Josh unlocked the door to the apartment after a long walk home, to find Ben and Lizzy in their natural habitat - watching Netflix whilst cuddling. They were completely engrossed in the program that they didn't realize that we had entered. I gave Josh one look and he instantly knew what to do. 

We crouched down low and snuck towards the sofa that faced away from where we were just standing. We had to freeze multiple times after they shifted slightly, but eventually, we made it so that we were crouched down behind the sofa. 

We were about to jump out at them when Lizzy leaned forward to pick something off of the coffee table. We both gritted our teeth in suspense, hoping that they wouldn't realize that we were behind the sofa waiting to pounce.

Lizzy's voice then spoke up, "Ben have you seen this T-shirt on Amazon, it is literally the best thing ever!"

Ben simply turned his head, put his hand to his lips and shushed her before turning his attention back to the TV screen. 

"Oh, you did not just shush me!"

But before Ben could reply, Josh and I looked at each other, giving the all clear to...

"BOO!"

The pair both fell off the sofa in utter surprise, each clutching their chests breathing heavily, mouths wide open. Lizzy suddenly turned so red that she looked like a raspberry, before standing up, fists clenched. 

"Ben, can I punch Josh?" Lizzy asked the boy who was still sprawled on the floor in a higher than normal pitched voice surprisingly calm. 

"Absolutely," Ben grinned evilly looking towards Josh who looked as though he had just starred death straight in the eyes - of course, he had just starred an angry Lizzy in the eyes, so it gave just as terrifying of an effect. 

Josh quickly darted away heading straight towards my bedroom, Lizzy hot on his tail leaving Ben choking on his laughter behind them. It was a great sight to see Ben laughing, I hadn't seen him do it in a while, so I pulled out my phone to document this.

I followed Josh and Lizzy into my bedroom and stood in my doorway with Ben standing behind me laughing and wheezing into in my ear. I watched as Josh stood on my desk chair and used a ruler in an attempt to push Lizzy away as though she was a crocodile in a river and he was stood on the log keeping him alive. Lizzy was grunting as Josh squealed like my classmates at a picture or video of Tom Holland, still defending himself. 

Lizzy easily grabbed the ruler out of Josh's hand and pulled him off the chair by the collar of his shirt and pushed him onto my bed. She towered over him and he covered his face with hands as if it would protect him from Lizzy's wrath - oh how wrong he was. She grabbed his flailing arms and pinned them to my bed. 

"Why did you scare me!" she roared in his face whilst Ben muttered the word 'scared us'  under his breath. 

"It was Grace's idea!" he retaliated. 

"Hey! Don't bring me into this!" I complained from behind the camera. 

"Yea! Don't bring Grace into this!" Ben and Lizzy both argued against Josh. 

"I - I " Josh stuttered. 

"Oh yes, go on, what do you want to say to defend yourself?" mocked Lizzy causing Ben to snort with laughter once more. 

"Please help me Grace!" pleaded Josh. 

"Nah, this is way too funny!" I laughed. 

"Oh no," he whispered quietly realizing that he was all alone. 

"Now," Lizzy began whilst pulling him up by his ear and dragging him into the living area and pushing him down on the sofa whilst Josh just cowered in fear at his impending doom, "I want you to take my tweezers and pluck fifty blades of grass."

"What! Why!" demanded Josh in a winey tone like a three-year-old.

"Because I say so," Lizzy sassed. 

Josh looked over and Ben and I for support but got nothing but laughter from us before Ben finally spoke up, "Sorry bro, you're on your own."

Josh reluctantly trudged out of the apartment with Lizzy's tweezers in his hands to go fulfill his punishment. Whilst he was out, Lizzy, Ben and I sat on the sofa whilst I told them the news that Mrs. Kelly relayed from Mr. Morris to Josh and me on our visit to my school. 

After I had finished telling them my news, the front door clicked open and Josh walked in looking deflated as ever with a handful of grass blades. He handed them over before face-planting onto the unoccupied sofa perpendicular to ours. 

We spent the rest of the evening laughing as hard as we had earlier at random jokes and reminiscing on funny stories that I missed during the last six months of the tour, as well as lots of pizza. 

"So you're telling me that Ben actually kissed Zach on stage?" I asked through belly-aching laughs. Whilst the rest of them laughed, Ben simply mocked them. 

"It was an accident!" he defended after the laughter died down, "We just bumped into each other!"

"And you happened to kiss him?" Lizzy asked a sulking Ben, whilst rubbing behind his ear, "aww it's okay Benji, I know you love me deep down."

"I do love you," he said solemnly then lent in to kiss her whilst she happily accepted. 

"Get a room!" Josh and I both yelled covering over innocent eyes as though they were burning. 

Eventually, we called it a night and I crawled into bed with a dorky smile plastered on my face. I wrapped myself in my duvet and sleep washed over me. 

-.x.-

I felt a weird wet substance trickle down my face as I awoke the next day. Something brushed against my cheek, and yet again more of the wet liquid trickled down my face. I still couldn't be bothered to open my eyes, I was far too tired to open my eyes and besides I wanted to sleep in as it was the holidays!

"Josh!" I groaned as another brush happened, "why must you wake me up in the weirdest way possible! What's wrong with just shaking me slightly!"

I heard a stifled laugh as I groaned at Josh. I was tired of being brushed so I opened my eyes to find a.. a dog. 

"Oh my gosh!" I squealed, grabbing the puppy into a hug, "puppy!" 

I looked up through my jubilant tears towards the three adults (ish) standing in the doorway, with Ben holding a camera filming the interaction. Josh and Lizzy walked over to me and began to pet the dog that I snuggled in my arms as I continued to cry. 

"A homecoming present per say," Lizzy smiled scratching behind its ear. 

"It needs a name," Josh told me, "It's up to you, and before you ask it's a dude." 

"Easy," I announced, " Jack Barky." 

The room filled with laughter, Ben shaking the camera too much that he had to stop filming as I held Jack Barky in the air like in the Lion King. Time almost slowed as I lifted him up, and I watched the gleeful smiles and laughs erupting from my family - them doubling over because they found it so funny. But I'll tell you why it was the best morning ever, I was smiling too. And not just because I had a puppy. I had a family. 

@graceburragecook Welcome to the family Jack Barky! (with thanks from @doodledoodlee )

@bentylercook PUPPY!

@Joshburrage he's mine!

@graceknight @joshburrage NO! he's mine

@Lizzysage technically I bought him

@sky_flaherty when can I come round to kidnap my new child?

@ddeluca15 OUR new child @sky_flaherty

@dancinchaz, you know what, I'm just going to sick to uncle duty

@heimbrockj me too @dancinchaz me too.