Max sat in his room thinking about the different ways to prank friends and start fights. It was his only thing to do while he was grounded in his room for starting the biggest syrup fight in the Slider’s house history. It was his dad who grounded him, of course.

Max sighed as he took out his book of how to cause trouble and flipped to the “grounded” chapter. Flipping through the pages, he read to see what trouble he could cause. The best he could find was how to make people think you were severely injured.

1. Put out something that might be the cause of how you were hurt.
2. Lie down and put where your “hurt part” is to a point where you have to move it to get it to show.
3. Prepare what you are going to say to alarm everyone. For example: A gasp and then a screech.
4. When they come and ask where it hurts, say that you can’t move the part and show.
5. Then when they freak out, tell them that it was a prank and they might get really mad or give a lecture about pranking.

Max followed the instructions and his dad came running in, but instead of a lecture or a screech, his dad just grounded him for a longer amount of time. Max silently screamed in his head. Why can’t my dad be like other dads!? Let Mom do the grounding. He should be doing the screeching. ARRRRGGGGHHHH! he thought. But because Angie walked in and saw him first, his dad thought it was also her too. So she got grounded with him.

While he was still reading how to cause trouble, he heard Angie scowling. He turned around and told her, “It’s not that bad, is it?”  

Angie glared at him. “YOU might not care, but I do!”

“Then just don’t care!” Max suggested.

“I can’t!” Angie muttered.

“If you say so,” Max shrugged

Then there was a knock on the door and Max’s mom came in.

“I hereby grant you permission to take steps out of this room!” she declared

“It’s not like Dad to just let us go, is this a trap?” Angie asked.

“It’s not a trap, but I never actually asked Dad. I mean… I’m a parent, too!” Max’s mom shrugged.

As they walked out of the room, Angie skipping, Max cheesily smiling, and their mom’s head held high, they heard the thump of Max’s dad’s foot slamming the floor.

“YOU LET THEM OUT?! Surely, you know better than THIS?!?!?!” he screeched.

“I’m a parent too, just like you, I get these privileges too. I don’t need to ask. I’m not your copycat,” Max’s mom insisted.

“Very well… just clean up the syrup, okay? And do NOT get into a fight again, or else you’re getting grounded for longer. All three of you,” he sighed.

“Okay!” Angie and her mom said together.

“And Max?”

“Fine.”

When they got to the dining room table, Max started licking the table. It was the fun way to clean up. Not the boring way. He noted that in his head. Then he noticed Jack standing in front of the snack cabinet. “Hey, want help with the licking business?” Jack offered. “There are no good snacks left.” 

Max shrugged. “Sure, I mean, if you were here, we probably would have less of a chance of getting grounded. Dad just likes you because you help Angie more.”

“You might get grounded without me then,” Jack predicted.

Max’s mom turned around. “Let’s not talk about grounding now, shall we? Just don’t get in trouble, ‘k?”

“I’ll try. But don’t be that sure. Actually, don’t be sure at all,” Max replied with a sly smile.

His mom smiled. “Well, ok! Now let’s finish cleaning!”