I Always Steal My Brother's Snacks in the Middle of the Night

So here’s the thing, I’m a notorious snack stealer. I know it sounds bad and everything, but hear me out. It all started when I was about nine years old and my older brother, Alex, got this huge bag of potato chips for his birthday. He’s always had an eye on them, keeping them in his room like they’re some kind of prized possession. But you see, the moment he fell asleep that night, I couldn’t resist, I snuck into his room under cover of darkness and took a handful without him even knowing it. It was thrilling! I felt like some sort of master thief or something, but really, I was just hungry and wanted to sneak a taste of those chips. Since then, it’s become my little midnight ritual. Whenever Alex gets a new snack, you can bet your bottom dollar that by morning there will be less than what he started with. It’s gotten so bad now that I’ll even wake up in the middle of the night just to steal a cookie or two if they’re sitting out on the kitchen counter. My sister, Lily (the eldest), found out about this last month. We were all having breakfast when she suddenly looks at me and says, “Hey, why does it seem like you’ve been eating my brother’s snacks?” I just froze up and tried to play dumb, but of course, Alex saw right through the charade and called me out. He knew exactly what I had done because his stash always seems to get smaller whenever he falls asleep with them. And so here I am now, confessing this little habit that’s been going on for years. It’s honestly embarrassing because everyone thinks it’s just some childish phase I’m going through or maybe even a sign of rebellion against my brother's snack hoarding. But the truth is, it’s really just me being hungry and thinking too much about food at night. Sometimes when Alex gets mad at me for it, I get this weird feeling where I want to defend myself by saying it’s his fault for keeping such delicious snacks right under our noses. But that’s just an excuse, and deep down I know stealing is wrong, no matter how hungry or bored I am in the middle of the night.