Genevieve, a sleep-deprived mom of newborn twins, was just trying to get through her days one step at a time. Between endless diaper changes, feedings, and the chaos that comes with juggling two infants, she could hardly remember when she last had a good night’s sleep. As Halloween approached, the entire neighborhood buzzed with excitement. But for Genevieve, every day felt like a marathon just to stay awake, let alone think about decorating.

Halloween was a huge deal on her street, especially for her overly enthusiastic neighbor, Brad. Every year, Brad went all out. His house would turn into a mini haunted carnival with realistic gravestones, glowing jack-o’-lanterns, eerie skeleton displays, and flashing lights. It was the talk of the block, and he loved every bit of the attention. The smug grin on his face whenever someone complimented his decorations said it all — Brad was obsessed with being the Halloween king of the neighborhood.

Meanwhile, Genevieve was too exhausted to care. Her priority was simply getting through each day without collapsing. She didn’t have the energy to compete with her neighbor’s haunted spectacle or to even put up a single decoration. For her, survival was the only thing on her mind.

Then came that fateful morning in late October, when everything seemed to go wrong. Genevieve, bleary-eyed and struggling to balance her twins, stepped outside to a sight that made her heart sink. Her car was covered in smashed eggs. Bits of broken shell clung to the congealed yolk that dripped down her windshield like some twisted breakfast gone wrong. It was the last thing she needed to deal with after yet another sleepless night.

“Are you freaking kidding me?” she muttered under her breath, staring at the mess. Who would do this? She was bone-tired and the sight of her egg-splattered car nearly pushed her over the edge.

At first, Genevieve thought it was just a random prank by some bored teenagers. But then she noticed something odd — the egg splatters extended all the way to her neighbor Brad’s front porch. That’s when the pieces started to fall into place.

The night before, Genevieve had parked her car in front of Brad’s house. She hadn’t done it to be inconsiderate; it was purely out of necessity. With Lily and Lucas in tow, pushing a stroller from a distant parking spot was impossible. She parked as close as she could to her door so she could easily bring the twins inside. It was a matter of convenience, not a deliberate attempt to annoy her neighbor.

As Genevieve stood there, fuming over her egg-covered car, Brad walked out of his house with a self-satisfied grin. Without a hint of remorse, he admitted to being the culprit. “Your car was blocking the view of my Halloween decorations,” he said smugly, as if that justified his actions.

Genevieve was livid. She was too exhausted to get into a shouting match with him right then and there, but the fury simmered inside her. “Unbelievable,” she thought. “Here I am, just trying to keep my head above water with two newborns, and this guy is throwing eggs at my car because it’s in the way of his silly decorations.”

Brad’s obsession with Halloween had clearly reached a new level of ridiculousness. While the rest of the neighborhood might have admired his elaborate display, all Genevieve saw was a grown man throwing a tantrum over something as trivial as a blocked view.

Genevieve knew she couldn’t let him get away with it. But at that moment, with her twins fussing in her arms and exhaustion pulling at her every limb, she decided to hold her tongue. However, she silently vowed that Brad was going to regret his petty act of vandalism.

Sure, she was tired — no, she was utterly drained. But if Brad thought he could push her around just because she was too exhausted to fight back, he had another thing coming. She didn’t know how or when, but she was determined to teach him a lesson he wouldn’t forget.

As she cleaned the dried egg off her car later that day, Genevieve’s mind began to race with plans. Maybe she’d take a page from Brad’s Halloween playbook and pull a trick of her own. After all, Halloween was the season for tricks, right?

This whole incident may have started with some smashed eggs, but it was far from over. If Brad wanted to play games, Genevieve was ready to play along. Exhausted or not, she wasn’t about to let her self-absorbed neighbor get the last laugh.

Have you ever dealt with a neighbor like Brad? Someone who takes things way too seriously? Share your stories in the comments below, and let us know how you would have handled a situation like this. Maybe we can all get a good laugh — or at least some inspiration for handling our own neighborhood battles.