. Ken's money wasn't any good and they wondered how they were all going to get inside as none of them brought any money with them. The man saw the boy's faces and heard their comments and immediately knew he needed to correct his statement.
Getting the groups attention the manager offered, "Boys, I am sorry, I misspoke. When I said that Mr. Ken's money wasn't any good here I should have qualified it by saying his money isn't accepted here. You see lads; Mr. Thomas is a special VIP here at the Lakeside Water Park. What that means is that anytime he wishes to use this wonderful facility he gets to use it for free. He also gets to bring anyone he wishes and they also get to enter for free."
Upon hearing that news, the lads all began talking at once wanting to know why Mr. Ken was such a VIP that he got to get in for free and they did too. Again, the water park manager felt he was between a rock and a hard place because he didn't know if it was his place to explain their question.
This time it was Mr. Ken who came to the rescue. He explained to the boys that the County Commissioners were the ones who bestowed that honor on him because he was the one who financed the project and without that support the water park would not have been built. Only a few people in the group knew the truth, about that statement, but they weren't going to contradict the man.
Seeing the satisfied look on the group's faces, the manager directed Mr. Ken and his troop to follow him through a non-turnstile entrance. As the large crowd finished walking into the water park, the water park's manager wiped his brow thankful that he didn't have to tell the assembled group that it was Mr. Ken Thomas who not only funded the facility but actually paid to build the entire park.
"Boys, let me have your attention, please," called out Mr. Ken. "I am going to rent a few lockers for you all to use to place your shoes and towels' and anything else you do not want to carry with you as you enjoy the water park. I'll give the keys to Ryan and Danny and I'll also have one and so will Gene and George. When you need something from your stuff just find which of us has the proper key and we'll open it for you. Are there any questions?"
That said, the lads began to take off their shoes and shirts and began stuffing them into a newly rented locker. Mr. Ken told them to remember who had the key for their locker and then he told the boys to 'go have fun'.
Knowing there were three different age groups in the mix of kids, you would have thought they would gravitate to be with their own age group of friends. That did not happen. The older boys recommended they all head to the wave pool first and that is what the large group of eleven through eighteen-year-olds did.
As they entered the waters, Eric and Brad told the others about their first visit there. They explained how Collin and Ryan had taken them to the deepest part of the wave pool only to let go of their hands which caused them to tumble all the way to the shore line.
Ryan immediately spoke up and decided to tell his side of the story. He told the assembled lads how Eric and Brad let go of their hands and how he and Collin searched and searched all over the wave pool hoping the boys hadn't drowned, only to find the two scamps laughing their heads off after going through the wash and tumble of the waves. The young boys didn't know who to believe.
As the group of lads talked about Eric's and Brad's story, they continued to walk further into the calm wave pool waters. Eric and Brad then started to argue with Ryan over the true sequence of events to what happened almost three years ago. Listening to the discussion, no one was paying attention to the wave pool operation, nor did they realize they had walked to the deepest part of the wave pool when all of a sudden the wave action began.
The sudden rise of water startled the eighteen lads but that first wave wasn't the one that got their attention. Even the second slightly larger and taller wave didn't faze them very much. It was the third wave that rose so high and so quickly that caused every boy's feet to be raised off the bottom of wave pool. That's the one that got their undivided attention. The majority of the boys were able to push off the pool bottom and keep their heads above the water. Unfortunately, a few of the smaller, younger lads didn't get that push off from the pool's bottom. Caught off guard since they didn't get a full breath of air the boys panicked some as they began to try to swim to the top in order to get that breath and to keep their heads above the water.
The youngsters sudden splashing of water as they tried to get a breath of air caught the ears and eyes of Ryan and Daniel whose height hadn't caused them any problem, As the two college freshmen headed over to help the three eleven year olds, the large commotion of splashing in the water also caught the attention of the lifeguards.
Recognizing the potential for trouble both deep-water lifeguards simultaneously hit their Emergency STOP buttons and then without delay dove into the slowly calming waters as they were trained. Ryan and Danny had already reached the three eleven year olds and had them on their hips when the lifeguards approached. The guards asked the five swimmers to follow them into the shallower waters so they could make sure no one took in any unwanted water.
