When Stella gets home from a business trip, she settles into her routine by watching the security footage to make sure that everything was okay in her absence. But soon, she sees that uninvited guests made themselves very comfortable, celebrating the 4th of July in her space.

When I finally got back from my business trip, the first thing I did was check the footage from my security cameras. A few weeks before that, my boyfriend and I had watched a documentary on the topic, and it was insane.

“The mice really do come out to play when the cat is away,” Nathan said. “You can’t trust people in your own home.”

“I know!” I agreed.

The documentary had been about a young couple’s helper taking over the house while they were away.

There were scenes of drinking and drugs and an overcrowded house. Only for them to clean everything away before the couple returned.

Now, I sat in my sweatpants at my desk and waited for the footage to load. If I was being honest, all I wanted was to check on whether the neighbors, the Jacobs, had done anything.

They had been a constant nuisance, always finding reasons to complain or call the police on me due to noise complaints. Their favorite target was the construction of my pool.

“You’re young, and you’re entitled to have pool parties, Stella,” Nathan said.

“I know that,” I said. “But they seem to hate it. Also, they’re not an old couple, and their kids are teenagers, so they should be used to noise.”

“Just keep doing your own thing,” Nathan said. “We love our parties here at your house.”

So, when I saw the footage of them having a full-blown 4th of July party in my backyard, I felt my eye twitch.

There they were, the Jacobs, lounging in my pool, splashing around and having the time of their lives on my property. The Jacobs had the audacity to use my pool without permission, knowing full well that I was away for the week.

“That’s it!” I muttered, slamming my laptop shut. I grabbed my keys and marched over to their door, anger bubbling inside me like a volcano ready to erupt.

It was their hypocrisy that did it for me. They had always fought with me, time and time again, and yet, they acted as though my home belonged to them in my absence.

“At least they didn’t go inside,” I said to myself.

Mrs. Jacobs answered, looking annoyed as if I was the one inconveniencing her.

“Oh, it’s you,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, it’s me,” I snapped. “Care to explain why you and your family were in my pool while I was gone?”

Mrs. Jacobs cringed slightly before regaining her composure.

“Oh, stop being such a drama queen,” she scoffed, crossing her arms. “You barely use the pool anyway.”

My jaw dropped.

“But that’s not the point! You trespassed on my property! Do you even realize how illegal that is?”

“Oh, goodness, Stella. Calm down,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “We were just having a little fun. No harm done.”

“No harm done? Really? No harm done!” I was livid. “This is exactly why I installed those security cameras. You called the cops on me multiple times during the construction, but now you think it’s fine to just waltz in and use it without permission?”

Mrs. Jacobs smirked.

“Well, maybe if you weren’t such a nuisance, we wouldn’t have had to call the cops.”

I took a deep breath, trying to control my rage.

“Fine, you want to play this game,” I said. “Cool. Let’s play.”

I stormed back to my house and spent the next few hours printing out photos from the security footage.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Nathan asked as he walked in and I filled him in.

“Yes!” I said. “I’m so tired of everyone taking advantage of me.”

I was already in a foul mood. My final business meeting had been a train wreck. From technical difficulties to insensitive and difficult people. The presentation was just a failure.

I needed to take control of my life. I needed to feel like I was in charge of something. So, I was going to work on the Jacobs.

“But this is a lot, Stella,” he said, trying to massage my shoulders.

“It is, but they need to learn that it’s not okay. This behavior is not okay,” I said.

So, I continued to print out the photos. The Jacobs family, in full, having a grand old time in my pool. I wrote in bold letters at the bottom:

Be cautious! Trespassers in the area! Check your backyards!

“Oh, Stella,” Nathan said, chuckling. “I don’t know what the backlash is going to be like.”

The next morning, I walked around the neighborhood and taped the posters on every streetlight and mailbox I could find. It didn’t take long for the neighborhood buzz to start.

Nathan walked along with me, holding the posters.

“People are watching, babe,” he said, glancing at houses.

“That’s the point,” I replied.

By the time we walked back to my house, people were gathered around the streetlights and mailboxes. People were whispering, pointing, and the Jacobs’ house became the epicenter of a scandal.

It was around noon when they came knocking on my door.

Happy, I opened the door.

Mrs. Jacobs looked furious, her husband standing behind her looking equally embarrassed.

“What the hell is this?” she demanded, shoving one of the posters in my face.

I looked at it and then at her, smiling.

“It’s a warning to my neighbors about trespassers. It seemed like the responsible thing to do.”

“You need to take these down right now!” she yelled at me, her spit flying.

“Or what?” I asked, crossing my arms. “You’ll just call the cops on me again?”

She sputtered, trying to find words. Mr. Jacobs finally stepped forward.

“This has gone too far. You embarrassed us in front of the whole neighborhood.”

“No, you embarrassed yourselves by trespassing.”

Mrs. Jacobs stepped closer, her finger pointing at my chest.

“If you don’t take those down, I will…”

“You’ll what?” I cut her off. “Let’s find out.”

I grabbed my phone and dialed 911. The look on their faces was beyond priceless.

“911, what’s your emergency?” the operator answered.

“Hi, I need to report a case of trespassing,” I said, glaring at my neighbors. “I have video evidence.”

Mrs. Jacobs’ face turned pale.

“You wouldn’t dare, Stella,” she said.

“Watch me,” I declared.

When the police arrived, I showed them the footage from my security cameras. The Jacobs tried to defend themselves, but the evidence was clear. They had no permission to be on my property, let alone use my pool.

The officer nodded, taking notes.

“This is pretty straightforward. You’re within your rights to press charges if you want to.”

“No, I think a warning should be enough for now,” I said. “But if it happens again, I will press charges.”

The officer nodded.

“Understood. We’ll file a report, and this will go on record.”

As the police left, Mrs. Jacobs turned to me, her voice low and venomous.

“You’re going to regret this.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Stay off my property.”

They stormed off, and I watched them go, feeling a sense of vindication. The neighborhood would remember this, and the Jacobs wouldn’t be so quick to cross me again.

Later that evening, as I sat by my pool, the peace and quiet a stark contrast to the chaos of the day, I couldn’t help but smile.

A few days later, I was out attending to my garden when my next-door neighbor, Mrs. Thompson, walked over. She was an older lady who always had a kind word and a plate of scones ready for anyone who needed it.

“Hi, darling,” she said. “I heard about what happened with the Jacobs. Is everything alright?”

I wiped the sweat from my brow.

“Hi, Mrs. Thompson,” I said. “Yeah, everything’s fine now, I just needed to set some boundaries.”

She nodded, a knowing look in her eyes.

“You did the right thing. It’s important to stand up for yourself, especially when others think they can take advantage. I’ll bring over some scones for you.”