Conflict Resolution 101

"Okay, I won't talk to her about it, for now," you begin, not omitting the "for now" for the first time in weeks. Evelyn's demeanor became more relaxed after you said that. "Once I think of a way to resolve this, I'll definitely do that though. And not a way to resolve it that benefits just me, believe me, I have enough going for me. I don't want you to feel left out of my life, and I don't want Amy to feel left out either."

"What do you mean, 'for now'?" Evelyn asked, worried once again as she sat down on the bed you were sitting on. "Is this some thing where if I screw up again you're gonna tell her?"

"No, I wouldn't dream of it," you asserted. "I'm just saying that if there's a way to resolve it that involves telling her, I'll take that route."

"So you're saying that if I make another mistake, you won't tell my sister?" she asked, somewhat rhetorically, and with a sly undertone returning to her voice.

"If this is a setup-" you began.

"Sorry, sorry, I just can't help it. You look so cute when you get red in the face," she affirmed.

With that, she all but skipped out of the room, happy to win one over on you. You sat there stunned. She really was one of the world's biggest fucking mysteries; overwhelmed by sadness one day, then gallivanting around and teasing you the next.

Pearson, Evelyn

Affection Score: 88 (+4) - I genuinely care about your well-being

Love Score: 42 (+3) - Sure, I'd go on a date with you

Lust Score: 43 (+6) - If I was drunk...or you were making that face again

Evelyn no longer feels conflicted and is confident that you'll figure everything out

So, she thinks that you're a smart enough individual, or you just have experience? She couldn't be farther from the truth. You really had no fucking clue how you were going to do this, especially with the Affection Multiplier going silent about anything to help you. These "helping hands" could maybe, y'know, give you a solution?

No dice. Well, it was worth a try to think about it. It's been able to seemingly read your thoughts in the past, but whatever, maybe the developers were just enjoying toying with you right now.

Aha! It just occurred to you then that you had an older sister who was fairly knowledgeable about these sorts of things. Not the whole aspect with having a magical phone app that could increase your relationship with people, or the part where you get special perks for accruing enough points, or the part where your girlfriend's sister was coming on to you, or the part where you were staying your girlfriend-of-less-than-a-month's house. But everything else she likely had a firm grasp of.

Yeah, this plan was likely not gonna get you anywhere, but fuck it, what other choice did you have? You checked your phone and figured it should be midday where Hannah was, since she was on the vacation in Europe with your parents.

Cody: Hannah, do you have a chance to talk? I need your advice on something.

There, that should leave it open enough.

She got back to you super quickly, which wasn't unusual for her. While you and her weren't exactly the closest siblings ever, you two didn't hate each other. Your relationship had really improved since you had spent some time apart recently, her going to college while you started your sophomore year of high school.

Hannah: Hey! Yeah, I'd be free to talk in a few minutes, Mom and Dad are out to lunch with everybody and I'm staying behind to do some schoolwork, but I can always make time for you.

The next few minutes seemed like hours to you. Everyone in the household was preoccupied with their activities, and you heard both Evelyn and Mr. Pearson leave the house for work. Mrs. Pearson would likely leave soon, and Amy said she was going to do more work, so you would have sufficient privacy for your conversation.

Your phone rang, and Hannah's contact showed up. You picked up the phone.

"Hello?" you said, as was the normal way to start a conversation.

"Hey Cody! How are you doing?" Hannah's cheerful tone came through the line.

The two of you made small talk for a little bit, catching up with one another. You told her about your classes this year, she told you about what they had been up to in France. It was nice to talk to her again.

"Anyways, what was it that you needed my advice on?" she said after a few minutes.

"Ugh, where do I begin?" you asked rhetorically.

You then took her through the journey you took over the past few weeks. Everything from the football games, to the party, to the lake, to the hurricane, to the situation with Evelyn. You left out a few details, notably the sex-related details (because you sure as hell weren't gonna talk to your sister about that) and the details about the app.

"You've certainly gotten yourself into a pickle here," Hannah said with a bit of a nervous chuckle. "How did you manage to find yourself here? Just last year you couldn't talk to a girl that wasn't related to you besides Amy, and now you've got two of them chasing you. My little brother sure is all grown up."

You didn't really know how to respond to that, so you gave it your own nervous chuckle.

"Uh...let me think for a second," she continued. "I mean, obviously you're planning on pursuing something with Amy, you've made that clear. I'm surprised it took you this long to realize that she was into you, but that's not the point. You're pursuing something with Amy, but what do you think about Evelyn? Have you considered how Amy's going to feel? There's a lot of variables here."

"I mean, I bet if I did, Amy would be pissed off, but if I didn't, Evelyn's going to be pissed off," you explained.

"You know I love you, brother, but you fucked up big time here," Hannah said with a bit of a 'you're an idiot' tone in her voice. "You tried to play both sides of the coin, and this is what happens. Now, it sounds like you were trying to console Evelyn and this just ended up happening, but if you don't want Amy to leave you, you have to nip this in the bud before it grows into something too big to control".

That wasn't the response you wanted to hear, but it was the response you expected. Without knowledge of the Affection Multiplier, people like Summer, or Amy's thoughts about the both of those, it seemed like the obvious choice. Let Evelyn down while it's still easy for both her and you, and stick with Amy.

"You're right," you relented. Your sister made a lot of good points, and especially given Evelyn's occasional volatility, it would be a good idea to cut it short. That is, if this was a normal relationship. Do you tell Hannah about the app? It's not like you were gonna try to make her a member of your harem. You didn't see her in that way, and, y'know, she was your sister. Amy and Evelyn were sisters too, but this was seeming like a step too far.