What the five swimmers didn't know was that when the Emergency STOP buttons were activated a loud Claxton began to blare and that caused the water parks emergency response team to rush to the area. When the two guards and five swimmers arrived at the beach end of the wave pool there were five more emergency response guards waiting to check them all over.
Naturally, with the loud Claxton going off and the sudden stopping of the wave pool it brought a large crowd of onlookers to the area. The twin security guards who were watching over Robert and Charles saw what happened and they sort of chuckled over the situation. But the up-tempo chaos at the wave pool also caught Mr. Ken's attention so he headed to the area. As the owner of The Cove and the Lakeside Water Park's VIP walked over to the wave pool, he hoped that it wasn't any of his group that caused the commotion. Unfortunately, he didn't get his wish.
It didn't take long for the response team to recognize the college freshmen didn't need any assistance so they checked out the three hapless boys and release them to go back to having fun. It didn't take long for the rest of Mr. Ken's boys to converge on the three unfortunate lads who then had to tell their tale over and over again until their friends were satisfied with the telling. Then, seeing Mr. Ken standing over to the side, they had to once more explain themselves.
"Terran, can you tell me what happened here. I know you can swim pretty well, so how was it that you and Dominic and Wyatt had the lifeguards come in to get you?" simply asked the boys host.
"Mr. Ken it happened so fast," began Terran. "We weren't ready for that wave to be as big as it was and so we didn't get the chance to get a big breath of air. That caused all of us to try to swim to the top and I guess we made a lot of noise splashing. Then, before we knew it, Ryan and Danny had us. I never felt so relieved when I was being held up higher than the waves and I could breathe."
It was Wyatt who added, "Yes, Mr. Ken, it happened just as Terran said. This was my first time here and I wasn't aware the waves would get so big."
"Dominic, do you have anything to add?" asked Mr. Ken.
"Not really sir," began Dominic. "We were all together and walking into the wave pool but we weren't watching how far we'd gone when the waves began. The first two waves were okay and we could jump up and stay on top, but that third wave, well, it came up so fast and us being shorter than the rest we just couldn't get to the top fast enough to get a breath. I think the rest you already know. I'm sorry we caused you so much trouble."
Mr. Ken could see some tears running down the eleven-year old's cheeks so he went over to the boy and hugged him close. He told the boy that those things happen and for him to not let it rule his life. He then told Dominic that Ryan and Danny reacted as big brothers should and the lifeguards did their job as they were trained and because of that everything worked out for them.
The rest of the guys heard what Mr. Ken had said and they all turned to Terran, Wyatt and Dominic and told them to learn from what happened and to try to shrug it off. They finished their own pep talk by saying to them to hurry up as they had lots more to do. The three eleven year olds somewhat smiled at what their friends said and then they each hugged Mr. Ken before running off to catch up with the rest of the group.
The large group of boys continued to stick together. After leaving the wave pool, they headed over to the green colored family slide. As they waited in line, Eric and Brad had to tell their story of how they rode it with Mr. Ken, Ms. Mary and Ms. Judy. The two teens told how Mr. Ken told them to hang on tight but that it was he who almost got tipped out of the raft. They told the group how through the twists and turns they got wet but towards the end there were two pipes that dumped very cold water on them before they were shot out into the collection pool at the end.
The lads hung on Eric's and Brad's every word as they worked their way to the top of the ride. When it came time to choose who went first, Eric and Brad stepped up and then told Ryan, Robert and Danny to join them. The five jumped into the presented raft and just as quickly they were dispatched down the slide. Soon thereafter, the remaining part of their group took their turns riding the family slide. They all met at the bottom and discussed how they saw the ride.
Their next ride was the black colored, fully enclosed slide. As the eighteen boys climbed the stairs on their way to the top, Brad and Eric told their friends how Collin and Ryan made them ride that very scary water slide. Eric told their buddies how the two big bullies practically dragged them onto the raft and before they could protest they found themselves going into the dark tunnel.
Ryan decided he would tell the group the 'true' story, so he took his turn and told the group how he saw that day. He told everyone how it was Eric and Brad who picked the black enclosed ride to go on and were super enthusiastic about riding it. He then went on to tell their friends how Brad and Eric began to get scared of how high they were as they continued to walk up to the top. The older teen then told the group that when their friends heard they would be about 90 feet high at the top he told how Brad and Eric wanted to walk back down the stairs they just spent thirty-five minutes walking up. The guys all laughed at Brad and Eric.
