It's not as if I like lying to my dad. Some people, I know, they get off on pulling one over on their parents and then bragging about what idiots Mom and Dad are. That's not my thing. And not because I'm some kiss-ass who never does anything wrong or because I'm afraid of getting caught.

I just think lying's more trouble than it's worth. First, you've got to think of a story, then you've got to remember the story, then you've got to set it up so that all your facts fit... hell, lying is supposed to make life easier, right? How's all that work easier?

But tonight is a different case. No way is Dad letting me go to the concert if he thinks Kevin is going to be there, and he certainly won't let me hang out after. So this is his doing. He's practically forced me to lie to him. If Dad thinks I'm out with Jade, he won't care what we're doing or how late we are getting home. Jade's supposed to be a good influence on me. Not like Kevin. Jade's nothing like Kevin.

I'm glad Jade suggested we take Faith and Natalie out of the house so Mom and Dad can have some privacy on Valentine's Day. The last thing I need is to hang around while they're making cow eyes and holding hands under the table and acting like I'm five years old and don't know what's going on.

I mean, I get it, my parents have sex. That's what married people do, that's where babies come from, perfectly natural, circle of life, crank up the Elton John. I get it fine, no need to rub my face in it.

Not sure what the big deal is about Valentine's Day, anyway. Isn't love supposed to be something you celebrate all year round? I mean, you can't help when you feel it, so why obsess on one day to say it? And how are dead flowers and squashed candy supposed to prove that you really care about a person? Is it really that simple? Here - have a red box shaped like an internal organ and now you know exactly what I'm feeling and thinking and will you be mine and all that crap forever and ever?

Yeah. Like that's all you need to get the job done.

I have never been happier to meet a long lost relative.

And you've got to understand, this happens a lot in Oakdale. There was Aunt Rose, the identical twin Mom never knew she had until they were adults. There's my biological dad, Damian, who likes to pop up when you least expect it. There's my other dad, Holden's, daughter, Abigail, who he only met when she was a teen, and his son, Aaron, who he knew about, but figured was living all out of sight and out of mind with his mom and my Uncle Caleb in Seattle.

So we're used to this surprise family reunion, and I've kind of learned to go with the flow and not question it too much. But this is the first time I've ever been really happy about it.

Turns out the girl I accidentaly hit with my car, not only is she going to be okay, but she also says she's Aunt Rose's daughter, given up for adoption when she was a baby! None of us had any idea Rose had a daughter.

I can see that Mom and Dad aren't 100 percent buying it yet. But you know what, Jade showing up has really taken the heat off me and the chorus of "What's really going on, Luke?" that's like, my parents new favorite mantra.

They've finally got another kid and her secrets to focus on. I hope Cousin Jade sticks around Oakdale for a nice, long time.

Don’t die, okay? Whatever you do, just don’t die.

I can not believe how stupid I was. My parents clearly said I couldn’t go to the party. Grounded, blah, blah, blah… Too young to drink, yadda, yadda, yadda… You just had a kidney transplant, those things don’t grow on trees, you know… same old, same old.

I should have listened to them and just stayed away. But Kevin said… It doesn’t matter what he said, I didn’t have to listen. I was an idiot and I went and I had a beer and the least I could have done was not drive home, but I was scared Mom and Dad would come back before I did and realize I wasn’t in the house, so I was speeding. Or maybe I wasn’t speeding, but it was dark, and I didn’t see her, honest, I didn’t.

I’m so sorry. Just don’t die.

You'd think my parents would be pretty open-minded. You know that expression: Bob's your uncle? Well, in my case, my dad really is my mom's uncle!

It's one of those only in Oakdale stories but, basically, my mom is adopted, and when she first started dating my dad, she didn't know that her bio-mom was Dad's older sister. Dad found out first, and he freaked. But then it turned out okay because she was just his adopted older sister, meaning mom and dad weren't actually related. Which, you know, is good for them.

It also means that my Grandma Emma is also my Great-Grandma Emma, that my mom is also my cousin and that -- I actually figured this out once -- I am my own first cousin once removed.
I think about my mom and dad and their weird relationship a lot. I wonder what would have happened if they didn't get lucky and they really did turn out to be related. Would they have still gotten together? They were totally in love. Mom always talks about how all it took was seeing dad once, and she knew that he was different. That the way she felt about him was different than she'd ever felt about any other guy.

So what would she have done if he turned out to be her uncle for real? Would they have said to hell with it, who cares what other people think is wrong, this is the way we feel and we're going for it? I think about that a lot.