Dawn and Tara were locked in a heated argument.
"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. "Did you ever ask yourself why you got fired from the pizzeria?"
Dawn froze, confusion in her eyes. "Wait… how do you even know about that? I don't remember telling you."
"I did my research," Tara replied, her 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 in exasperation. "Fine. Believe whatever you want. Just know I only want what's best for you." With that, she stormed off, leaving Dawn troubled.
A moment later, her siblings came bursting through the door, greeting her loudly. Dawn's mind snapped 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 proudly.
"You're one twisted, troublesome soul," Dawn muttered, though a 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 before sending 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, smiling as she grabbed her bag and headed out.
* * * * * *
At the pizzeria, Tara strolled in and greeted Alex warmly.
"Hi! You're Dawn's cousin, right?" Alex asked with a friendly smile.
Tara returned the smile. "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 away, lowering her voice as she made her call. Alex's eyes followed her curiously until she returned a few minutes later.
"Thanks," Tara said sweetly, placing the phone back into Alex's hands. Then, with a polite wave, she exited, leaving Alex watching her with a thoughtful look.
* * * * * *
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 and was greeted by 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 said 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 said with a smirk.
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? You should be a team, not enemies."
"We're not twins," Jason argued.
"Yeah, no proof," Leslie added.
Adam only smiled at their antics and began sharing stories about himself. Dawn soon came down with Amy, who ran straight into Adam's arms.
"Wow, you're a CEO?" Leslie asked in awe.
Adam nodded, amused. "Mm-hmm."
Amy hugged him tightly. Adam returned the embrace, asking how she was doing. She grinned and answered happily. After a while, Adam stood. "I should head out now."
Dawn rose to see him off, but Leslie interrupted.
"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 simply nodded politely, then said his goodbyes.
As the door closed, Dawn rounded on Leslie. "What is wrong with you? Are you out of your mind?"
"I'm sorry! I was joking—it just came out at the wrong time," Leslie muttered.
Jason snickered from the stairs. "Someone's in big trouble!"
Leslie's playful smirk returned. "I just want to see you happy. You've done enough for us. If you love him, I can help you 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, her blood pressure spiking—until Leslie burst out laughing.
"Relax, I was joking!"
Dawn exhaled heavily in relief. "If you ever dare—"
"I know, I'm dead," Leslie cut in, still laughing.
Just then, a message buzzed on Dawn's phone. It was from Tara.
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. But she let her tag along.
* * * * * *
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 froze.
There it was. The same anonymous message.
Her heart shattered into a thousand pieces.
What could Alex possibly want from her?