Chapter 6

Sunday mornings were usually quiet until the twins got involved.

I had woken up early, which was rare for me, but hunger gnawed at my stomach. I knew Easton would make breakfast soon, but I wasn't in the mood for eggs or toast or anything else they'd pile on my plate. I just wanted something small, something sweet.

So, I did what any reasonable person would do: I snuck into the kitchen.

The second I stepped inside, though, I knew I was caught.

Miles and Alex were already there, leaning against the counter, probably waiting for Easton to start cooking. Their matching grins immediately set me on edge.

"Look who's trying to be sneaky," Miles smirked, arms crossed.

Alex tilted his head. "Wait, weren't you the one saying you weren't hungry last night?"

I scowled, heading toward the fridge. "I just wanted something small."

"Like what?" Miles asked, clearly suspicious. "Because if I were to guess... I'd say cookies."

I froze for half a second, which was all they needed.

Alex gasped dramatically. "No way! Is that what you're after? Stealing from Easton's stash?"

"I'm not stealing!" I shot back. "I was just—"

"—Sneaking," Miles finished for me. "And lying. You totally don't want real food. You just want sugar."

"Like a little kid," Alex added with a grin. "Maybe we should start calling you Baby Bunny again."

"Shut up," I muttered, opening the fridge.

Miles glanced toward the hallway, then grinned. "Eliiiijaaah!"

I slammed the fridge shut. "Dude!"

Within seconds, Elijah appeared in the doorway, looking half-awake but already annoyed. "What's going on?"

The twins wasted no time throwing me under the bus.

"He's trying to climb the counter to get the sweets Easton hid," Alex said, shaking his head.

"And we know he's not supposed to be doing that," Miles added, his voice mockingly dramatic. "He barely eats real food, and now he's trying to survive off sugar."

I clenched my fists. "You guys are—"

Elijah's expression darkened, but not at them—at me. "Adrian," he said firmly. "We've talked about this. You need real food, not just sugar. And climbing the counters? That's dangerous."

I huffed. "I wasn't climbing—"

"Timeout," he cut me off.

My stomach dropped. "Are you serious?"

"Five minutes," he said. "Sit on the stool and think about why you need to eat properly."

The twins exchanged smug looks as I reluctantly sat on the stool, crossing my arms. Elijah gave them a sharp glance. "And you two—quit messing with him or you're not going out today."

"But we didn't do anything!" Miles whined.

"Yeah, we were just looking out for him," Alex said innocently.

"Out," Elijah said, jerking his head toward the door. "Go get ready before I change my mind."

The twins groaned but shuffled away. Elijah grabbed a coffee before heading back to the living room, leaving me to sulk.

When my time-out was finally over, I joined Easton at the table, though my stomach twisted at the sight of breakfast. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, toast too many carbs. Too much.

I picked at the eggs, avoiding the toast completely. No one said anything at first, but I caught Easton watching me. I knew what he wanted—to tell me to eat more, to make me take another bite. But he didn't. He just sighed and turned back to his own plate.

Henry was still knocked out upstairs, missing breakfast completely, and the twins bolted the second they were done, eager to meet their friends. Elijah and Easton settled onto the couch to watch some boring crime documentary, leaving me with nothing to do.

That's when an idea struck.

Henry teased me all the time. It was time for payback.

I smirked and crept upstairs, quietly pushing open his bedroom door. He was sprawled out on his bed, completely dead to the world. Perfect.

I tiptoed into the bathroom, filled a cup with cold water, and carefully walked back to his bed. I had to bite back my laughter as I lifted the cup over his face.

And then I poured.

Henry shot up with a loud gasp, water dripping down his face as he blinked in confusion.

I burst out laughing and bolted for the door. "Payback!" I shouted over my shoulder.

I almost made it. Almost.

But Henry was way faster.

Before I could reach the stairs, strong arms grabbed me from behind, yanking me backward.

"Oh, you're so dead," he growled, flipping me around.

"Wait, wait, Henry—" I barely got the words out before he hoisted me up by the waistband of my underwear, yanking it way higher than necessary.

I let out a loud yelp. "Henry, no! Stop!"

But he wasn't done. Oh no. He escalated.

Still holding me up by my underwear, he pulled out his phone with his free hand.

"Smile for the camera, baby bro," he grinned, snapping a picture.

"Henry, don't—"

Too late. He sent it straight to our entire family group chat including all of our cousins, ants and grandparents.

Within seconds, laughing emojis and messages started flooding in.

"You are so dead," I muttered.

Henry finally let me go, and I scrambled away, tugging my waistband back into place. "You deserve that," he said smugly.

Before I could come up with a revenge plan, footsteps pounded up the stairs. Elijah and Easton appeared in the doorway, both looking equally unimpressed.

"What exactly is going on here?" Easton asked, arms crossed.

Henry pointed at me. "He dumped cold water on me!"

I pointed right back. "He gave me a wedgie and took a picture of it!"

Elijah sighed. "Both of you are in trouble."

Henry groaned. "Oh, come on—"

"Maybe you wouldn't be if you hadn't sent it to the entire family chat," Easton cut in.

Henry winced. "Okay, that was a little funny, though."

Easton shot him a look. "Laundry duty for the rest of the week."

Henry groaned dramatically. "Noooo—"

"And Adrian," Elijah added, turning to me. "No more pranks, or you're doing the dishes all week."

I sighed. "Fine."

Easton shook his head, muttering something about living with children, and walked off. Elijah followed, probably to make sure Henry didn't find another way to retaliate.

Henry shot me a look. "This isn't over, you know."

I smirked. "Oh, I know."

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Word count: 1023

Hey Guys Thanks for reading this story so please be nice and kind. I am sorry if there are any spelling mistakes or bad grammar.

Thanks for reading my fifth chapter and please vote and leave a comment.

More chapters will be coming out soon.

*EMMA HETHRON*