It turned out the “year-long adventure” didn’t go as planned, and now Holly and Nicholas had decided to crash at Phoebe’s house indefinitely. To make matters worse, they had used a spare key Phoebe had given to their mother for emergencies.
“I thought you wouldn’t mind,” Holly said, completely oblivious to how wrong this was. But Phoebe was furious. This was her house, her space, and her sister had just moved in unannounced.
Nicholas, never one to back down, added, “We’re family, Phoebe. Isn’t that what family’s for? It’s not like you’re using all this space.”
Fuming and unsure how to handle the situation, Phoebe excused herself and locked herself in her bedroom. That’s when she got a text from her old friend, Alex, a notorious prankster from her college days. In an instant, Phoebe knew exactly who could help her out of this mess.
An hour later, Alex arrived at the house, dressed in a police officer’s uniform—he happened to be pulling pranks with friends that day. Phoebe explained the situation, and together they hatched a plan.
When Alex knocked on the door and introduced himself as “Officer Johnson,” Holly and Nicholas froze. With a straight face, he informed them that he was responding to a report of a break-in and asked how they had entered the house.
Panicked, Holly stammered about using a spare key, while Nicholas tried to remain calm. But when Alex threatened to file charges for trespassing, they both caved. Within minutes, Holly and Nicholas were packing their bags and fleeing the house with their kids in tow.
Once they were gone, Phoebe and Alex burst into laughter. The plan had worked perfectly, and Phoebe finally had her house back. While it wasn’t easy to kick her sister out, she realized it was necessary.
As they sat down with cups of coffee, Phoebe reflected on what had just happened. Although she felt a pang of guilt, she knew she had every right to stand up for herself. She had worked hard for her home, and no one—not even family—had the right to take advantage of that.
What would you have done in Phoebe’s situation?