Phoebe nodded, her expression thoughtful. "Yeah, Max has always had this 'I know what I'm doing' complex. Even when he clearly doesn't." She gave Melanie a sideways glance. "But you seem more frustrated than usual."

Melanie shifted her weight, gripping the railing tighter. "It's because this is different." She turned to Phoebe, her voice quieter but firm. "I've watched Max do reckless things before, but this time? He's throwing himself into this because of some stupid grudge from when he was a kid. He's not thinking straight, and that's when he's most likely to screw something up."

Phoebe studied her for a moment. "You don't just think he's gonna mess up—you're scared for him."

Melanie exhaled sharply, running a hand through her hair. "Yeah, okay? I am." She hesitated, then admitted, "I know how he is. He's stubborn. He won't listen if I try to talk him down. So that means I have to keep a closer eye on him."

Phoebe smirked slightly. "Sounds like a full-time job."

Melanie let out a short laugh. "Tell me about it." She glanced back toward the house, a look of determination settling over her face. "I'm not gonna let him do something dumb without at least trying to stop him first."

Phoebe crossed her arms. "Well, good luck with that. You know how Max gets when he thinks he's onto something big."

Melanie nodded. "Yeah. And that's exactly why I'm not letting him out of my sight."

With that, she turned and made her way back toward the house, ready to step into the chaos once again.

☆

Melanie sat on the counter, arms crossed, her foot tapping impatiently as she watched the chaos unfold. She was already exhausted from Max's antics earlier, and now this? It was like babysitting a bunch of overgrown toddlers.

"Seriously?" she muttered under her breath as she rubbed her temples. "This is what I came back inside for?"

Meanwhile, Phoebe and Max were locked in a ridiculous tug-of-war over the toaster, their bickering escalating with every passing second.

"Let go!" Phoebe snapped. "Billy needs the parts for his project!"

Billy, who had been halfway across the kitchen trying to shove another mop sock onto a broom handle, perked up. "I do?"

"No, wait!" Max countered, pulling back. "Nora needs the parts!"

Nora blinked, mid-bite into a granola bar. "I do?"

"Ugh, forget it!" Max growled. "I just need it!"

The argument escalated as Phoebe tightened her grip, and the two of them spun around the kitchen, bumping into counters and knocking over a box of baking soda.

"You are so annoying!" Max shot at Phoebe.

"No, you're annoying!" Phoebe shot back.

"I want that one!"

"No, I want that one!"

Melanie groaned loudly, finally snapping. "Guys!"

No one listened.

Her patience officially depleted, she rolled her eyes, hopped off the counter, and stormed forward. "Why are you fighting?" she demanded.

Billy, still looking slightly confused, shrugged. "Yeah, this is our science fair, not yours."

Without missing a beat, Phoebe and Max both turned to him and yelled in unison—

"STAY OUT OF THIS!"

Melanie groaned again, throwing her hands in the air. She was so done. "You know what? Fine. Fight over your stupid toaster. I'm officially clocking out of this disaster."

And with that, she spun on her heel and walked straight out of the room, mumbling under her breath about how she deserved a medal for putting up with all of this.

Melanie's Breaking Point

Melanie stormed up the stairs, her patience hanging by a thread. She shoved open her bedroom door, stepped inside, and slammed it shut behind her with enough force to rattle the posters on her walls.

"Unbelievable," she muttered, pacing the room.

She was done with Max and Phoebe's ridiculous, never-ending competition. First, it was the science fair five years ago, and now it was this? They weren't even in the science fair! Billy and Nora were! And yet, somehow, it always had to be about them.

With a frustrated sigh, she collapsed onto her bed, sinking into the pillows. Finally, some peace and quiet. No more yelling. No more fighting. No more—

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Melanie groaned, shoving a pillow over her face.

"Nope. Nobody's home. Go away."

The door creaked open anyway.

"Mel, come on," Max's voice was the first to cut through her attempted solitude. "I need you on my side."

"Correction," Phoebe countered, pushing past him. "You should absolutely be on my side."

Melanie yanked the pillow off her face, sat up, and glared. "Oh, fantastic. So you two do know how to work together—when it comes to annoying me."

Max smirked. "Come on, Mel. You know I should've won that science fair."

Phoebe scoffed. "Please. Even if your machine worked back then, it would've still lost to me."

