Mathew and Markus whooped with laughter, grabbing their new triplet’s arms.
“Triplets!” Markus shouted again, shaking Sam’s shoulder like he’d just won a prize.
Sam blinked. The sound of that name — Sam — felt strange, yet right. It rolled off his brothers’ tongues as if it had always been his. Sophie had been the girl waiting at the edge. But Sam was part of the middle.
Still, everything felt… odd. His limbs were heavier, his voice wasn’t the same, and when he looked down, his body didn’t match the pink sneakers and skirt he remembered putting on this morning.
He opened his mouth, but all that came out was a croak. “I feel… weird.”
Mathew laughed and slapped his back. “That’s just ‘cause you’re new. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. We’ll teach you everything.”
Markus nodded sagely, puffing his chest like a coach. “Lesson one: don’t stand around looking nervous. You gotta move. Run! Jump! Tackle! That’s what being a boy’s all about.”
Sam chuckled nervously, but before he could reply, Markus darted off across the lawn. Mathew shoved Sam after him, and in seconds, the three were sprinting through the grass together.
The wind in Sam’s hair, the dirt under his shoes, the sound of laughter mixing with his own — it loosened the knot in his chest. For the first time that day, he didn’t feel left out, as they went to get Sam now the same shorts and such as his now brothers.
After that it didn’t take long before the triplets’ minds turned toward mischief. William was still scrolling on his phone, trying to catch a signal near the deck. Lucas and John were shooting hoops by the shed.
“Target practice,” Markus whispered, crouching low in the bushes.
Mathew grinned. “William won’t even see it coming.”
Sam tilted his head. “Target practice with what?”
The twins produced water balloons from nowhere — probably pilfered from the cooler on the porch — and handed one to Sam.
“Lesson two,” Mathew said with a conspiratorial wink. “Being a brother means pulling pranks. Ready?”
Sam hesitated. Sophie had never dared do something like this. But Sam? Sam wanted to belong.
He gripped the balloon, nodded, and on Markus’s signal, they all throw them.
“Bombs away!” the twins yelled.
The balloons sailed through the air, bursting in perfect unison against William’s tank top. He yelped, dropping his phone into the grass.
The triplets collapsed in the bushes, rolling with laughter.
“Real funny!” William shouted, wringing water from his shirt. “You’re lucky I don’t dunk you all in the lake!”
But there was no anger in his voice — just the older-cousin amusement of someone used to being teased.
Sam’s laughter came freer now, bubbling up from a place that had been too quiet all day.
Later, the boys pulled Sam toward the basketball court.
“You’re one of us now,” Mathew said firmly. “That means hoops.”
Sam’s stomach twisted. He had watched the older boys play a hundred times but had never once joined in. Sophie had always stayed on the sidelines, twirling her doll’s hair.
“I don’t know how,” he admitted, cheeks warm.
“Good thing you’ve got two teachers,” Markus said with a grin.
At first, Sam’s shots clattered against the rim or fell embarrassingly short. John teased him good-naturedly. Lucas offered pointers. Even William, still damp from the water balloon, took time to show him how to plant his feet.
Sam listened, tried again, and again. Slowly, the ball began to arc smoother, higher. When one finally swished through the net, the triplets erupted in cheers loud enough to startle Max from his nap.
Sam couldn’t stop grinning. His arms ached, sweat stung his forehead, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t watching anymore. He was in the game.
After the game, the triplets disappeared into the woods behind the lakehouse. They climbed trees, tossed sticks, and dared each other to leap across roots and rocks.
At one point, Mathew veered off behind a big oak. Markus followed.
“Where are you going?” Sam asked, jogging after them.
“Nature break,” Markus said with a shrug.
Sam stopped dead. His eyes widened as he realized what they meant.
“Oh,” he muttered, suddenly self-conscious.
Mathew noticed his hesitation. “Don’t worry, it’s easy. Just… uh... pull it out hold it and stand and aim.”
Sam shuffled closer, nerves jangling. This was something Sophie had never done, and it was something she’d thought she’d never do. It felt almost too strange.
But the twins were casual about it, laughing at each other’s splash, and trying to get the stream to go more distance than each other, not making it into a big deal.
Sam took a breath, tried, and—
Relief. Surprise. A shaky laugh.
“See?” Markus grinned. “Told you. Simple.” with Sam smiling and achly kind of found it better than well doing such a thing as a girl and finishing up.
Sam zipped up, still chuckling. “That was… weird. But kind of fun.”
“Everything’s weird the first time,” Mathew said wisely. “But now you’re officially one of us.”
And somehow, Sam believed it.
Back at the house, Max bounded toward the triplets, tail wagging furiously. But when he reached Sam, he froze, sniffed, and tilted his head.
“It’s me, Max,” Sam said softly, kneeling. “Sophie. Well… Sam now.”
Max barked once, uncertain.
Sam reached out a hand, and after a long sniff, the dog licked his palm. Then, as if satisfied, Max tackled him to the grass in a burst of joy.
The twins laughed. “Guess you passed the test!”
Sam hugged the retriever, grinning. “Good boy.”
That night, the triplets crowded into the twins’ room.
“Rule number one of brothers,” Markus said, tossing a pillow at Sam. “Always be ready for a fight.”
The pillow fight erupted instantly, feathers flying until Doug shouted up the stairs for them to keep it down. The boys collapsed in laughter, breathless on the floor.
As they settled into their beds, Mathew turned serious for the first time.
“Sam,” he said, “you’re doing good. We know it’s weird. But you’re one of us now. And we’ll help you get used to it.”
Sam swallowed, warmth flooding his chest. “Thanks. I… I like it. Being like you.”
The twins nodded, satisfied.
Markus grinned. “Tomorrow, more lessons.”
Sam smiled into the dark. being one of the twins felt right and good, he didn’t feel alone. lying on a matris on the floor between his now two brothers all triplets now and felt happy to have such a thing this holiday.