Not finished telling his side of the story, Ryan continued to tell everyone, in a high pitched voice, how Eric cried, 'Collin, I've never been this high before; hold my hand, please'. Ryan really put a young child's whine into his voice as he said that and that made all the youngsters laugh even louder.
"Hey, we were only eleven," spoke up Eric in his defense.
Ryan continued to tell his story and explained that he and Collin did pull Eric and Brad into the raft and didn't give them any time to protest or scamper out before the raft entered the dark opening. Ryan continued to explain how as they proceeded down the almost pitch black slide and they hit the curves and dips that threw them from side to side so that both Eric and Brad held onto Collin's and his hands and screamed at the top of their lungs.
Eric and Brad started to remember that day and they could hear themselves saying what Ryan was beginning to tease them about. They told their friends they both agreed with that part of Ryan's story and they laughed along with all their friends.
To finish his story and give Brad and Eric some credit for being so brave that day, Ryan did explain that after all the teasing he just did on the two boys that they all did thoroughly enjoy the ride especially after being dumped into a great big pool of water at the end. He finished up the story by saying how Eric said that it was fun and wanted to do it again.
All the back and forth story telling did help the group pass the time they spent on the stairs as they walked up to the top. Since this raft only took a maximum of four people, they needed to decide who would go together. Since the four eleven year olds were too young to ride as a single group, Ryan decided to take two of the younger boys and one older lad and Danny took the other two as well as one older lad. The rest sorted themselves out and they all met at the bottom as they had on the family slide.
"Geez that was fun," exclaimed Wyatt. "I don't know why Brad and Eric were so afraid."
The whole group burst out laughing at what Wyatt just said.
It was Eric who spoke up in his defense. "Yeah, yeah, you all heard our story and you all knew what to expect during the ride … but WE didn't have that luxury. All Brad and I knew was that it was a long way down and the higher we got the more scared we got. But we DID ride it and we had fun and wanted to do it again, so there!" And with that said both Eric and Brad stuck their tongues out at their friends.
Gene and George had waited at the bottom of the slide, as they did the other ones, and when they heard the entire story the group shared on the way up, they just wished they'd been along with the group to hear it being told as they made their way to the top. As the group headed off he the next slide, the twins looked at one another and smiled in a 'twin' knowing way which said they both wished they were young and free as those boys were just then. They quickly followed the group to the next slide.
The lads chose the speed slide as their next adventure. This slide only allowed one person to ride at a time so they would each have to go down on their own. This time the four eleven year olds were a bit skittish just thinking about going down that long slide by themselves and they inadvertently let their conversation be heard by a few of the older lads.
"Hey, hey … you should hear Sam and Dominic talking about this slide. Their afraid of how fast they'll be going down and I bet both Terran and Wyatt are the same way," announced Josh.
It was Daniel who came to their defense saying that he bet they all were afraid of heights when they were their age and to just let up on the youngsters and worry about their own sorry asses. That brought a small smile to the eleven year olds and a few of the other guys.
As they were climbing the stairs to the top of the slide, Ryan and Daniel took the younger boys aside and talked to them about how to do the slide. They explained they could either go full bore down the speed slide or they could sort of drag their feet behind them some and that would control how fast they actually went. The college freshmen told the boys to drag some at the top but to let up the closer they got the bottom explaining that way they would still get the feel of the quickness of the ride.
It took the group of boys about thirty-five minutes to get to the top of the platform. They sorted themselves out as to who would go first and they decided to go by age. That meant the eleven year olds went last.
Logan went first and he tried to go as fast as he could. Everyone could tell he thoroughly enjoyed his ride by his screams and laughs all the way down. The rest of the teens followed down in age order leaving Sam, Terran, Dominic and Wyatt to go last. That is except for both Ryan and Danny who decided to wait until last to give the younger lads some much needed encouragement and possibly a little push to get started.
