I bite my lip, thinking through how to respond. Neither Bea nor Jules knows how much I know about the predicament they were in or the solution made possible by my return. That’s because my sisters don’t know Mom spilled the tea on our monthly phone check-in and told me everything I’d missed:

Juliet and her fiancé had matchmade Bea and Jamie, the fiancé’s childhood friend. The fiancé turned out to be a toxic piece of trash, and Jules ended their relationship. Even though Jamie also cut out the piece of trash, Bea brought their relationship to a halt because she knew Jamie would be a painful reminder for Jules. Until Jules was in a better emotional place, Bea felt that, even though it crushed her, they had to stay apart.

As I listened to my mother explain what a pickle my siblings had gotten themselves into, her voice’s speed and pitch escalating in tandem with her worry, I realized that for once I wanted to come home. I wanted to be of help. Even more bizarre, I felt like I could.

The solution I offered required a few . . . untruths. But they were worth it. Small lies of omission. Harmless, really.

Harmless, huh? Just like that horoscope? My reflection gives me a skeptical glance.

I flip it off, then refocus on my phone, typing a response to Bea.

KITKAT: If you dare show your face tonight, BeeBee, I will spin you right around & send you back where you came from.

BEEBEE: I just don’t want you to be alone your first night home .

A sigh leaves me, even as a twinge of affection pinches my chest. Older sisters.

KITKAT: News flash, I like being alone. I get to eat all the food Mom stuck in the fridge & dance around naked to Joan Jett.

BEEBEE: News flash, you’d do that with me around anyway.

I snort a laugh and roll off the bed, wandering out of Juliet’s room into the hallway.

KITKAT: I’ll be fine. Seriously.

BEEBEE: You’re sure?

KITKAT: Yes! I promise.

BEEBEE: You could always go to Mom & Dad’s for some company?

I scowl at my phone, picturing the man who lives next door to my childhood home, who’s been a source of misery for as long as I can remember.

I will not go to my parents’ and risk bumping into Christopher Petruchio—long-standing nemesis, bane of my existence, asshole of epic magnitude—because the universe is a jerk, and whenever possible, I always have the misfortune of bumping into Christopher.

KITKAT: I’m good. Now get off the phone & go bang your boyfriend’s lights out.

BEEBEE: Done & doner.

BEEBEE: OH! I forgot. Cornelius needs his dinner. Would you mind feeding him? His meal is in a container in the minifridge, labeled for today.