It was nearing dinner time, and the atmosphere at Briar's house had settled into a familiar, comfortable chaos. The boys were still glued to their video game, throwing out jabs and trash talk while Briar and Isla sat nearby, trying to figure out what to eat.

Briar glanced at the clock, her stomach rumbling. "Okay, so we need food. Like, actual food. Not just popcorn," she said, casting a glance at the half-empty bag of popcorn Parker had left behind. Isla nodded, already on her phone scrolling through a list of takeout options. "Yeah, but what? We've got options: pizza, Chinese, burgers... or, we could just run to the market and grab some stuff."

Briar thought for a moment before perking up. "You know what? Let's just hit the market. We can grab some snacks, maybe some stuff to make a real dinner."

Isla grinned, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, let's go old-school. Get everything ourselves. Plus, fresh air never hurt anyone." Briar turned toward the boys. Oliver and Parker were still furiously battling it out on their video game.

"Hey," she called out to them. "We're heading to the market to get food. Do you guys want to come?"

Oliver barely spared them a glance, still focused on the screen. "Nah, we're good. You two go ahead."

Parker, leaning forward with laser focus, muttered, "Yeah, we're in the middle of an epic showdown here. No time for shopping."

Briar exchanged a look with Isla, suppressing a smirk. "Okayyy," she said slowly, her voice lilting with faux sweetness.

"But just so you know, if you don't come with us, we won't buy *anything* for you. No snacks. No pizza. No chips."

Isla raised an eyebrow, joining in on the act. "Yup, you'll be stuck here. Eating air. Maybe dust bunnies if you're lucky."

There was a beat of silence before Oliver suddenly paused the game, his eyes flicking over to Briar with a mixture of disbelief and mild panic. "Wait—what do you mean, no snacks?"

Parker shot up straight, still holding his controller. "What?! No chips?"

Briar crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe. "Yup. You guys had your chance. We asked. You refused. Now, it's just us girls. All the good stuff? For us."

Isla added with a grin, "We'll be feasting. You guys? Starving." Oliver quickly tossed his controller aside. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's not get crazy now. There's no need for snack deprivation."

Parker, now completely abandoning the game, scrambled off the couch. "Yeah, wait up. We'll come!"

Briar exchanged a knowing glance with Isla before shrugging casually. "I dunno. You seemed pretty invested in your game. Maybe you should just stay here."

"No way," Parker said, already halfway to the stairs. "Give us two minutes! We'll be ready to go."Oliver was right on his heels. "Yeah, you can't just threaten us with snackless doom and expect us not to react."

Briar pretended to think it over, tapping her chin. "Hmm... two minutes, you say? Fine. But if you take longer than that, we're leaving without you."

"Deal!" Oliver shouted, his voice echoing from upstairs. Parker reappeared at the top of the stairs, already changing into a fresh shirt. "Don't you dare leave without us!"

As they hurried upstairs, Isla turned to Briar, trying—and failing—not to burst out laughing. "Wow, that worked way too well. I mean, we barely had to try."

Briar snickered, shaking her head. "Boys are predictable. Just threaten their snack supply, and they crumble."

𓇼𖦹

The two girls waited by the door, exchanging amused glances as the sounds of hurried footsteps, doors slamming, and frantic rummaging filled the house.

Within what felt like record time, Oliver and Parker reappeared, dressed and ready, as if they hadn't just been dead-set on staying home moments ago.

Parker, now fully dressed and wearing sneakers, leaned casually against the wall, trying to play it cool. "So, are we heading out or what?"

Briar raised an eyebrow. "Wow, that was fast. It's almost like you guys *really* don't want to miss out on snacks."

Oliver grinned, running a hand through his hair. "Hey, when it comes to food, we don't mess around."

Briar and Isla shared another knowing look, barely holding back their laughter. "Alright, let's go," Briar said, grabbing her keys and heading for the door.

As they all stepped outside, Parker jogged up next to Briar, his hands shoved into his pockets. "So, like, what are we getting? Chips? Soda? Chocolate?" Isla chimed in, still laughing.

"Oh, you'll see. We've got some very special plans for dinner." Briar shot Parker a teasing grin.  "Let's just say... it'll be worth the run to the market."

As the group walked down the driveway, the boys now fully invested in their impromptu shopping trip, Briar and Isla exchanged conspiratorial glances, already planning how they'd milk this situation for all it was worth.

Little did the boys know, the girls were just getting started. With Parker and Oliver eagerly tagging along for fear of missing out on their beloved snacks, Briar couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

They had these two wrapped around their fingers, and honestly, it was too easy—and too much fun—to mess with them just a little longer.

Isla nudged Briar with her elbow. "Think we should take the long way to the market? You know, just to make them sweat?" Briar grinned wickedly.

"Absolutely."As they strolled down the street, the sun hanging low on the horizon, Briar and Isla could barely contain their giggles.

Parker and Oliver, still oblivious to what was brewing, walked alongside them, eagerly discussing the snacks they thought they'd be getting.

