For the first time, Raina saw past the attitude. Kayla wasn’t trying to take her place—she was trying to understand what a real family looked like.
The tension hit its peak one Tuesday night. Raina came home from volleyball practice to find Kayla sitting on her bed, holding a framed photo of Raina and her late father. raina rae stepsister
Kayla laughed softly. “Better than no pancakes at all.” For the first time, Raina saw past the attitude
That night, they didn’t become best friends. But Raina left the photo on her dresser instead of hiding it away, and Kayla started knocking before entering the room. Small steps. Stepsister steps. Raina came home from volleyball practice to find
Raina Rae had never asked for a stepsister. Her mom’s remarriage was already an adjustment, but when Kayla moved in with her expensive sneakers, loud music, and habit of borrowing Raina’s sweaters without asking, the house felt smaller than ever.
“Put that down,” Raina said, voice sharp.
Raina sat on the edge of the bed. “He was terrible at telling jokes. And he always burned the pancakes.”