I was so wrong when I thought that Jude's pranks were over! He pranked me too. I kind of sensed it but forgot about it. Let me fill you in... When we were watching the funny reactions from my brothers, Jude told me to go and get the camera from my room. I did not overthink it and went like a naive girl. As I opened the door, an air horn was released, and I screamed, jumped back, and fell to the floor. As I realized that I had been pranked, I heard chuckles and laughs behind me. I turned my head while I rested my body on my elbows and glared at Jude. He was laughing too hard, then he winked at me. I felt the urge to jump on him and hurt him, which I did. You thought you could get away with pranking me? Not today.

"You fudging butthole! I will kill you!" I yelled as I took him by surprise and jumped on his back.

He was shocked by my action and nearly dropped me, but he recovered and placed his hands under my thighs to support me. "Why me?" I asked, feeling irritated that I did not see it coming. I was not the one to be pranked, yet he managed to do it, and I must applaud his efforts. I was too busy pulling his hair out from his head. My parents, brothers, and Holden cracked up from laughing too hard. Jude was trying to put me down, but it did not work. My grip was deadly, and I was not letting go anytime soon. After ten minutes, my family and Holden decided to leave us be, and they sat outside while telling jokes and old stories.

My plan worked.

I thought that if I kept holding on to Jude for a while, they would get bored and leave, and it worked. I needed some alone time with him. "Can you get down so I can kiss you?" he said quietly, ensuring we were out of their sight.

I blushed; nevertheless, I felt excited, so I let go of him almost immediately, and he did not give me time to register what was happening. His lips were on mine, and I started kissing him back. "You... feel... so soft and tiny," he whispered on my lips and kissed me some more. I did not say anything and just kissed him back with the same passion. But, of course, nothing lasted forever. Not with my family, that is.

"Lexi, Jude. Come and sit with us," dad called, and we quickly let go of each other. I smacked Jude's head as soon as my dad was near us. "Leave him alone, pumpkin," dad said, and I smirked.

"Okay, fine!" I said in an irritated tone, and we sat outside for a while. Everything was good until some annoying neighbors decided to interfere with our happy time. Adam and Roni stood in front of us with scowls on their faces. They looked constipated, and I almost burst out laughing. I had not seen them in a while, which was a happy while.

"What do you want?" Milo asked. We all waited for them to enlighten us with their usual crap talking. They crossed their arms, and Adam cleared his throat.

"You are being too loud! Just shut up," he said, and Roni nodded in agreement. "Besides, the old lady has an ugly laugh. It's so annoying and makes my ears bleed," he added. As those words left his mouth, mom was right in front of him with an angry expression on her beautiful face. Oh boy, he had awakened the beast!

Mom just stayed silent and did nothing the boys expected, except me. I knew my mom like the palm of my hand, and she was a fearless lioness. She put her hands under Adam's armpits and lifted him up, taking him by surprise. I laughed loudly and stared at them like it was a good comedy movie without popcorn.

"I'm not so old now, am I?" mom rhetorically asked with a grin. Adam was quiet, but you could see the fear in his eyes, which made me laugh even louder. My brothers, Jude, Holden, and dad, started laughing too. Even Roni chuckled but shut up right after Adam glared at him.

"Put me down!" he yelled at mom, and she chuckled. Not the cute chuckle but the scary one.

"Aww, you look so cute when you are frustrated. Good thing I didn't punch you in the – you won't walk straight for a while — area. Consider yourself lucky, little boy. And you should respect elders. I'm not old and didn't ask for your unwanted opinion about my laugh. I love myself, and my family loves me. I don't give a shit if you hate... No, if you loathe me. But I do care about you interrupting our happy time. So, just go away and don't you dare mess with my boys and girl. I will personally haunt you until you see me in every dream, which will become a nightmare." Mom threatened calmly, and he paled.

I guessed that he had learned his lesson. You did not want to anger a woman, especially not a woman with five boys and a man taller than her, as she would bite you with her comebacks.

She put him down, and they nodded, walked away, and entered their dorm. "Mom, that was so cool," Arlo commented after a moment of silence. The boys agreed.

"Hey, mom, dad, when are you going home?" I asked as we entered our dorm.

"In two days," they replied, and I sighed. I did not want them to go home, but they had to. We spent the night together laughing; it was one of the best nights ever.