Max rolled his eyes. "Oh, get over yourself, Mouse Light."

Melanie blinked. Then blinked again. "You two are still fighting over that stupid science fair? Are you serious?"

Phoebe crossed her arms. "This isn't just about the science fair."

"Oh, really?" Melanie shot back. "Then what's it about? What is so important that you're both acting like toddlers fighting over a toy?"

Phoebe and Max exchanged a glance, neither saying anything.

Melanie narrowed her eyes. "Yeah. That's what I thought."

She stood up, rubbing her temples as if she could physically push away the migraine they were giving her.

"You guys are so caught up in proving who's the better twin that you're completely ignoring the actual point of this whole thing," she continued. "This isn't your science fair. It's Billy and Nora's! But instead of helping them, you're hijacking it because of something that happened years ago."

Max huffed. "It's not just about that, Mel. Phoebe has always—"

Melanie cut him off with a sharp glare. "Oh, and by the way? Phoebe? You didn't even win first place back then."

Silence.

Phoebe frowned. "Uh, yes, I did."

"No," Melanie corrected, crossing her arms. "You won second place."

Phoebe's mouth opened, then shut. "Wait, what?"

Max perked up. "Wait, if she didn't win first... then who did?"

Melanie sighed dramatically, placing a hand over her chest. "Oh, I don't know... maybe me?"

Max's jaw dropped. "You won first?!"

Phoebe looked equally horrified. "That can't be right!"

Melanie smirked. "Oh, it's right. I have the medal and everything." She shrugged. "But I guess you two were so busy fighting each other, you never even noticed that you both lost."

Max and Phoebe both turned to each other, processing this information. For a moment, neither spoke.

Then—

"Okay, but I still would've won if—"

"Oh, don't even start, Max!"

"Oh, so now you wanna be the victim, Phoebe?"

Melanie groaned and shoved them both toward the door.

"You know what? I tried reasoning with you. I really did. But you two are beyond saving." She swung the door open and pointed to the hallway. "Get. Out."

Phoebe gasped. "You're kicking us out?"

"Yes! Because this is ridiculous!"

Max scoffed. "Come on, Mel. You don't actually care about this science fair."

Melanie leveled him with a look. "Oh, I don't. Not at all. But I do care about my sanity, and right now, you two are testing it."

With that, she shoved them both outside her room and slammed the door in their faces.

Silence.

Then, from the other side of the door—

"So... who do you think the better twin is?"

"Max!"

Melanie let out a loud groan before face-planting onto her bed. "I need new friends."

Melanie lay sprawled out on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Kicking Max and Phoebe out had been satisfying, but she could still hear them arguing down the hall.

"They're never gonna let this go," she muttered, rubbing her temples.

Her throat felt dry, and she realized all the yelling—and frustration—had left her completely dehydrated.

With an exaggerated sigh, she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, carefully adjusting the brace on her injured leg. The last thing she needed was to trip down the stairs and give Max and Phoebe more reasons to argue.

She opened her bedroom door and peeked into the hall.

Max and Phoebe were still at it, standing near Max's room, locked in some dramatic standoff about science fair justice or twin superiority—or whatever nonsense they were obsessed with today.

Melanie rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "Yeah, I definitely need to hydrate before I die of secondhand embarrassment."

She slipped past them, making her way downstairs toward the kitchen.

The house was quieter down here, which was a relief. Billy and Nora were probably off finishing their projects—y'know, the actual science fair participants.

Melanie hobbled over to the fridge, opened it, and grabbed a bottle of water. She cracked the cap open and took a long sip, letting out a satisfied sigh.

Finally. Some peace. Some quiet. Some—

"Hey, Mel, quick question."

Melanie groaned, slamming the fridge door shut. "Nope. Nope. I just escaped the nonsense. Don't start."

Max leaned against the counter, smirking. "It's not about the science fair."

She narrowed her eyes. "Then what?"

He crossed his arms. "Be honest—did you really win first place, or were you just messing with us?"

Melanie took another sip of water, then looked him dead in the eyes. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Max's smirk faltered. "Mel."

She grinned. "Good luck figuring it out."

And with that, she turned and hobbled out of the kitchen, leaving Max standing there, stunned.

Melanie sat on the couch, arms crossed, tapping her fingers against her leg as she watched the chaos unfold. "So, how's your project coming?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at Billy and Nora.

