I accidentally walked in on my older sister and her beach fling, and later she laughed it off and said he just 'pulled out in time'—which matches all those TikToks saying pulling out is totally fine if the guy is careful. Everyone in health class made it sound like instant pregnancy, but is everyone actually just overreacting? I feel so stupid and confused about what’s real.

Deep breath: your health class was annoying, but TikTok and your sister are playing Russian roulette with sunscreen on. Here is the unvarnished truth: pulling out is not reliable birth control. It fails for about one in every five couples across a single year. Why? Because pre-ejaculate can carry live sperm without anyone noticing, and human timing in the heat of the moment is notoriously terrible. Plus, it does absolute zero against STIs, which holiday flings are famously generous with. Your sister got lucky, plain and simple. Luck is great for finding twenty bucks in your beach bag, but it’s a terrible plan for your reproductive system. If the topic comes up again, you can casually drop: 'TikTok algorithms don’t pay child support, but you do you.' Trust your gut on this one: condoms and proper contraception aren’t drama, they’re just the price of sleeping peacefully at night.