I didn’t expect a text to ruin my week.
“Melissa thinks it’s better if you sit this one out. She feels like you take attention away from Ryan. Please respect her wishes.”
That was from my dad. About my little brother’s birthday party.
Ryan is seven. Bright eyes, gap-toothed grin, obsessed with outer space. He’s technically my half-brother, but I’ve never used that word. I’ve been there since the day he was born—his preschool recitals, soccer games, every birthday. He always says, “You’re my favorite person, Britt.” And I believe him.
But ever since Dad married Melissa, things shifted. She’s thirty, barely older than me, and treats me like a leftover from his past. Not cruel—just cold. Like I’m an obligation she tolerates.
Still, I never thought she’d ban me from Ryan’s party.
I called Dad immediately. “Outsider?” I asked. “I’m his sister.”
He sighed. “It’s not me, it’s her. She wants it to be just family.”
I hung up before the tears came. Then I cried anyway—ugly, hiccuping sobs in my dorm bathroom.
I wasn’t going to go. I didn’t want to cause drama. But then Grandpa showed up at my door.
He’d heard. He didn’t ask. He just said, “Get in the car.”
We drove in silence. I clutched the gift I’d picked out weeks ago—a Lego rocket set Ryan had been dreaming about.
When we arrived, Melissa’s face dropped. Dad looked panicked. But Ryan?
He ran straight to me.
“Sissy!” he shouted, throwing his arms around me. “You came!”
In that moment, nothing else mattered. Not Melissa’s glare. Not Dad’s silence. Ryan wanted me there. And I wasn’t going to let anyone rewrite our bond.
He showed off the rocket set to everyone. Told them I was the best sister in the universe. Melissa tried to steer him away, but he kept coming back.
By the end of the day, Dad pulled me aside.
“I was wrong,” he said. “I should’ve stood up for you.”
I nodded. I didn’t need an apology. I needed truth.
Because family isn’t defined by marriage certificates or guest lists. It’s defined by love that shows up—even when it’s inconvenient.
Melissa may have called me an outsider.
But Ryan knew better.
And so did I.