Of the last four, Sam decided he would go first. He picked up his slide pad and placed it at the beginning of the slide, laid face down upon it, took a deep breath and pushed off. He drug his feet during the first ten to fifteen feet but as he gained speed and courage he let out the breath he was still holding and began to feel the swiftness of the water slide and began to enjoy the ride. As Sam picked up more speed the people at the bottom and the top of the speed slide could hear him laugh and scream as he enjoyed the ride. When he splashed down in the waiting pool at the bottom Sam had the biggest smile on his face he could ever remember. His waiting friends didn't have to ask him if he had fun; they already knew.
Terran went next and after hearing Sam's screams and laughter of joy he didn't drag his feet quite as long as his best friend did. As he rode down on his pad, Terran decided to lift his feet and go down as fast as he could. As he picked up speed, he too screamed and laughed his head off and everyone could hear him as he splashed down into the bottom pool.
Dominic and Wyatt heard Terran's screams of laughter and knew if both he and Sam could do it and enjoy the ride they could too. The last two eleven year olds didn't drag their feet and they too screamed with laughter all the way down to speed slide. Ryan and Danny quickly followed.
"Hey, I'm a bit hungry," said Chuck, to no one in particular. "Is anyone else?"
The rest of the group agreed they could eat something but they all said they didn't bring much, if any, money with them. None of them figured they'd get so hungry so fast when at the water park. With eating on their minds, the boys headed off to find Mr. Ken.
Gene and George continued to stay with the boys the entire time, as it was their job to watch over Robert and Charles, and it was they who told the boys they would foot the bill for a hot dog and soda to tide them over until they got back to The Cove. The boys all quickly agreed and the large group of adults and lads headed to the top of the water park and the refreshment stand. Gene and George knew they would submit the bill on their expense account so they weren't worried they'd be stuck with a big food bill.
It wasn't hard for anybody to not notice that large a group of boys walking around the water park, and so too for Mr. Ken. The boys host walked over to the lads as they ordered at the refreshments stand window.
"So, what do we have here?" teased Mr. Ken, "a gaggle of hungry lads?"
"No 'dad', we got hungry and Gene and George offered to buy us a snack," replied Charles.
The quick response brought a smile to Mr. Ken's face. He then went over to the security guards and talked to them about how the day was going. Hearing the boys were having a lot of fun and there weren't any major disagreements between the boys, Mr. Ken knew Charles and Robert had a great bunch of friends.
As he watched the boys eating, Mr. Ken's cell phone rang. Answering it he learned Doctor Powers was finally returning his call. The essence of the call was to talk about Charles's pending surgery so 'dad' Ken walked over to Charles and asked him to go with him and sit with him for a bit.
"'Son' Doctor Rick just called about setting up your surgery. He tells me they have an opening on Monday morning and could do it then if that is okay with you," explained 'dad' Ken.
Charles immediately began to tear up and he hugged his 'dad' tightly. Some of the other boys saw what was happening and they brought it to Robert's attention. All Robert told them was that he figured Doc Powers had called about Charles's surgery and since his 'brother' had never had surgery before he was probably still a bit apprehensive over it. The teenager told the group that Charles would be okay and to just not to talk to him about it. The lads all agreed.
Charles talked it over with his 'dad' and finally decided to have his surgery first thing Monday morning. The twelve year old waited as 'dad' Ken called Doctor Rick back and they discussed their decision. It took only about five minutes for the two men to discuss how they would proceed and then they hung up. 'Dad' Ken told Charles that he'd explain everything to him later and for him to forget about the surgery and to have fun with his friends. Charles then hugged his 'dad' and went over to the rest of his friends.
It was while the lads let their meal digest some, before going back to riding the slides that Charles asked Robert if he could show him where those older boys took him and Logan and tried to beat them up. Logan heard the request and he wasn't too fond of revisiting where he had his nose broken but he reluctantly agreed to go along and tell his story.
This was a story Gene and George had never heard so they were also interested in hearing what the lads had to say. The group first headed to the restrooms, since most of them needed to use that facility. While the boys took their 'pit stop' and drained their over full bladders, Cody decided to tell his small part of what happened that unmemorable day.
