" WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!"

Jay groaned. " What now?"

A five year old girl with messy brown hair and freckles on her face sat on his stomach. " Morning, Jay."

" Good morning, sis."

Mia blew a stray strand of hair off her face. " Do you know what day it is?"

' hmmm.... Let me sleep in late day?" Jay teased.

Mia frowned. " Huh? Are you okay? Do you want Kai to be your therapist?"

Jay blinked. " No, thank you. I was joking, Mimi."

" Oh. Ohhhhhh. Okay."

Then she took a deep breath. " NYA I WOKE HIM UP!"

Nya walked in, holding a tray of food. She set it down on Jay's bedside and smiled.

" Morning, Jay."

" Morning, Nya.'

Mia giggled. " Jay, since today's your birthday, do you want to marry Nya?"

Everything froze.

Jay’s face turned red as he glanced over at Nya, who was trying not to laugh. He cleared his throat, trying to keep his cool. “Uh, Mia, that’s… not exactly how birthdays work.”

Mia shrugged innocently, completely unaware of the awkwardness she’d created. She hopped off his bed and grinned. “Anyway, Jay, your gift’s waiting for you in the bathroom!”

Jay blinked, confused. “The bathroom?”

Mia nodded enthusiastically. “Yup! I put it there myself!”

With a sigh, Jay swung his legs over the bed, shooting Nya a smile as he got up. “I’ll be right back… I guess.”

As he reached the bathroom, he pushed open the door, expecting maybe a card, a funny drawing, or one of Mia’s quirky crafts. Instead, he froze at the sight in front of him.

Lloyd was there… in the middle of using the toilet.

Jay’s eyes widened, and for a split second, he was utterly speechless. Then, without warning, he let out a scream that could wake up the entire neighborhood.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?!”

Lloyd nearly jumped out of his skin, fumbling to cover up. “I—I was just—Mia told me to stay here until you showed up! She said it was part of your birthday surprise!”

Jay shook his head in disbelief, backing out of the bathroom. “Why… on earth… would she think this is a good idea?!”

Meanwhile, from down the hall, he could hear Mia giggling uncontrollably. Nya was laughing too, barely able to contain herself.

“Happy birthday, Jay!” Nya called out, her voice full of laughter.

Jay groaned, rubbing his temples. “Next year, I’m locking my door…”

Kai looked up from the stove as he heard his brother approach. " Happy birthday, Jay! Pancakes?"

Jay nodded eagerly,and turned to Mia to ask if she wanted some.

Instead he found her pushing a box to him. " For you!"

Jay stared at the box in confusion, shaking it slightly. “Uh… thanks, Mia?” He shot a glance at Nya and Kai, who were both watching with raised eyebrows. “What’s… in here exactly?”

“Open it!” Mia said, grinning from ear to ear.

With a deep breath, Jay carefully lifted the lid off the box—and nearly dropped it when he saw what was inside.

Cole was inside, frozen solid, his expression a mixture of shock and confusion. His arms were crossed over his chest, his mouth slightly open, and his face had a faint tint of blue.

“COLE?!” Jay shouted, staring down at his friend in disbelief. “What the—how did… Mia! Why is Cole frozen?!”

Mia looked at him with innocent eyes, as if this was the most natural gift in the world. “Because you said you wanted a cool friend for your birthday! Now you have the coolest one.”

Jay facepalmed, trying to keep a straight face despite the bizarre sight in front of him. “I… I don’t even know where to start with this.”

Kai chuckled, handing Jay a plate of pancakes. “Happy birthday, Jay. Try not to thaw him out too fast; he might get frostbite.”

Nya bit her lip, trying not to laugh too loudly. “At least he’ll stay fresh until the party starts.”

Meanwhile, Cole blinked slowly, the ice around him cracking just a little. “Can… someone… get me… a blanket?” he managed to mumble, his voice muffled through the frost.

Jay shook his head, chuckling despite himself. “Well, Cole, thanks for being my ‘coolest’ friend. This is definitely a birthday to remember.”

Mia nodded eagerly. " Yeah! And now, we go to zoo! To see Jay act wike monkey!"