I (16M) have an older brother, Eric (18M), and an older sister, Sarah (19F). Eric has a history of lying, manipulating people, and doing untrustworthy stuff online. I always thought that because I was close to him, I’d never be subject to his lies and manipulation. Recently I learned that Eric has been using his higher position at his job as a lifeguard over Sarah. Sarah works in the summer to help pay for college, and Eric works year-round, so he’s higher up. In the past few weeks, they’ve been arguing at work, and because Eric and I share a room, he always tells me his side, saying Sarah causes the fights by being controlling and making him do all the work. I believed him, so I thought Sarah was in the wrong. Then the other night, my parents and Sarah sat me down while Eric was out and told me the truth. Eric has been using his position to get Sarah to do most of the work so he can hang out with friends. He also snitches about the other workers for the boss making him highly liked by their boss, so Sarah can’t do anything about him. I was shocked and realized I’d been lied to for months. Now I notice how much Eric manipulates me too, getting me to do things or keep secrets, while acting like he’s friendly. I can’t seem to be genuinely nice to him anymore because I never know when he might lie or manipulate me again. I feel guilty though, because Eric struggles with mental health and I’ve always been the one to listen to him when he’s having a hard time. But I see now that while I listen to him, he never really listens to me. Even in everyday life, it’s hard to be around him. I struggle to talk to him about normal things, hanging out in our room feels tense, and I can’t even enjoy eating lunch together without feeling guarded. It’s like I’m constantly on edge, waiting for him to manipulate something or twist the situation. So, AITA for no longer being able to be truly nice to my brother, even though I feel like I should?