Cody told the gathered group how Brody, Nicholas, Easton and Owen had stopped them just outside that very restroom and he told them how pissed off Brody was at the time. He told them that Brody was pissed that Logan had gotten his girlfriend, Joanna, in trouble with the school's principal and how Robert got him in trouble over the fight they had in the cafeteria over the skateboard ramps. He told the gathered group how Brody said he had 'blue balls' because his girlfriend couldn't take care of him anymore. Cody went on to tell them that Brody told them that Joanna was going to have his baby and that Robert and Logan would be lucky they'd have any balls left after he got through with them.
Cody went on to tell his friends how Easton, Owen, and Nicholas weren't paying any attention to him while Brody spoke to Robert and Logan and that was how he able to get slip away and go find Mr. Ken. This information was all new to the lads who went to school with Robert and Logan. They all knew the result of what happened at the Lakeside Water Park but this was the first time they heard any of the back-story of the why Logan and Robert were attacked there. This was also new to Ryan and Danny as they only heard stuff through the grapevine. Gene and George were also all ears to the story and they hoped they'd learn more about the altercation.
The group of lads then followed Robert and Logan as they led their friends to an isolated part of the water park where they were actually attacked. Logan told his friends how Nicholas and Owen held him with his hands behind his back so he couldn't get away. He told them how Brody revealed to them what he had planned for him and Robert. Logan then explained how Brody then slammed his fist into his stomach and then again across his face. He told his buddies that after his nose was broken he didn't remember too much.
Robert picked up the story by telling the group how he only had one boy, Easton, holding his arms behind his back. He told the gathering that as Brody was hitting Logan, Easton had to release his hands in order to hit him and that as soon as his hands and arms were freed he'd formed a fist. He told them that before Easton could hit him he smacked Easton as hard as he could across his face and ear and that the lad went down hard. Robert then added that Easton put his hand to the side of his face and wouldn't let anyone to try to help him. Robert finished his story by telling his friends that Easton received a cracked jaw and had his jaw was wired shut for a few weeks while it healed.
Chuck, Trevor, Brad, Gordon and Josh all thanked Robert and Logan for telling them what really happened to them that day at the water park. James and Camm also thanked them for sharing with them what had to have been a terrifying time knowing they had no control of the outcome. It was Sam, Terran, Dominic and Wyatt who were the ones who took in the real significance of what happened to the older lads as they heard how quickly something could go so wrong no matter where they were. The four lightly talked amongst themselves about what happened to the older kids and how it could easily happen to them at any time and that they needed to be careful and watch their backs.
Gene and George were surprised at the full telling of the story and now hearing it from those who were involved made it even more real to them. They knew from their own experiences that listening to the telling by the actual people involved brought any story to life and made it more meaningful. Ryan and Danny didn't have anything to say about the younger boys attack at the water park as they both knew what happened to Collin and Ryan at that same park not more than three years ago. It was Ryan who hoped none of the lads would ask him about his attack there.
Unfortunately, that was not to be as Charles asked Ryan about what happened to Collin and him and where did it happen. Ryan was reluctant to talk about the attack but Eric and Brad, who were there that day, told the group to follow them.
When they reached the beach area where Ryan and Collin were attacked, Eric pointed out the general area where he remembered the big pool of blood lay under his 'big brother's' head. Eric told his friends how he cried that day seeing Ryan lying there with blood everywhere. He also told how Collin was able to beat the guy who had attacked Ryan and how that person was lying on the sand crying out in pain and holding his hands to his face.
All the lads were mesmerized by the second telling of a story that dealt not only with the water park but of someone they actually knew. They asked Ryan to tell them what he remembered of his attack and all he could tell them was how Bill and Raleigh came up to them and wanted to beat Collin up because he was supposed to have been taken care of right after he started school.
Ryan went on to explain how the two attackers inadvertently told them how Rodney had gotten beaten while he and his friend were on spring break which was six or seven weeks, or more, before he and Collin were attacked. Then all Ryan could tell the boys was what he remembered at the hospital and the surgery he had to undergo to have his nose fixed. Ryan then finished up his story by telling the lads how it got revealed that it was one of their female classmates who got Bill and Raleigh to attack them because Collin would not play her game and refused to date her.
