Two weeks after Labor Day, Olivia was preparing for her birthday party. Amid the festivities, she paused to polish her prized medal. Just as she was lost in thought, the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of her guests. She set the medal aside and went to greet them. As more friends arrived, many asked to see the medal. Initially hesitant to share something so meaningful to her, Olivia ultimately agreed to let them look—under the condition that they wouldn’t touch it. When she brought it out, her friends showered her with kind compliments.

"How thoughtful of Mason to make this for you," remarked her friend Avery. 

"Thank you," Olivia replied. "This medal means more to me than you could ever know."

"You really have a wonderful boyfriend," added her other friend, Alex. 

Just as Olivia was about to put the medal away for safekeeping, an unwelcome voice interrupted her. "I don’t see what the big deal is. It’s just a medal, after all," said Max, a school rival she did not recall inviting. 

"What are you doing here?" Olivia asked, taken aback. "I didn’t invite you."

"Olivia!" her father called from behind her. "Is that how you treat your guests?"

"He’s not a guest, Dad," Olivia replied. "He wasn’t invited. Why is he here?"

"I invited him," her father stated firmly. "Now, go out there and be polite, or I’ll cancel this party."

"But Dad," Olivia protested, "we don’t get along."

"No excuses, young lady," her father insisted. "Go out there and apologize for your rudeness. Now!"

With a reluctant sigh, Olivia acquiesced. "Max, I apologize for being rude. Would you like to stay?"

"Well, I guess," Max replied nonchalantly. "It’s not like I have anything better to do."

Before Olivia could respond, the doorbell rang again. Finally, Mason and Mackenzie had arrived. 

"Hey, Olivia! Happy birthday!" Mason greeted her with a smile.

"Thanks, Mason," Olivia said, relieved. "I’m glad you made it."

"Sorry for being late," Mackenzie added. "It took forever to get out the door."

"It’s okay," Olivia assured them. "I appreciate you coming."

Now that everyone had arrived, the party could officially begin. While everyone was busy talking, Olivia decided to go check on her medal and possibly move it to a safer location. However, when she went to check on it, she noticed it was gone. She had a feeling she knew exactly who took it too. So, in a fit of rage, she stormed out to confront Max.

"Alright, hand it over. I know you took it."

"Took what?" asked Max. "I have no idea what you’re talking about."

"Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about. I know you have it. Now give it back." Said Olivia 

"Olivia, I’m serious. I have no idea what you’re talking about." Said Max

"Olivia, what’s wrong?" asked Mackenzie.

"What’s wrong is that she’s lost her mind," said Max.

"I haven’t lost my mind. You took my medal. I know it was you. Now hand it over," Olivia said angrily.

"What?" Max said in confusion. "That’s what this is about? Your stupid medal?"

"It’s not stupid. It was a gift from someone very special, and I want it back NOW!" Said Olivia 

"Hey, lay off me, will you? I didn’t take your medal. You probably just misplaced it or something." Said Max

"I’d never misplace it. That medal is way too important to me. You stole it. I know you did." Said Olivia 

"Olivia, please calm down," said Mason.

Mackenzie then pulled her brother to the side. "Never tell a girl to calm down; it’ll be the worst mistake of your life."

"No," said Olivia. "Mason is right. I need to calm down and take a breather."

"Let’s go into the other room and talk," said Mason.

"Good idea," said Mackenzie.

"Now, I need you to take a deep breath and tell us what’s wrong." Said Mason 

As Olivia was taking a deep breath, she suddenly collapsed to the floor and started crying.

"Olivia," said Mason. "Don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine. We’ll find your medal. Are you absolutely sure it was stolen?"

"Yes, I’ve never misplaced it. I’m not that irresponsible," said Olivia.

"It’s okay, Olivia," said Mason. "We believe you. We’re going to find out who did this."

"I know who did this. I’m going to prove he took it," said Olivia, who was convinced it was Max.

Mason pulled Mackenzie off to the side. "Olivia seems pretty convinced that Max was the one who took her medal," he said. "Maybe we should find out more about their history."

"I think that’s a good idea," said Mackenzie.

"Olivia, would you mind telling us more about what the deal is between you and Max?" asked Mackenzie.

Max has been antagonizing me for no apparent reason since Kindergarten, and I suspect he took the medal out of jealousy, Olivia said. "What makes you so sure it was Max who took it?" Mason inquired. Olivia replied, "He has always disliked it; he never understood why the medal is so significant to me." 

Mason countered, "If he doesn’t like it, then why would he take it?" 

"Are you defending him now?" Olivia interjected as Mackenzie pulled her brother aside. "I don’t think reasoning with her is going to work, Mason," she said. "As you mentioned, she's convinced he took it. The only way to get her off his back is to discover who really stole the medal." 

"You're right, sis," Mason agreed. "Olivia, did you show the medal to anyone else?" 

"I only showed it to a small group of friends before the party started," Olivia replied. 

"I see," said Mackenzie. "Did any of them express an interest in it?" 

"No, not that I recall. They were all really impressed, but I don't remember anyone saying they wanted it." 

"I think we should talk to Max," Mason suggested. "He seems to be our only lead right now. Olivia, it might be best if you stay here. We don't want you to get upset by anything Max might say." 

"No," Olivia insisted. "I'll keep my distance from him while you guys talk. In the meantime, I'll see what the other guests know." 

"That sounds like a good plan," Mackenzie agreed. The trio then went their separate ways; while Mason and Mackenzie approached Max, Olivia sought information from the other guests. 

"Hey, Max," Mackenzie called out, "we need to talk." 

