Get out of here.

I wasn't in the mood for their mind games. "I'm gonna go for a walk," I grumbled. "I'm too tired for whatever this is."

As I walked away, my parents continued to argue. They were both talking about going on a walk now, so I grabbed my keys and hurried out before they decided to join me.

It was a nice day out, if a little chilly. I briefly thought about going back for my jacket but decided I'd rather endure the cold than my folks' weirdness.

A few blocks away, I turned a corner and suddenly collided with a jogger. She went sprawling, her earbuds flying out. Embarrassed, I helped her up while apologizing profusely.

To my surprise, she blushed a little and smiled sheepishly. "I don't know why I'm apologizing," she said. "I just stumbled over you."

"What? You're not apologizing, and I totally tripped you!"

She looked around nervously. "I tripped myself, and now I'm talking to myself like a weirdo."

This day kept getting weirder. "Talking to yourself? What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm asking these rhetorical questions through you and answering them myself."

What the hell was she talking about? "What do you mean, through me?"

She sighed. "This is getting ridiculous. Look, I gotta go before people start to stare." She turned to jog away.

That was the second time someone referenced doing things "through" me. At this point I had no idea what was going on but it clearly wasn't isolated to my parents. I decided to enlist the help of an old friend. I texted her and we agreed to meet up at a nearby coffee shop.