“Let me out of here!” he shouted.
“Are you ever going to hang out the window and act like an asshole again?” she asked.
“What? Are you…? Is this really aboutthatday? It was weeks ago! Let me out of here. Their little noses are twitching all over the place, and they’resqueaking!”
Julian and Dante burst into loud laughter as Aida shook her head.
“You’re all crazy,” Aida muttered.
“The prank wars were never something to mess around about, and we all knew we’d get payback if we acted like assholes,” Julian said. “Most of us stopped messing with Cassidy years ago; she is the reigning queen.”
“And Kyle needed a reminder of that,” she told Aida with a smile as Kyle jerked at the door.
Cassidy kept her foot braced against the wall as the door opened an inch before she pulled it closed again.
Aida laughed. “I’m never messing with you.”
Kyle banged on the door. “They’re eyeing my stomach as they plot the best way to eat me!”
“Oh, that reminds me. I did forget to feed them for a few days!” Cassidy called back. “That’s a lie,” she whispered to Julian and Aida. “I fed them before we came over.”
“Your whole family is insane,” Aida said.
“It’s true,” Julian confirmed.
“Are you going to screw with me again?” Cassidy called through the door.
“Never!” Kyle shouted back.
Cassidy released the knob, and Kyle flung the door open. Dante, Julian, and Aida jumped out of his way. His knees practically hit his chest as he fled down the hall, slapping at his skin and shuddering while he ran. They laughed at him as he reached the end of the hall and turned back to glower at her.
“You’refuckingnuts!” he shouted.
“That’s what I said,” Aida said as she strolled down the hall toward him. “And she’s also the one who has to go in there to catch them.”
“You better get every last one of them,” Kyle warned.
“I’m going to try, but I might miss one or two,” Cassidy teased.
This time, Julian glowered at her as Kyle vanished into the living room. Kyle’s sounds of disgust continued, and she could picture him pacing the room. He’d probably spend the next two weeks sleeping on the couch again.
“I’ll get them all,” she assured Julian.
“Good,” Julian said and walked away.
“You’re on your own for this part,” Dante told her as he kissed her temple and walked away.
Cassidy laughed as she entered the room and collected the rats. Once she had them all back in the container, she pulled the bag of treats out of her pocket and made sure they all received one. Then she lifted the box and returned to the living room.
Julian and Aida had returned to the kitchen table; Kyle sat on the back of the couch with his feet on the cushions. Dante was trying not to laugh as he sat beside him. Kyle glared at her and then the container as she set it on the floor.
“I can still hear them squeaking,” Kyle said.
“They tend to do that,” Cassidy said as Julian and Aida laughed.
“Did you getallof them?” Kyle asked.
“Every last one,” Cassidy assured him though she did leave the fake rat in his sock drawer.
