My family was small until my parents got divorced. There were four of us: my brother, mom, dad, and I. Then the four became two sets of one with my brother and I floating back and forth between houses.

My dad remarried first, my mom is engaged. A step-mom came along and so did my dismay. She is as sweet as honey, but I can't help my disdain. It feels as though she is an imposter, an outsider looking in. My mom’s feon?e feels the same. His daughter is like the older sister I've always wanted one second, and my biggest enemy the next. She hides in her room, like a growling bear in its cave.

We all pretend to be family, but it is forced. If my brother and I fight, we always make up because no matter how annoying we are, we love each other. But this feeling is not the same with my new “family”. They annoy me and we argue too, but we don't love each other. At the end of the day, we just smile and nod, pretending we are family, even though we don't even share a last name.