After we got out of the diner, everyone returned to their place. In other words, Jude and Holden entered our dorm-like they owned the place. Sure, guys, make yourselves at home!

I went to my room to put on my comfy pajamas when the door suddenly opened. Good thing I was already wearing them, or I'd have jumped on the jerk who did not knock and killed him. Brother or not.

I turned around only to see the surprise of the year. It was not one of my brothers, and it sure was not Holden nor Jude. It was not even a man. It was the opposite of a man. "Mom?!" I whispered with wide eyes. I rubbed my eyes with my palms to ensure that it was not the effect of today's events or the sugar I ate.

"Here I am," she sang and hugged me tightly; it took me a second to hug her back. I looked into her eyes and smiled widely at her. I was still processing all that.

"Mom... I missed you," I breathed in her neck, then kissed her cheek. She laughed and kissed my forehead in return. "Why didn't you tell us that you were coming today?" I asked as we sat on my bed. She gave me a look and smirked.

"Oh, I did tell. Your brothers decided to keep it a surprise for you!" she declared, and I made a mental note to kill them later. "I came here as soon as I finished my job. I missed my babies," she exclaimed with watery eyes. I smiled and embraced her with all I had.

"I missed you too, mom," I replied, then looked at her. "And you were right... the bed and kitchen are my lovers because I made new friends who are not objects. They are human beings walking on two legs. The first friend is Jessica, Jess for short. She is a sweet girl with a devilish mind like yours truly, and she's Holden's girlfriend," I joked, then showed her a picture with all of us in it and continued.

"And then there is Latoya or Lee, who is Milo's girlfriend, and this is Alice, Theo's girlfriend." I was stopped by Mom's wide eyes, and I knew what was she thinking. "Yes, Theo has a girlfriend; move on. This is Jude, my brothers' best friend – he and Holden actually," I explained, and she smirked at me, then wiggled her eyebrows. "What?" I asked, slowly backing away from her towards the door. That look on her face meant something, and I got the chills. It was never a good thing to get the chills with mom.

She stood up and walked toward me. I grabbed the door handle and was about to twist it open when she spoke. "That Jude guy... He's good-looking," and that was my cue to get out. I opened the door quickly, expecting to be out and free, but my brothers were eavesdropping at the door, so when they fell, I fell down with them and ended up under their fat bodies that could kill anyone.

I groaned and tried to move them, but they were elephants. Jude and Holden stepped forward and lifted them up. "Are you okay?" Jude was the one to lift me up, but as soon I was on my feet, I was in the arms of my beloved brother, Arlo. They heard my mom's ranting about Jude, that was for sure. I turned around and glared at Arlo, then smiled at Jude.

"Yes, thank you, Jude. If it weren't for you, I'd be six feet under... Literally," I replied, then laughed at my brothers' expressions.

"A gentleman, I see," Mom commented, and my brothers scoffed.

"Oh, please! He's anything but that," Theo fired back, then we all went out of my room. Jude slapped Theo's shoulder and glared at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked in a demanding yet playful tone. Theo shrugged, and we all sat on the couches.

"Anyway, how long are you staying here, mom? We can go shopping with the girls," I said. "No boys allowed," I added as I saw Arlo and Milo get excited. Not today. They rolled their eyes.

"Whatever," they said simultaneously, then I turned on the TV.

"I don't really know, maybe a week or so." Mom answered my question, and I nodded. "I will stay with you for an hour, then I will go to a hotel nearby," she pointed out, and my brothers and I stood up.

"Hell no! You will not sleep in a hotel alone, mom. You must stay here," Milo demanded in a firm tone. They were protective of my mom as well, especially after the divorce.

"Do you have an extra bed? Because I won't sleep on this couch — it is not comfortable at all," she declared, and I looked at my brothers — we had already lost that argument.

"We have a room. Holden and I sleep separately, but I can sleep in his room, and you can sleep in mine. If that's okay with you?" Jude offered, and I could not help but hug him. He hugged me back.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." My brothers made me let go of him, and Theo made me sit on his lap.

"Thank you, sweetie. I will, if you don't mind me staying, and I will leave if you feel odd with me here." Mom hugged him for a second, and he nodded.

"It's no problem at all. We would love to have a mother figure with us," Holden assured her with a bright smile.

"We owe you guys." Milo fist-bumped them, and we watched TV for hours; then, mom, Jude, and Holden went to their dorm.

~~~

You know, it was a wonderful thing to wake up knowing that your mom was with you, but it was also a horrible thing to wake up to come face to face with a snake... and your mom was the one holding it.

I rubbed my eyes a million times to ensure that I was not still sleeping, but when the snake touched my arm, I felt nasty shivers run down my spine. I wished for it to be a dream, and then I screamed. "No! Ew, get it out of here right now! Mom, you know that I'm terrified of snakes! NO." I yelled, then jumped on Arlo, who was still sleeping. He woke up with a start and raised his head to see what was going on. Once he saw the snake, he let out a high-pitched scream that made me scream in return.

You see, we, the Houston siblings, had a thing with snakes. When we were all little, mom took us to a new zoo that opened not far away from home. Everything was fun and dandy until we heard an announcement over the speaker about an open box filled with snakes. We – my brothers and I — were buying ice cream while mom was in the bathroom. We panicked, so we hid in a nearby room. Little did we know that the room was filled with snakes. Milo closed the door, and we waited... until I felt a thing on my legs. I looked down and screamed. There were three snakes on my legs. As for my brothers... Let's just say that every one of us had our share of snakes on their body. A couple of minutes later, we were saved and, luckily for us, we were not bitten, and the snakes were not poisonous.

"Why, mom? Why!" Arlo hid behind me and ducked his head in the blanket. Mom was laughing along with Jude and Holden. Were they there the whole time? Awesome.

Theo and Milo came running into the room, but when they saw the snake in mom's hands, they turned around and walked away with pale faces. Smart boys.

Mom stopped laughing, put the snake in a box, and locked it with a key. I stood up and let out a long breath that I had been holding since I saw the malicious creature.

"Why would you do that?" I glared at her.

"I knew what prank you pulled on Jude and thought of helping him get back at you and, Arlo, you happened to be in the room. You were an innocent victim," mom explained, and I jumped at Jude and made him fall to the ground.

"That's cheating. You can't do that," I shouted and pinned his hands.

"If it means to have you on top of me, looking so cute and adorable, I will do it every time," he stated without any shame. I blushed, then got up from him. I hid my face with my hair.

"Aww!" Mom cooed, but, of course, Arlo stood between Jude and me.

"No! Not 'aww!' Do not aww at them," he yelled, and I grinned. Mom rolled her eyes, grabbed a cup of water on the table near my bed, and poured it on his head. Holden, Jude, and I tried to hold our laughter but failed epically.

"Don't tell me what to do. I'm the mom who birthed you and can beat your butt," she declared with confidence, and we clapped for her. My mom is perfect.