Two Of A Kind

The Birthday Battle!

Richard slammed his bedroom door, the noise echoing through the silent house. Amy sprawled in the living room, flinched at the noise. This was a daily ritual in the house of the Halls. Richard, the junkie and Amy, the soft-spoken one were locked in a never-ending rivalry. Amy, whose heart was as big as her teddy bear collection, wished for a twin sister rather than a messy brother. Richard was obsessed with action figures and sports. He always wanted to be the sole attraction. Be it sports or anything.

Today, their usual quarrels take a bitter edge. It was their 16th birthday. Their ever-patient parents stood in the hallway, welcoming the guests. Eustace and Wanda exchanged glances as Richard stormed into the living room.

"Yo, what's up?" his booming voice echoes. "Where's my cake?"

"It's not time for it yet. Why don't you spend time with your friends?" says Eustace.

Richard looks at his friends sprawled on the couch and joins them. "Can you believe it? Sixteen whole years and they haven't gotten me a Carnage action figure," complains Richard.

"But you have almost every other action figure in that series," remarks Ethan, Richard's baseball teammate.

Richard's friends decided to cheer him up. They knew how much he wanted the Carnage action figure. They decided to pool their money and buy it for him as a birthday present. "Hey, Rich. We've got something for you," said Ethan, handing him a wrapped box.

Richard eagerly opened the box. His face lit up with joy as he saw the action figure he wanted inside. " Wow, guys! Thank you so much! I completed my Spider-man action figure collection," said Richard, grinning from ear to ear.

Amy walked into the living room sporting comfortable jeans and a t-shirt. She scanned the room for her friends. "Hey, Ames!" a voice called. Amy turned to see a gaggle of girls. Amy soon found herself engaged in a conversation with them. As they chat, Amy casually mentions, "Did you know that the prize for the National Young Physicists competition is a trip to the International Space Station?"

A collective gasp ripples through the group. Space?! Even the most fashion-focused girl can't resist the allure of zero gravity.

Meanwhile, Richard got invested in playing with his new toy. "Behold!" Richard declared, striking a dramatic pose. "The final piece of my collection! Now, no villain in the multiverse is safe!"

Last time, Richard ruined Amy's peaceful birthday, so this time, it was her turn. Her weapon of choice? A meticulously crafted (and slightly devastating) science demonstration, perhaps a mini volcano eruption using baking soda and vinegar. Amy envisioned the chaos, the eruption coinciding perfectly with Richard's gloating, leaving him coated in a harmless, but oh-so-humiliating, red foam.

With a casual nod to her friends, Amy excused herself. "Just need to grab some, uh, cake supplies," she announced, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. Richard, blissfully unaware of the impending lyrical humiliation, scoffed.

"Cake supplies? On your birthday? Don't you mean science textbooks, Ames?" he snickered, earning a chorus of snickers from his friends. Ignoring him, Amy slipped into the kitchen, a mischievous grin splitting her face. Amy picked up the sizzling mini volcano.

Meanwhile, in the living room, the party was in full swing. Eustace, sweating under the pressure of maintaining a cheerful facade, attempted to make conversation with a group of Richard's friends. Wanda, ever the diplomat, was busy refilling bowls of chips, a silent plea for divine intervention in her eyes.

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling shriek tore through the air. Everyone turned to look at Richard. What the..." he stammered. Richard, now sporting a tie-dye of red and green courtesy of the eruption, glared at his sister. "Volcano experiment? You ruined my party!"

Amy raised an eyebrow, her voice dripping with innocence. "Ruined it? I thought a little science demonstration would liven things up! Besides," she continued, her gaze settling on the now-deflated Carnage action figure floating in a pool of red, "it seems your precious collection needed a little... update."

Richard's jaw dropped. The room, still buzzing with the aftershocks of the volcanic eruption, fell silent. Then, a single giggle erupted, followed by another, and another. Soon, the entire room was filled with laughter, the tension dissolving faster than baking soda in vinegar. Even Eustace, sporting a chip-dusted mustache, chuckled.

Red-tinged smiles lingered on faces, a testament to Amy's explosive (and slightly terrifying) science demonstration. Richard, however, remained a walking (and slightly sticky) embodiment of defeat, his Carnage action figure a casualty of the eruption.

Meanwhile, Amy, basking in the afterglow of a well-executed prank, scanned the room for her next target. Her gaze landed on the colossal birthday cake – a three-tiered monstrosity adorned with enough frosting to build a tiny snowman. The cake was a culinary masterpiece.

The battleground shifted from the living room to the kitchen. "This is pathetic," Richard declared, his voice thick with drama. "Where are the chocolate chips? And where's the baseball theme?"

Amy, who had been helping her mother decorate the cake, scoffed. "This isn't just your birthday, doofus. It's mine too, remember? Besides, a mountain of chocolate chips and a fondant baseball wouldn't exactly scream 'sophistication.'"

Amy knew, Richard certainly got annoyed by that reply. Richard's face contorted in a mixture of annoyance and sugar withdrawal. "Sophistication? Who cares about sophistication? It's my birthday and I want a cake that reflects my awesomeness!"

Wanda, ever the peacekeeper, intervened. "Look, honey, how about a compromise? We can add some chocolate chips, but let's keep it tasteful, alright?"

A sly smile crept across Amy's face. "Actually, Mom, I have an idea." She disappeared into the pantry, emerging moments later with a bag of... green candy melts.

Richard's brow furrowed. "Green? What are you planning, Ames?"

A mischievous glint shone in Amy's eyes. "Just a little artistic touch," she replied, melting the candy in a makeshift double boiler. With a flourish, she began piping intricate designs onto the cake – not baseballs, but tiny, perfectly formed... slime creatures.

Richard sputtered. "Slime? You're putting slime on my birthday cake?"

"Relax, Richard," Amy chuckled. "They're not just any slime creatures. They're the limited edition, glow-in-the-dark, googly-eyed Slimonsters! The hottest trend in, well, slime-based birthday decorations."

A slow grin spread across Richard's face. "Glow-in-the-dark, googly-eyed Slimonsters, huh? Now that's more like it!"

Wanda and Eustace exchanged a bewildered glance, but a silent understanding passed between them. Their children might be in a walking disaster zone, but one thing was certain – their birthday parties were never dull.