"Oh, that must be when Messi scored a goal," my stepdad said smoothly, gesturing toward the screen with a completely relaxed expression. I nodded quickly in agreement, swallowing down the nervousness that was threatening to choke me. "He's right, Mom. Messi gave an unexpected goal. You really need to watch the playback; it was super amazing."

My Mom looked at the television, then back at us, her shoulders finally dropping as the suspicion left her face. "Okay, I thought I was hearing something else."

"What was that?" I asked, forcing a curious, innocent tilt of my head.

"Nothing. Just forget about it," she replied with a wave of her hand,...