Dewey raises her head and sniffs Mama’s hand, then lets her pet her head and ears, leaning into Mama’s touch.

“Sadie, what do you have to say about all this?” Mama finally asks me.

“I lied, I know. But it’s not like I didn’t want to tell you the truth.”

Mama looks at Gramps, then back to me. “Why don’t you go to your room for now? You can take the dog.” She pulls out her phone. “I have to call Mom.”

“Wait, what are you going to tell her?”

“The truth.” Mama has the phone pressed to her ear, waiting for Mom to pick up. “We always tell the truth, Sadie—that’s how this family works.”

I stand up, but I don’t go to my room. I look back and forth between Mama and Gramps and Dewey, thinking about how we got here in the first place. We do not always tell the truth in this family—I want to shout it.

“Yeah, Katie,” Mama says into the phone. “You need to come home—the pizza’s really hit the floor here, babe,” she says under her breath.

We all sit in our separate corners, giving each other the silent treatment until Mom gets home. At first, Mama and Gramps begin to explain the whole story, but as soon as they get past the basics, Mom interrupts, “What. Were. You. Thinking?” Mom’s voice seems to get louder with each word. She’s looking at me, but she’s looking at Gramps too.

“Dewey needed us,” I tell her. “And you just wouldn’t listen to me, Moms—both of you.”

Gramps raises his voice now. “I was thinking I wanted to do something nice for my daughter! What is so wrong with that?”

“Your daughter?” Mom repeats.

“You know what I mean—my granddaughter!”

Now everyone is talking at the same time, nobody listening to each other at all. I cover my ears and close my eyes tight, letting my head rest against Dewey’s. This wasn’t supposed to happen—they were supposed to find out later, once we figured out a way to tell them.

Is it my fault?

“No. I promise it’s not your fault,” I whisper to Dewey, not caring if anyone else hears me.

“You should’ve known better, Dad!” Mom says. “I trusted you here. You know we’ve been trying so hard to get Sadie on track—you have totally undermined us, not to mention that you’ve put her in danger.”

“Now, that is just not true, Katie!” Gramps points his finger at Mom. “I would never!”

“But you did!” Mom shouts. “You have put us all in danger.”

“Nonsense—the dog is perfectly tame, Katie. You should know better,” he shouts, turning Mom’s own words back on her.

“Dad, you could’ve burned the house down the other night!”