**Mix-Up at the Surf Shop: A Summer of Surprising Style**

As the school year inched toward its long-awaited end, siblings Noah and Olivia found themselves shuffling behind their mother through the doors of Surf's Up, the local surf shop that promised—at the very least—to outfit them for a summer of sun-soaked adventures. While their mother held up patterned board shorts and bikinis for inspection, Noah gravitated toward a sleek pair of black-and-red racing shorts. He slipped into the adjoining fitting booth, peeling off his jeans and t-shirt, grinning at his reflection once he’d wriggled into the new suit. Next door, Olivia caught her breath as she tried on an emerald green bikini that set off her summer tan. Both teenagers stepped out to show their mother, whose proud smile somehow managed to be both embarrassing and comforting. With nods of approval all around, they ducked back inside their respective booths to wrestle their clothes back on, eager to finish up and maybe persuade their mother to swing by the ice cream place on the way home. But in their hurry—and in a scene that could probably only happen to siblings—they each entered the other's booth. Only as they closed the curtains behind them did the reality of the mix-up become clear. Olivia stared at Noah’s boxers, cargo shorts, and t-shirt piled where she expected her own skirt and tank to be. Noah, with his cheeks burning, eyed Olivia’s neatly folded bra, panties, and sandals. For a moment, both considered sneaking out to fix the blunder, but the shop was filling up—and the prospect of drawing attention was worse than just going along with it. With a resigned sigh, Noah squeezed himself into Olivia’s skirt and tank top, half-expecting lightning to strike. Olivia, meanwhile, slipped into her brother’s clothes, the camo-print boxers billowing around her waist and his t-shirt coming down almost to her knees. They emerged nervously, each waiting for the inevitable laughter or rebuke. But to their surprise, their mother barely blinked. Instead, she addressed Noah as “Liv,” chiding him for almost stepping out without her purse, and complimented Olivia—calling her “Noah”—on how cool “he” looked in those shorts. The siblings exchanged bewildered glances, but their mother’s oddness was sometimes just part of the ride. As they piled into the car, the switch held. Downtown drifted by in a blur outside the windows, but inside, Noah and Olivia sat side by side, quietly marveling at their swapped roles. Olivia nudged Noah—awkwardly hiking up what used to be her own skirt. “You know,” she whispered, “you actually have nicer legs than I do. That’s so unfair.” Without asking, she dug a bottle of nail polish from her bag, taking his hand and painting a quick, sparkling stripe on his thumb. Noah wriggled his toes in her sandals and raised an eyebrow. “I bet I could pull off your bikini better, too.” He struck a mock pose, making Olivia snort with laughter. “But I’m not sure about the tan lines. You’d have to wear the racing shorts to keep up.” By the time they reached home, the strangeness of the morning had faded into the soft harmony that only siblings could pull off—equal parts teasing, rivalry, and mutual admiration. And as they ran up the path, their mother’s voice called after them—still mixing up their names, as if the switch had always been so. For Noah and Olivia, it was one more secret between them—another story to tell when summer forgave all oddities and sunshine made everything new.