Since I needed to put on a show, I had to go all the way. My parents have always favored Alyssa, and if they discovered anything wrong with Bradley, they would likely push me into the fire. So I pretended to be persuaded, showing hesitation:

“But if Bradley easily agrees to swap girlfriends, it reflects poorly on his character. What if he gets bored? What will you do then?”

My parents pondered this seriously. I expected them to come up with some complicated scheme, but instead, my father slapped his chest and said:

“Here’s what we’ll do: let Ally sleep with him first. Once what’s done is done, they’ll have...