I wore khakis and a nice gray shirt, rolled up to my sleeves.

"So, what can we help with?" I asked after hanging my jacket on the coat rack. "Anything that needs to be set up?"

"Yeah, a bunch of stuff," Melissa said, then paused to look at us suspiciously.

"What?" Anna asked.

"You're not going to prank me, are you?" she asked, eyeing us suspiciously.

I sighed. "No. We promised we're not doing that any more. Not since last year."

"You better not," she said. She gestured widely, spreading her arms. "This house is a prank-free zone, got it?"

"Come on, Melissa. We promised," Anna assured her, looking sympathetic. "We didn't think you'd take it so seriously."

"I put that shit all over Facebook. Do you know how long it took to get people to stop asking about my modeling career?" She grimaced, no doubt remembering the humiliation.

"...sorry," Anna mumbled.

"Bah! Forget it. I'll get you back some day. You won't see it coming," she announced, holding up a finger for emphasis.

"We'll look forward to it," I assured her. Smiling and patting her shoulder as I passed. My sister and I were April Fools veterans after all. No one in our family trusted anyone on that particular day.

"Where do we start?" I asked.

"Mmm... Anna, you handle snacks and Sam, come with me." She turned around and grinned mischievously towards me. "I need a strong man to move the furniture. I'll point, you lift."

**

The party was a success. No one got especially drunk. It was in the middle of the week after all and quite a few people had to stay sober for the drive home. The April Fools parties had never been about getting drunk in the first place anyway. More about hanging around with friends, which I did.

I spent most of my time chatting with people, some that I'd never met before. It was a good way of keeping track what was going on in the lives of our extended circle of friends.

I was catching up with Matt and Rick, two friends back from high school, when I noticed Anna sitting by herself on the couch by the door. I was sure she hadn't been there a moment ago, but my brotherly instincts still worried over why she was sitting by herself.

I excused myself, promising that we would meet and catch up more some day soon before I left the guys and walked over to my sister.

"Hey," I said, sitting down in the middle of the beige couch, next to Anna.

"Hi," she replied, returning my friendly smile. "Having a good time?"

"Yeah, sure. Just been talking with some people, hanging around. You?"

"Mmm... same," she answered, scooting up to me and resting her head against my shoulder. Her hands wrapped around my upper arm.

"Then what's the problem?" I asked.

"What? There's no problem," she said, in a tone of voice that indicated there was.

"You're my sister, Anna. I can tell."

She sighed and sat up straight again. "Meh, it's nothing. It's just all these new couples. Did you hear Maria is together with Brad now? And Jessica is pregnant. At our age!"

"And you don't even have a boyfriend?" I guessed.

"Thanks," she said, sounding happier already.

At that moment Melissa showed up, throwing herself into the seat next to me with a thud.

"Hello lovebirds," she chirped.

I realized it probably did look a bit intimate, for any that didn't know us, and released my hold of my sister.

"There you are," Anna said, sounding exasperated.

"Here I am," Melissa agreed, nodding her head sagely.

"I was looking for you. There's no one fun to hang out with here, and everyone keeps hitting on me," Anna complained.

So, I'd been right. She was getting a lot of attention.

"Oh, I know. It's the curse of us hot, single ladies. A terrible fate. That's why I came looking for your brother."

"Sam? Why?" Anna asked.

"Well, I was thinking he could act as my boyfriend for the night, to deter all the losers." She leaned in, grabbing my shoulder with one hand and my thigh with the other. "It doesn't have to be just for tonight though," she spoke into my ear in a sultry voice.

"Cut it out," Anna said, also putting her hand on my thigh. She planted the other hand on my chest, pushing me further back into the cushions. "And what about me?" she asked.

"You?" Melissa asked, cocking her head. "Well, it's an interesting idea, but I think it might look weird if you were making out with your brother."

She leaned in further and whispered conspiratorially, "Too many people know you in here. They might start to talk."

I could feel my cheeks get warmer. Melissa really was a bit too brazen sometimes. I could tell Anna was getting embarrassed as well.

"T-That's not what I meant, and you know it!" she said, hand still on my inner thigh.