As the lads walked to their next adventure on the remaining water slides, James and Camm overheard Gordon and Brad talk about the one thing that they saw in common in both attacks. They heard both teens mention that in both instances there were girls involved somehow. The twelve year olds were startled by what the teens said so they asked them if they could explain it to them. The teens smiled and told them how some of the girls in their class always wanted to be the center of attention and would cause problems if they didn't get their way.
Brad and Gordon told the boys all the things that happened to Logan at school but especially who was at the forefront of it. They also told the two younger lads to stand back and watch how the girls in their class acted, when they got back to school, and to just take notes and learn and not to fall into the girls' desire to be superior to any boy. James and Camm thanked the teens for talking to them and headed off to talk to Charles about what they just learned.
The large group of young males next approached the slide combination called the Water Works. It consisted of four different slides that twisted and turned in a lot of different ways but they all emptied into one large water pool at the end. It was Dominic who suggested that since they all had done the other slides as a group, one after the other, that they should all do the four slides that way, too. It made sense to the whole group and so they all got in line for the Blue slide first.
The lads had fun riding all four different slides. They stuck together like thieves and talked about what they experienced during their individual rides while they waited in line to ride the next one. The day was getting on and they still had a few more slides to ride so they hurried on to their next conquest.
There were only two large slides they hadn't yet tried so they had to choose between which one to try next. The guys stood back and looked over the two remaining rides. One looked similar to the speed slide but it had eight positions so eight people could essentially race to the end. That slide was called Head-Rusher. The other slide was not actually a slide but more of an ocean wave like rider. It was called the Flow Rider.
The group had always steered away from the Flow Rider as the line was always very long. They had seen that when you fell off, which was often very quickly after you started, you had to go to the back of the line. Knowing that was the case, the lads voted to head over to the Head-Rusher.
The lads got in line and as they slowly walked up the stairs they could watch the other riders go down. As they watched they tried to figure out which lane would be the fastest so when it came their turn they could beat their friends to the bottom. The trouble was they could never see one lane being faster than the other. They decided they'd just have to take their chances when it came time to choose their racing lane.
It seemed like every ride they decided to go on the wait time was always between thirty and thirty-five minutes and they found the Head Rusher wasn't any different. As they neared the top they got into groups who would race. Ryan and Daniel decided to let the friends' race one another and they would go down last.
It was decided the first group of racers would consist of Robert, Eric, Brad, Gordon, Chuck, Trevor, Logan and Cody. They figured that being all in the same grade and age it would be much fairer than if they raced against the younger kids. When it was their turn to race, the eight teens chose lanes by age so Logan got to pick first. As the eight teenagers lined up they talked big to each other about how they were going to be the winner. Then the light turned green and they were off.
Logan, being the heaviest, took the early lead but for some reason the film of water under his pad thinned out and he slowed down considerably. It was Eric who then took the lead but that didn't last long as first Brad and then Chuck took it from him. Then, just like what happened to Logan the film of water under their pads petered out and Robert not only took the lead but he won.
Sam, Terran, Dominic, Wyatt, Charles, James, Camm and odd man out Josh were the next group to go down Head-Rusher. They saw what happened to their friends on the previous heat so they knew whatever they said didn't matter as it looked like the luck of the draw was what decided who would win. When the green light came on and the lads started down the slide, it was Josh who took the early lead. But just as with Logan, Josh lost the early lead to Camm who laughed back at him as he passed. Quick enough, though, Charles and James came down fast and caught up to their friend. The finish line was in their sight when light weight Wyatt passed them all at the line to win.
You should have heard the lads tell their story of how they were robbed of their victory. First Logan complained that the water stopped flowing under his pad and that was why he lost. Then it was Eric's turn to say how Brad and Chuck cheated somehow to take the lead from him. Josh joined in the 'complaint department' and told everyone how someone had to have turned off the water in his lane which was why he lost. Charles and James and even Camm joined the protesting losers but were shouted down by the winners, Robert and Wyatt.
The whole time the lads were talking up a storm, Gene and George stood back and relished in their antics. They smiled at how the lads acted and wished they could go back to their younger days and relive the kind of fun those boys were having there that day. It was while the security guards were reminiscing that the last two teens joined up with the others making the group whole again.
