I looked at him innocently. “Oh, sorry. These pretzels are dry. I guess they’re making a mess.”

“Stop it,” he snapped.

I shrugged. “I paid for this seat, you know.”

His face turned red. “You’re getting crumbs all over me!”

I smirked. “Well, if you moved your seat up, I wouldn’t have to sit at this weird angle.”

Still furious, he refused—until I let out an exaggerated, fake sneeze, sending another shower of crumbs flying. That did it! With a defeated grumble, he slammed his seat back upright. The relief in my legs was instant.

“Thank you,” I said sweetly.

A few minutes later, the flight attendant walked by and gave me a discreet thumbs-up. Mom chuckled. “Clever. Maybe a little mean, but clever.”

I grinned. “He kind of deserved it.”

The rest of the flight was smooth. When we landed, the man shot me a glance but said nothing. As we walked off the plane, Mom put an arm around me. “Sometimes, it’s okay to stand up for yourself—even if it makes a little mess.”

I nodded. “Next time, maybe we should just fly first class.”

She laughed. “Now that’s an idea I can get behind.”