Rule #4: Know when to stop. There’s a difference between funny pranks and mean ones. Funny pranks make everyone laugh eventually, even the person being pranked. Mean pranks hurt feelings or break things. Mya taught me this rule, and she’s usually right about people stuff.
Rule #5: Sometimes the best prank is just being yourself: The biggest prank I ever pulled was making Mom and Dad think they could have a normal, quiet family. SURPRISE! They got Mya and me instead. But somehow, they seem pretty happy about it.
Expert Tip: If your parents are being stubborn about admitting they love each other, try matchmaking. Mistletoe can work, but so does conveniently “forgetting” to tell them when the other person is coming home early.
Conclusion: Pranks taught me that real families stick around even when you’re a handful. They clean up your messes, laugh at your jokes (eventually), and love you enough to prank you back sometimes.
Also, never mess with Mom’s flour supply. That’s not a prank, that’s a crime against cookies.
P.S. Mrs. Kimball, if you’re reading this, I had nothing to do with the whoopee cushion on your desk chair last week. That was definitely someone else.
EPILOGUE 3
MYA
Mr. Markowski’s class,5th-gradeend-of-year assignment:Write about something important to you.
A Recipefor Home By Maya Sheridan
I was hidingin the cold, sneaking crumbs from an empty bakery, not knowing what love felt like and thought it was a bunch of fakery.
Now I know the secret ingredient Mom puts in everything she makes. It’s not vanilla or cinnamon or butter, though those help especially with cakes.
It’s the way she hums while she works, saves the spoon for me to lick, teaches me how to mix the dough like she’s folding me into a family I never couldhave picked.
My favorite of all is a recipe that’s new, now that I have my own crew.
Together we bake “Family Cookies”made of:
2 cups of Kai’s laughter echoing through the house
1 tablespoon of Dad’s terrible hockey jokes
3 cups of Mom’s hugs that smell like home
A pinch of belonging when all four of us are sitting around the dinner table
Mix it all together with:
Bedtime stories that always end happily
