Dawn and Tara were locked in a heated argument. The air felt thick, almost like it was pressing down on them, making every word sharper than it should be.
"How can you say it's Alex? She isn't an enemy," Dawn said firmly, her voice rising with frustration.
"You call her your friend, yet you know nothing about her," Tara snapped back.
Dawn frowned. "What do you mean?"
Tara folded her arms, her jaw tight. "Did you ever ask yourself why you got fired from the pizzeria?"
Dawn froze. Confusion clouded her eyes. "Wait… how do you even know about that? I don't remember telling you."
"I did my research," Tara replied, tone sharp. "But that's not the point."
"I don't believe Alex would ever do something like this," Dawn said, shaking her head, her voice softening with certainty.
Tara sighed, clearly frustrated. "Fine. Believe whatever you want. Just know I only want what's best for you." With that, she stormed off, leaving Dawn staring after her, troubled.
A moment later, her siblings came bursting through the door, shouting greetings and kicking up chaos. Dawn blinked, snapping back to reality.
"Oh no... the principal," she gasped. She turned to Leslie. "I'm so sorry, I completely forgot."
"Oops," Leslie said, trying and failing to hide a mischievous grin.
Dawn narrowed her eyes. "What did you do, Leslie?"
"I just gave her a taste of her own medicine," Leslie replied, proud as ever.
"You're one twisted, troublesome soul," Dawn muttered, though a small smile tugged at her lips. "I'll set a reminder next time so I won't forget again. But stay out of trouble, Leslie." She kissed Amy's forehead and sent her off to her room.
Turning back, Leslie grinned at Jason. "How about a game of 'Trash Our Rooms'?"
Before Jason could react, Leslie dashed into his room and locked the door.
"Leslie! Open up!" Jason shouted, pounding on the door.
From inside, Leslie's laughter rang out. "Payback for what you did! FYI, you'd better get a new room!"
Jason groaned, slamming his fists on the door while Dawn shook her head, amused. "Try not to kill each other," she said, grabbing her bag and heading out.
* * * * * *
At the pizzeria, Tara strolled in, greeting Alex warmly.
"Hi! You're Dawn's cousin, right?" Alex asked, her smile friendly.
Tara returned it. "Yeah. Hey… can I borrow your phone? I need to call my mom. Mine's dead."
"Of course," Alex said, handing it over without hesitation.
Tara stepped aside, lowering her voice as she made the call. Alex watched her curiously until she returned a few minutes later.
"Thanks," Tara said softly, placing the phone back in Alex's hands. With a polite wave, she exited, leaving Alex thoughtful.
* * * * * *
Later, at the Manchester house, Dawn and Daphne were mid-conversation when Adam walked in.
"Where are you going?" Daphne asked, surprised.
"I invited him over to meet Amy, Leslie, and Jason," Dawn explained.
Daphne smiled. "Alright, good luck."
Dawn and Adam left together, but almost as soon as the door closed, the bell rang again.
Daphne opened it to see Tara. "Hi, I'm Tara, Dawn's cousin. I know she's busy these days, so I wanted to keep you company," she said brightly.
"I don't need company, but thanks," Daphne replied coolly.
"I insist," Tara pressed. "Dawn wouldn't be happy knowing you were all alone."
Daphne's expression hardened. "I want you to leave my house. Now."
Tara's smile faltered. Defeated, she muttered an apology and left.
* * * * * *
Back at Dawn's house, she and Adam walked in to find Jason and Leslie still at it.
"She trashed my room. I can't even find my bed!" Jason shouted.
"He recorded me saying things I didn't mean, so now we're even," Leslie said smugly.
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Unbelievable." Then she turned to Adam. "Meet the twins—Jason and Leslie." She nodded and headed upstairs to call Amy.
The twins sat across from Adam, eyeing him curiously.
"Why are you staring at me? I know I'm handsome, but it's not my fault, is it?" Adam smirked.
Leslie burst out laughing. "Wow, proud much?"
"Dawn never stops talking about you. Are you two dating?" Jason asked straight-faced.
"We're just friends," Adam replied calmly.
"That's always the first stage," Leslie teased.
Jason leaned forward. "Do you like video games?"
"Not everyone's a geek like you," Leslie shot back.
"I wasn't talking to you," Jason retorted. "Besides, the boys are talking."
"You're not even a boy yet," Leslie scoffed.
Adam chuckled, holding up a hand. "No fighting. I'll talk to both of you. You're twins, remember? Should be a team, not enemies."
"We're not twins," Jason argued.
"Yeah, no proof," Leslie added.
Adam just smiled, amused, and started sharing stories about himself. Soon, Dawn came down with Amy, who ran straight into Adam's arms.
"Wow, you're a CEO?" Leslie asked in awe.
Adam nodded. "Mm-hmm."
Amy hugged him tightly. Adam returned it, asking how she was doing. She grinned happily. After a while, Adam stood. "I should head out now."
Dawn rose to see him off, but Leslie couldn't resist.
"One last thing, Adam, Dawn's in love with you," she blurted, laughing.
"Leslie!" Dawn gasped, mortified. She turned to Adam, flustered. "I'm so sorry."
Adam just nodded politely, saying his goodbyes.
As the door closed, Dawn spun on Leslie. "What is wrong with you? Are you out of your mind?"
"I'm sorry! I was joking—it just came out wrong," Leslie muttered.
Jason snickered from the stairs. "Someone's in big trouble!"
Leslie's smirk returned. "I just want to see you happy. You've done enough for us. If you love him, I can help if you're too shy to say it."
"I don't need your help," Dawn said, though her anger had softened.
"I have a boyfriend, you know. He loves me so much," Leslie added with a grin.
"You what?!" Dawn snapped until Leslie burst out laughing.
"Relax, I was joking!"
Dawn exhaled, relieved. "If you ever dare ..."
"I know, I'm dead," Leslie cut in, still laughing.
Just then, Dawn's phone buzzed. Tara's name flashed.
Check Alex's phone to confirm the truth.
Dawn's stomach dropped. Her heart pounded as she grabbed her bag.
"I'll be back soon," she told Leslie.
"I'm coming with you," Leslie insisted.
"What about Jason and Amy?" Dawn asked.
"Jason's an idiot, and besides, I'm your favorite," Leslie said smugly.
"Keep dreaming," Dawn replied, smiling faintly. She let her tag along anyway.
* * * * * *
A few minutes later, they arrived at the pizzeria.
"Hey!" Alex greeted cheerfully.
"Hey," Dawn said, forcing a smile. "Can I borrow your phone real quick?"
Without hesitation, Alex handed it over. Dawn swiped through and then froze.
There it was. The same anonymous message.
Her heart shattered into a thousand pieces.
What could Alex possibly want from her?