"What now?" Max responded with disdain. 

"What’s the deal between you and Olivia?" Mackenzie asked. 

"I honestly have no idea why she dislikes me," Max replied. "Olivia seems convinced I have it out for her” “I can't blame her for being upset after what you said about her medal." Said Mason “Olivia said something about how you pulled a prank on her in kindergarten” said Mackenzie 

"Is this seriously about that stupid prank I pulled in kindergarten? That was 6 years ago! Can't she let it go? But if this is about the medal, you should talk to Olivia's sister Abby. Ever since Olivia got that medal, Abby hasn't stopped talking about it." 

Once again, the twins withdrew to discuss this new information. "If Abby is so interested in the medal, as Max claims, maybe she got desperate and took it," Mason speculated. 

"Exactly, and she would know all about Olivia's feelings toward Max since they live together; he would make the perfect scapegoat," Mackenzie added. 

"We need to find Olivia and share our findings," Mason said. "Thanks for the information, Max. And about that prank, I have no idea what it was, but perhaps if you apologize, Olivia might be more forgiving."

They began searching the house for Olivia, and it didn't take long for Mason to spot her chatting with a few girls at the party. "Olivia, we need to talk," he said firmly. "Do you have any idea where your sister is right now?" Mackenzie asked. "She should be in her room," Olivia replied. "Why do you want to know?" 

Mackenzie explained, "We think she might be the one who took your medal and pinned it on Max." "I should have suspected it was her," Olivia admitted. "Let's go find her—I deserve an apology."

They hurried to Abby's bedroom, where Olivia burst in without knocking. "Ever heard of knocking?" Abby asked, visibly startled. "Where is it?!" Olivia demanded angrily. "Where's what?" Abby retorted, feigning ignorance. "My medal, you little brat! I know you took it. Give it back!" Olivia snapped. "I have no idea what you're talking about," Abby shot back defiantly.

The group began rummaging through the room in search of the missing medal. "Tell me where my medal is, or Dad will find out you’ve been skipping school to hang out at the park," Olivia warned. "Fine, it’s in the top right drawer. But promise you won’t tell Dad I took it or that I skipped school!" Abby pleaded. Just then, their father stormed in. "What’s going on here?" he asked, his voice filled with fury.

"Abby took my medal, and I want it back," Olivia declared. "Abby, is that true?" their dad asked. "Yep," Mackenzie chimed in. "We found the medal. You were right about it being taken out of jealousy, Olivia. It wasn’t just Max who was jealous—he was merely a convenient scapegoat. Abby knew how much you disliked him, which is why she felt she could get away with it. Max informed us that Abby has been obsessing over the medal ever since you got it. Her desperation drove her to take it."

"Abby, return your sister's medal immediately," their dad instructed. "But Dad!" Abby protested. "Now, Abby," he insisted firmly. "Fine, here," Abby huffed as she surrendered the medal. "You also need to apologize to your sister for taking it," their dad insisted. "I’m sorry for taking your medal," Abby mumbled. "It’s fine; I’m just glad to have it back in one piece," Olivia replied.

"Don't think you're off the hook either, young lady," her father said, turning his attention to Olivia. "We don’t condone blackmail in this family. Starting tomorrow, you’re grounded for two weeks. Understood?" "Yes, Dad," Olivia replied. "And you, young lady," he continued, addressing Abby, "are getting a spanking, not just for taking the medal but also for skipping school. Understood?" "Yes, Daddy," Abby said quietly. "Good. Olivia, you may return to your party. I need to have a serious conversation with your sister about honesty."

With the medal safely back in Olivia's possession, the three of them made their way back to the party, but first, Olivia needed to apologize to Max for wrongly accusing him of theft. "Max, I’m truly sorry for not believing you when you said you didn’t take my medal," Olivia said sincerely. "Hey, it’s no big deal," Max replied. "I also want to apologize for how I treated you back in kindergarten and for what I said about your medal. I was hoping we could be friends?" "I would love that," Olivia beamed.

When it was time to open presents, Olivia discovered a display case for her medal among the gifts from Mason, a timely addition after the day's drama. As the party came to an end, Olivia paused to express her gratitude to Mason and Mackenzie before they left. "I can’t thank you enough for helping me find my medal," she said earnestly. "Hey, it’s no trouble," Mason replied. "That’s what friends are for. It’s just a shame we won’t be able to see each other for a while." "I’m sorry about that," Olivia replied. "Goodbye, Olivia. Happy birthday!" Mackenzie called as they walked away.

As they departed, Olivia's father stopped Mason and Mackenzie on the sidewalk. "Hold on a moment, Mason and Mackenzie. I wanted to thank you for helping my daughter again. That medal means more to her than you know. I may come across as strict, but I love my daughters and would do anything for them. I’m sure you can appreciate that," Mr. Sampson said. "Don’t worry, Mr. Sampson. We understand. Our parents are strict too," Mackenzie assured him. "Mason, you’re a really kind kid, and Olivia seems to like you a lot. I’m sorry that you two won’t be seeing each other for a while." "It’s okay, Mr. Sampson. Olivia is lucky she didn’t face tougher consequences; my parents would have been much stricter," Mason remarked. "I suppose that’s true. Anyway, goodnight, kids, and thank you once more."

As they walked home, Mackenzie pointed out that Mason’s comment about Olivia’s punishment was a risky move. "You do realize you could have gotten her grounding extended by saying her father went easy on her, right?" she teased. "Yeah, I know," Mason replied. "Race you home!" exclaimed Mackenzie, and the twins dashed off, leaving behind yet another mystery solved.