Kayla stood in the hallway, waiting for her big sister to come down the stairs. There was no way she was going to miss Rowan’s sixteenth birthday party, since he’d invited her himself.

She’d asked her mother and she’d said that she was finally old enough to go to one of the famous Holley parties.

Kayla had taken great care in dressing for the evening, even doing her make up extra heavy so that she’d look older than her stupid thirteen years, two weeks, and four days.

She was a little shocked at how much she looked like Lori with the war paint on. Lori had had her sixteenth birthday just two months ago. She’d idolized her older sister for as long as she could remember. Of course, the fondness wasn’t mutual.

If she had to rate their sisterly relationship, she’d give herself an A for effort and Lori an F for not even trying. Kayla always felt like she was a burden to Lori.

Their older brother Jerry, or JT as they called him, had moved out on his own shortly after graduating last year. It had taken him less than an hour to pack his things and disappear from the family. She’d felt a little relieved since JT and their father were always yelling at each other. Not that she didn’t like her brother, but she knew he was happier away from their father.

Her brother had called when he found a place and a job. She hadn’t really had a chance to miss him since he lived only a few miles away above the bookstore in town and she saw him all the time when she went into town.

Her sister was a different story. Their relationship was very strained. Every time Lori had friends over, Kayla was accused of being in the way or doing something to embarrass her and her friends. When Kayla asked to borrow one of Lori’s shirts or outfits, Lori would scream and yell at her until their mother would usher Kayla back to her room, telling her that she had plenty of clothing of her own.

Of course, that wasn’t how it ended when Lori wanted to borrow Kayla’s new shirt that she’d bought with her babysitting money. Lori had snuck into her room and taken it without her noticing. For almost an entire week, she’d thought she’d lost it in the dirty laundry. Then she’d seen Lori wearing it one night as she was getting ready to go out with Rowan. When she confronted her sister, Lori had informed her that it was hers now, since she had borrowed it over a week ago and Kayla hadn’t asked for it back.

“One week is all you get, then you relinquish your rights to the item.”

“Relinquish?” she’d screamed and gone running to their mother, who had a migraine and waved her off, telling her to fight her own battles. Their father never got involved in fights, unless he did, in which case they were better off slapping on boxing gloves and duking it out.

After the argument about the shirt, Lori had jumped in the old beat-up car their father had rebuilt last summer for her and disappeared. The next time she’d seen her sister, there had been a large red stain that looked a lot like wine down the front of Kayla’s new blouse. Her sister tossed the shirt in the trash, along with all of Kayla’s respect.

Lori was dating one of the dreamiest boys in town. Everyone knew that Rowan Holley was going someplace. Not only was he a Holley, one of Silver Cove’s oldest families, but he was almost six foot tall and had dirty blond hair. He was everything she dreamed she’d someday have in a boyfriend.

She’d grown up around Rowan, and since he’d been dating her sister for almost a year, had spent even more time around him lately.

He’d proved a better friend than her own sister or brother had on more than one occasion. Part of her knew that there was no way that Rowan would ever think of her as anything more than the annoying little sister of the girl he was dating. Still, her young mind dreamed of the day that he’d look at her as something… else.

She glanced at herself one more time in the mirror by the front door. Maybe tonight could be that night. She placed more lip gloss on her lips and smiled. She could easily pass for sixteen. Well, maybe fifteen and a half. She was too skinny and her boobs hadn’t quite come in yet. Sure, she had beautiful skin, light blue eyes, and long thick blonde hair, which she had just changed from the brown she’d worn in the past few years, but the rest of her was just… plain.

She guessed that Rowan had invited her to his sixteenth birthday party because he knew that Lori was cheating on him with more than one boy. Why her sister was such an idiot was beyond her.

She jumped a little when she heard her sister’s feet pounding towards the stairs and turned around to watch Lori rush down.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Lori sneered when she noticed her.

“Mom said…” she started.

Lori laughed. “I don’t care what Mom said. You are not coming with me.” She grabbed her jacket from the front door hook and pushed past her.

“I’m going or…” Kayla started to follow her sister out.

Lori turned around and pushed her. Her sister had almost a full foot on her and at least twenty pounds. Most of it in her boobs.

“Or what? You’ll tattle? Go right ahead. Mom doesn’t give a shit.” Lori moved closer until their noses almost touched as she lowered her voice. “In case you haven’t noticed, she doesn’t care about any of us anymore.”

“Then I’ll tell Dad.” Kayla raised her chin as she crossed her arms over her small chest. Her bra was padded with the foam cups from Lori’s swimsuit, which she’d tossed out. Where Kayla was barely an A cup, Lori was almost a D at this point, and if Kayla’s bad luck held, her sister would continue to grow while she would end up with just what she had for the rest of her life.

“Dad?” Lori laughed. “If you haven’t guessed it, little sister”—the sarcasm in Lori’s voice stung when she called her that since Lori had made fun of her small boobs on multiple occasions— “Dad has one foot out the door.”

“What do you mean?” Kayla’s mind suddenly changed gears. Now, instead of worrying about a stupid party, her parents’ lives and her future hung in the forefront.

“D-I-v-o-r-c-e.” Lori spelled it out.

While the nasty word sunk in Kayla’s mind, her sister slipped out of the house without her notice.