Nora groaned. "Max took it over. It's barely even our project anymore."

Billy slumped onto the couch beside her. "And Phoebe's turned mine into a 'fun sibling bonding activity,' which is just code for 'do what she says.'"

Melanie rolled her eyes. "Figures. Those two get so caught up in their dumb twin rivalry that they don't even realize they're ruining this for you guys."

Billy sighed, taking another bite of his sandwich. "Yeah, I'm living a lie."

Melanie glanced at his sandwich, then frowned. "Wait... are you licking Phoebe's baloney just to get back at her?"

Billy blinked, mid-chew. "No, I always do this."

Melanie gave him a long, judgmental stare before shaking her head. "Okay, we're putting a pin in that for later."

She leaned in, lowering her voice. "But first—we need a plan."

Nora perked up. "A plan? Like... revenge?"

Melanie smirked. "Like teaching them a lesson. You guys worked hard on your projects, and they swooped in like they own the place. I say we remind them who this science fair is really about."

Billy looked intrigued. "I like where this is going."

"Good. Because if they're gonna act like this is their competition, we're gonna make sure they regret it."

She motioned for them to huddle in, eyes flicking toward the doorway to make sure neither Max nor Phoebe was nearby. Then, she began whispering.

By the time she finished, Nora's face lit up with excitement. "Ooh, I love this. They'll never see it coming."

Billy grinned. "And we finally get to be the ones in control! No more twin drama taking over our science fair."

Melanie smirked. "Exactly. Let's give them a taste of their own medicine."

With that, the three exchanged a conspiratorial nod.

The science fair was about to get very interesting.

☆

Melanie stood with her arms crossed, watching as Billy and Nora set their trap. She knew their plan inside and out—after all, she had been the one to fine-tune it. But what they didn't know was that she had her own little trick up her sleeve.

She played it cool, tilting her head as she inspected Billy's mop gloves. "Mop gloves? You're really living the dream, kid."

Billy puffed out his chest. "They're innovative. Revolutionary. Life-changing."

Melanie smirked. "They're socks for your hands."

Before Billy could argue, Max and Phoebe entered the room, already bickering.

"What's that? A fan?" Max scoffed, eyeing Nora's project.

Phoebe straightened up, defensive. "No, it's a super-efficient, bi-directional wind turbine that can generate enough energy to power the entire school for a year."

Max blinked. "So... it's a big fan."

Phoebe groaned. "Ugh, you are impossible."

Max smirked. "Sorry, sis, but this is Grow-Matic's time to shine." He patted his invention proudly, flashing a cocky grin.

Nora narrowed her eyes. "The only thing that's gonna shine is the floor after I mop it with you."

Billy perked up, lifting his mop gloves. "Not now, Billy," Nora sighed, pushing his hands down.

Melanie chuckled but quickly masked it with a concerned expression. She leaned in slightly toward Max and Phoebe, her voice dripping with fake innocence. "You guys sure you wanna get so competitive? I mean, I'm all for a little friendly rivalry, but it seems like someone's getting a little worked up over a science fair."

Phoebe scoffed. "Worked up? Please. I am completely calm."

Max crossed his arms. "Yeah. I'm calm too. Way calmer than Phoebe."

"Oh, so now you're competing over who's calmer?" Melanie asked, amused.

"No!" they snapped in unison.

Melanie smirked. "Uh-huh. Sure."

Billy nudged her. "You ready to stick it to them?" he whispered.

Nora grinned. "Operation Sibling Sabotage is a go."

Melanie tapped her chin, pretending to think. "Are we really calling it that?"

Billy frowned. "Can't something be mine today?"

Melanie bit back a laugh and threw her arm around Billy's shoulder. "Of course, buddy. You can have the name. I'll just take all the credit when it works."

She winked, and Billy narrowed his eyes, but before he could argue, the plan was already in motion.

Max and Phoebe had no idea what was coming.

Melanie knew exactly how to throw Max off his game. And she was going to enjoy it.

As the science fair bustled around them, Max stood proudly beside the Grow-Matic, adjusting some of the knobs with an overconfident smirk. "This baby's gonna wipe the floor with the competition. No offense, Billy."

Billy, wearing his mop gloves, shrugged. "None taken. That's literally what I designed these to do."

Melanie rolled her eyes before stepping up to Max, feigning curiosity. "Hey, Max, can I talk to you for a second? It's kinda important."