"You know what would be awesome?" Oliver said, rubbing his hands together.

"If we got those giant bags of cheesy puffs. Like, the *family size* ones." Parker nodded enthusiastically.

"And maybe some of those sour gummy worms too. Oh, and soda! Can't forget soda." Briar threw Isla a mischievous glance before slowing her pace.

"You know... I was thinking," she started, her voice dripping with feigned innocence. "Maybe we *don't* need to get all the junk food this time." Oliver stopped in his tracks, his brow furrowing.

"What? No junk food? What are you talking about?"  Isla, trying her best to suppress a grin, chimed in.

"Yeah, like... maybe we should go for something a little healthier, right? Maybe some hummus and carrot sticks?" Parker shot them both a horrified look.

"Hummus? Carrot sticks? Are you guys serious right now?" Briar nodded solemnly, though her eyes twinkled with amusement.

"Yeah, I mean, we've been eating a lot of unhealthy stuff lately. It's time to cleanse. You know, like a detox or something." Oliver, clearly panicked, turned to Parker. "Is this a joke? This is a joke, right?" Parker shook his head slowly, looking just as confused.

"I don't know, man. This doesn't sound good..." Briar shrugged nonchalantly.

"I mean, we could just grab some kale chips and maybe a few granola bars. That's what we were thinking, right, Isla?"

"Oh, for sure," Isla agreed, her face the perfect picture of fake seriousness. "We need to be more... mindful about what we're eating." The boys exchanged a desperate look, clearly spiraling into snack-related despair.

Parker tugged at his hair. "But... but what about the cheesy puffs? The soda? You can't just take *everything* away!" Briar shot him a sympathetic look.

"I know, it's tough. But you'll thank us later. We're doing this for your own good." Oliver, now fully in panic mode, threw his hands in the air.

"No way. No way. We need a compromise. There's no way I'm walking all the way to the market for kale chips." Isla, unable to hold back any longer, snickered.

"Fine, fine. We'll *consider* getting some snacks. But you guys are gonna have to do something for us."
Oliver and Parker both stared at her warily.

"What do you mean?" Oliver asked slowly. Briar's grin widened. "Oh, nothing too crazy. Just... you know, maybe you carry all the bags for us? No complaining. And... no touching the snacks until we say you can." Parker's jaw dropped.

"Wait, so you're saying we have to carry everything, and we don't get to eat anything until *you* say so?" Isla folded her arms, pretending to think it over.

"Yup. That sounds about right." Oliver let out a groan.

"You've gotta be kidding me. This is straight-up torture." Briar leaned in, a playful smile dancing on her lips.

"You want cheesy puffs? You want soda? Then you follow the rules. Deal?" The boys exchanged a defeated glance before Oliver finally let out a resigned sigh.

"Fine. Deal. But you better not be bluffing about those snacks." Parker, looking equally downtrodden, muttered, "Yeah, I'm not carrying all those bags for nothing." Isla clapped her hands together, her smile wicked.

"Oh, trust us. You'll get your snacks. But we're in charge." The boys grumbled under their breath, but it was clear they were trapped.

As they approached the market, the girls exchanged satisfied smirks, knowing they had the upper hand.

Once inside the store, Briar and Isla took their time strolling through the aisles, tossing random healthy items into the cart just to mess with the boys.

Every time Oliver or Parker reached for something they wanted, Briar or Isla would swat their hands away.

"Not yet," Briar would say, her voice teasing.

"We're still deciding." At one point, Parker reached for a giant bag of chips only for Isla to snatch it from his hands.

"What did we say? No touching until we're done." Parker glared at her, but there was no fighting it.

The girls had full control of the snacks, and they were loving every second of it.

When they finally reached the checkout, the cart was filled to the brim with a bizarre mix of healthy foods and snacks.

The boys looked longingly at the chips, soda, and candy, knowing they had to wait. As they left the store, Parker and Oliver grudgingly carried all the bags, their arms full, while Briar and Isla walked ahead, laughing and chatting like they hadn't just put them through snack-buying torture.

"Maybe we should make them wait even longer," Isla whispered to Briar as they walked. Briar grinned, glancing back at the boys, who were clearly struggling with the weight of the bags.

"Oh, definitely. They'll appreciate the snacks more if they suffer a little."  By the time they got back home, the boys were practically begging to eat.

Parker dropped his bags on the counter, panting. "Can we *please* eat now?" Oliver was right behind him, wiping sweat from his brow. "Yeah, this is insane. I feel like I just did a full workout." Briar and Isla exchanged a final glance before finally relenting.

"Fine, fine. You can eat," Briar said, waving them off. "But next time? We're going *full* kale chips."The boys didn't even care anymore.

They dove into the bags, tearing open snacks like they hadn't eaten in days, while the girls sat back, laughing at how easily they'd gotten the upper hand.

As Parker stuffed his face with cheesy puffs, he muttered through a mouthful of food, "You guys are evil." Briar just grinned. "We know."