As it was now getting late in the day, the group decided they wanted to do one last thing before they met up with Mr. Ken and returned to The Cove. They all kicked around the different slides they could go on but they knew they would have at least a half-hour wait before they could ride. It was Terran who suggested they go back to the Wave Pool saying, "… that some of them never really got the chance to totally enjoy it."
The entire group laughed at his suggestion but knew it was the best and easiest thing for them all to share at the same time so they headed in the wave pool's direction. This time the younger and shorter lads didn't venture in as far as they did their first time around and they definitely had a whole lot better and more enjoyable time in the waves. Even the older lads had a good time staying in the shallower waters as they found they could body surf the waves back into the beach area.
It was just past five thirty when Mr. Ken found his group of boys. He called them all together and asked them if they were ready to head back or did they want some more time. Sam spoke up and told the man that the only thing they hadn't tried was the Flow Rider and that was because the line was always way too long. Mr. Ken turned and looked in that direction and saw the line was really short as people had already began to leave for the day. He suggested they head over there and check it out.
Sam rushed there first and became the first of the group to get in line. With the line much shorter than it had ever been that day it only took Sam ten minutes to finally get his chance to try the Flow Rider. The eleven year old lad picked up his Flow Rider boogie board and launched himself into the on rushing waters. He lasted a whole two seconds before he was unceremoniously dumped into the rushing waters. The whole group laughed and laughed hard at Sam's experience. Even Mr. Ken had to smile at how fast the lad went 'missing in action'.
Terran was next in line and after seeing what happened to his friend he relinquished his place to Ryan. This was going to be the much older teen's first attempt at riding the Flow Rider so he got his mind set and what he hoped his balance and he launched himself into the on-rushing waters. He lasted only as long as Sam had. At that rate it wouldn't take long for all eighteen lads to have their own chance at the Flow Rider.
Next up was Daniel, followed by Josh and neither of them lasted any longer than Sam or Ryan. Chuck took his turn, and so did Brad, Trevor and Cody and none of them having done any better than the previous riders. Terran then decided to take his chances and he lasted a full four seconds before the on-rushing waters washed him off the board. For his trouble he got a round of applause.
Dominic and Wyatt went next and they didn't even get to ride the board as they were quickly dumped off and into the rushing waters. Danny, then Gordon, and then Camm and James took their turn at the on-rushing waters and none of them did any better than Sam.
The last ones to try their luck were Robert, Eric, Josh, and Charles. They said they'd flip a coin to see who went first but since neither of them had a coin Josh volunteered. The teen got his board ready and his mind around the task at hand and he launched himself into the rushing waters. He started out good but his foot caught the fast flowing water and that caused him to do a 360 turn and then fall off the board. His time was the longest at a full six seconds.
Now the boys had a goal to at least achieve: six seconds. Charles went next and he actually was able to meet the six second goal and get to eight seconds before losing his grip and falling off the board. Eric decided to go next. He hoped he'd do better than many of his friends and indeed he did get to five seconds, but like the others he got dumped into the rushing waters.
Robert was the last man standing, sort of. He was actually the last lad who hadn't yet tried his luck on the Flow Rider. The teenager picked up a boogie board, looked out at the on-rushing waters, and set his mind into beating the eight seconds his 'brother' was able to achieve. The lad allowed his body to slowly enter the stream of water so that he didn't get unbalanced as he hit the torrent. Robert looked good as he entered the water and his friends stood there opened mouth as he showed them that fast wasn't always best. Sadly, Robert didn't make it to more than four seconds as he got dumped like everyone before him. The open mouthed onlookers changed their spots and loudly laughed at Robert's ride.
The boys had actually gotten back in line after their try at the Flow Rider. They entered the fast moving waters in the same order they originally went in. Most of the lads didn't fare any better their second time around but some actually did better. Charles was able to get a full ten seconds and beat everyone. Sam did get to five seconds, as did Dominic, Josh, and Brad. The rest of the boys just enjoyed their attempts and of course their un-royal dumping into the fast waters.
Mr. Ken had everyone loaded back on the Commander at a little past 6. The lads, although very tired, still had enough energy to talk over their friends as they told their version of how they conquered the slides at the Lakeside Water Park. It took the Commander about thirty minutes to get back to The Cove.