Max frowned. "Can it wait? I have winning to do."

Melanie leaned in closer, brushing her fingers along his arm in a way that made him swallow hard. "Nope. It's really important."

Before Max could protest, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of the gymnasium, dodging students and science projects as she led him down the hall. She pushed open the door to a supply closet and yanked him inside.

Max blinked, slightly disoriented. "Okay, what's so important that we had to come—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Melanie crashed her lips against his.

Max's brain short-circuited. He was a lot of things—evil genius, mischief-maker, self-proclaimed ladies' man—but nothing could have prepared him for this.

Melanie tangled her fingers into his hair, keeping him trapped in the kiss for a few more seconds before finally pulling away. She smirked at his completely stunned expression.

"Good luck with your little science fair, Max," she said sweetly, giving his cheek a teasing pat before slipping out the door.

Max stood there, eyes wide, leaning slightly against the shelf behind him. "What just...? Did that...? Huh?"

Melanie, meanwhile, was already striding back toward the science fair, victorious. Step one: distract Max? Done. Step two: rattle Phoebe? Time to get to work.

She found Phoebe nervously double-checking her project, running calculations under her breath.

Melanie approached, leaning casually against the table. "Wow, Phoebe. You look stressed. Everything okay?"

Phoebe jumped slightly, almost knocking over a beaker. "What? Stressed? Me? No! Pfft, I'm fine! Everything is fine! Why wouldn't it be fine?!"

Melanie raised an eyebrow. "No reason. Just that, you know, if something did go wrong, like, say... your entire experiment failing in front of the whole school... it would be super embarrassing."

Phoebe's eyes darted around. "W-why would you say that? There's no reason it would fail! I triple-checked everything!"

Melanie hummed. "Did you, though?"

Phoebe opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. A flicker of doubt crossed her face. "Yes...? I think? No! I did! Didn't I?"

Melanie smirked. "You sure about that?"

Phoebe gulped, gripping the edge of her project tighter. Her mind was spiraling, replaying every step of her experiment, every possible miscalculation.

Melanie patted her shoulder. "I'm sure you'll be fine, Phoebe. I mean, worst-case scenario? You just blow up the gym."

Phoebe squeaked. "Blow up the—?! I—!!"

But before she could finish her meltdown, Melanie was already strolling away, satisfied.

Billy and Nora were waiting nearby, watching her with a mix of awe and amusement.

Billy whistled. "Dang. Remind me never to get on your bad side."

Melanie flipped her hair and smirked. "Wise choice, Billy. Very wise choice."

Now all that was left to do was sit back and watch the chaos unfold.

The gym buzzed with anticipation as the science fair reached its peak. Students eagerly presented their projects, but all eyes were on Max and Phoebe. Not only were they the reigning science champions in their family, but their rivalry had reached an all-time high. And Melanie? Melanie was loving every second of it.

Standing beside Max, her hand casually intertwined with his, she gave him an innocent smile. He had no idea she was the mastermind behind his impending downfall.

"So, Mr. Thunderman, what do you have for us?" one of the judges asked, adjusting his glasses.

Billy stood tall, flashing his signature smirk. "This is Mr. Windy, my fan."

Melanie squeezed his hand slightly, her fingers cool against his warm palm. Max's confidence faltered for a split second.

"You mean your high-efficiency, bi-directional power-generating wind turbine, right?" Phoebe interjected, arms crossed.

Billy blinked. "Sorry. My big fan."

The judges exchanged looks. "And what does it do?"

Billy, standing off to the side, shrugged. "I don't know."

Melanie feigned a supportive smile. "I think what Billy means by 'I don't know' is that Mr. Windy generates power by harnessing the energy of room air currents and amplifying them... I'm guessing." She tilted her head slightly, pretending to be confused. "Why don't you give them a demonstration, Billy?"

Phoebe, still slightly off her game from their earlier interaction, hesitated before pressing the button.

Nothing.

He frowned, pressing it again.

Still nothing.

The tension in the gym grew. Students began whispering. Phoebe smirked.

Billy grit his teeth. "The buttons are stuck. And I'm afraid if I push too hard, it'll break."

Melanie gasped dramatically. "Oh no, that's awful, Max! Maybe you just need a little... help?"

Before Max could react, she leaned in, her voice dropping into a whisper only he could hear. "Don't blow it, genius." Then,