My mom and Sierra have always had this bond. They both love going out to have parts of their bodies polished and waxed and sugared and whatever. They have the same dark, wavy hair that makes them look positively unrelated to me and has left me watching enviously while one braided the other’s hair on many a rainy afternoon. And my mom loved how Sierra had so many boys to talk about—the guy she sat next to in French and the stranger she flirted with at the pharmacy and the line of them asking her to prom every year. It may be stupid, but part of the excitement about finally getting a boyfriend was being able to have silly conversations with my mom about Craig over cups of hot chocolate, just like Sierra did.

But of course, my sister took that too.

My dad, though … We may not have as much in common as Mom and Sierra do, but he always had the time and patience to teach me card games and tricks, and even a little cardistry—his favorite hobby. Every skill in my arsenal, from poker to canasta, comes from him. And even now, when I’m so happy to be an hour away from them all, I wish he and I could just squeeze in one game of gin rummy.

God, I hate how many things Sierra took away from me. It’s like every day, I discover a new one.

I wait for the notification that a voicemail has been left, but my phone remains silent for the rest of the afternoon.

The talent show proves to be a surprisingly popular topic of conversation at Camden. Apparently, it’s some kind of institution, and it’s one of the few nonmandatory events that every single student attends. At dinner that night, Heather, Kayla, and Kayla’s roommate Maya are more than happy to give Sabrina and me a rundown.

“Mr. Hoffman emcees it every year, and every year he messes up half of his jokes. Still unclear whether that’s some sort of meta joke or if he’s taken one too many footballs to the brain.” Kayla pauses to sweep her braids behind her shoulder and take a delicate bite of her Bolognese, which is apparently also a Camden institution for Sunday-night dinner. “There used to be this awesome band that always closed down the show, but they graduated last year, and supposedly they got a contract at an indie label, but no one knows if that’s really true or not.”

“I heard that fell through,” says Maya, “but there are plenty of people who perform every year and are epic.”

“It’s really fun,” adds Heather, neatly wrapping spaghetti around her fork. “You guys should think about performing. I was too nervous to do it as a freshman, but I’m definitely gonna do it this year.”