“I hope to God that’s true. You two have your mother convinced you’re actually playing by the rules this time. I’m going to take her out to a nice dinner, and you’re going to take that time to do whatever it takes to make her keep believing that. And then you’re going to tell me exactly what went on today and why there’s a bag of bloody clothes out back.” We didn’t have a chance to speak before he added, “You both know exactly what will happen if you don’t.”

For me, it was Camp Califree. A longer stay there, or an earlier departure date.

For Aidy, whatever it was made her say “We understand” in a low, solemn voice.

“I’m sure you do,” Dad agreed. “Please remember I love you.” He left Aidy and me in the kitchen, the two of us conflicted by the ebb and flow we faced in our every shared breath.

“What do they have on you?” I asked when our parents drove off for their dinner.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Aidy headed over to the house phone. She picked it up and started dialing, leaving me no choice but to go full drama, grabbing the receiver and slamming it back down. “I got caught plagiarizing,” she said, bored with the staginess of our exchange. Before I could even form the necessary shocked response or ask the obvious questions, she kept going. “That’s the short version. It was actually Harrison who was caught, but he was the one writing papers for me.”

I couldn’t hold back my shock.