chapter 1 an unpleasant encounter

Why did you do this to me, Dad?" I asked, my voice trembling with a mix of hurt and confusion. "You said you'd never start another family. "Valentina, darling, I've been feeling lonely," Dad explained, his tone heavy with regret. "And she's all the way in Paris." I rushed to my room, feeling a wave of sadness wash over me. I only had two friends, and now I was leaving them behind. Moving to Paris was not something I had planned for this year. I called my friends immediately. "Guys! My dad found someone in Paris, and I'll be moving there next month. She has two daughters. "OMGGG! Oui oui oui, croissant!" Ashley exclaimed with laughter. "I'm literally crying. We won't see each other again. "Stop crying, crybaby. Look at the bright side," Brandon interjected. "You can finally try the macarons you've always wanted, and maybe meet some wealthy guys. What's wrong with you guys?" I retorted, feeling a pang of hurt at their lack of support. "You could have been more supportive. "Yes, yes, but it's only six hours away," Ashley chimed in, trying to lighten the mood. "And you'll finally have step-siblings, ashley!. "Okay, okay, stepsiblings," I conceded with a sigh. "Come on, guys, we still have a month to do fun stuff together."

Time went by quickly, and it was time to move. Sitting in my empty room, all the memories came rushing in. I felt broken having to leave this all behind—the memories with Mom, who's not here anymore. "Valentina!" Dad called, interrupting my thoughts. As I walked, I whispered, "Goodbye, Mom." Stepping into the car, my dad asked, "Are you ready?" "Yes, Dad," I replied. It was a six-hour drive from the Netherlands to Paris. I slept the whole way. 

Finally, we stopped in a weird neighborhood. Everything looked so old. My dad pointed to a house with a really high fence. "Don't tell me it's a rich family," I muttered to myself. As the door opened, I saw two girls and a woman waiting. "That will be your new mom," Dad nervously laughed. A bit of anger welled up inside me at his words. The car stopped, and I opened the door to greet them. "Hi, I'm Valentina." "Hi, Valentina, I'm Anna, your new stepmom," the woman said warmly. "I've heard so much about you from your dad." She gestured to the two girls beside her. "Well, these are my daughters, Kristen, who's 17 she is your age , and Sofia, who's 13. "Hi, I'm Sofia," the younger girl greeted me with a smile. "Yo," Kristen said casually, but her mom quickly intervened. "Kristen, behave yourself. "Fine. Hi, I'm Kristen," she said, slightly annoyed. Well then, how about you go take some rest? That must have been tiring," Anna suggested kindly. "Kristen, could you show her new room? "Sure, Mom," Kristen replied, rolling her eyes. "Let's go," she said to me, leading the way into the house.

 It was big and beautiful. As we were about to walk up the stairs, Kristen turned and said, "Do not talk to me at school. Just act like you don't know me, tête de cochon. "Uhm, what does that mean?" I asked, confused. Kristen turned away, muttering "idiot." We arrived at the room. "This is your room," Kristen announced, opening the door. It was a big room. "Wow, at least it's great. Even the view is breathtaking. Is that a castle? I got to take a picture and send it to my friends." I spent hours talking to my friends on the phone, telling them about the new stepsister and how mean she was. They reassured me, saying it would get better. "Don't worry," they said. Eventually, I started feeling quite sleepy. "Good night, Mom," I whispered, then dozed off. The next day I woke up to a gentle knock on the door, and before I could respond, Anna, my new stepmom, entered the room. "Good morning, Valentina. How did you sleep?" she asked with a warm smile. "Good morning, Anna. I slept well, thank you," I replied, feeling a bit more at ease in her presence. We talked for a bit about the house, Paris, and our respective lives. As we conversed, I began to realize how kind and caring she was, despite my initial reservations. Before leaving the room, Anna asked, "Would you like breakfast? I'm making pancakes. "I smiled, touched by her gesture. "Yes, please. Pancakes sound wonderful." As I made my way to the kitchen, I saw my dad and the two daughters, Sofia and Kristen, getting along remarkably well. Seeing them laughing and chatting made me feel a pang of jealousy. It seemed like they were forming a bond already, and I couldn't help but feel left out. Arriving in the kitchen, the aroma of pancakes filled the air. As soon as she saw me, she muttered, "I'm done eating," and quickly walked away, barely acknowledging my presence. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of hurt at her coldness. As she hurried past me, Kristen accidentally bumped into me, causing me to stumble slightly. "Watch where you're going," she snapped, before disappearing out of the room. I sighed, feeling a mix of frustration and disappointment. It seemed like building a relationship with Kristen was going to be more challenging than I had anticipated. Anna mentioned, "You'll be starting school tomorrow since it's almost the end of the school year, and summer break will soon come. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about exams for college," I realized, feeling a sudden pang of anxiety. I finished my breakfast quickly and excused myself to go to my room. As I headed there, my dad stopped me and asked if I was doing fine. I forced a smile and replied, "Yes, I'm fine," before continuing to my room. On the way, I overheard Kristen talking bad about me, saying hurtful things about my appearance. Deep down, I already knew that, but hearing it from her still stung. When she noticed me, she accused, "Were you eavesdropping on me? "N-no," I stuttered, feeling my heart sink. "Not only are you ugly, but you're also a weirdo," she added, her words cutting deeper than I'd expected. With tears in my eyes, I ran to my room, feeling a mix of anger and sadness. Over the next few months, I avoided Kristen as much as possible. Fortunately, Sofia and I became really close, which helped ease the loneliness. Finally, the day arrived to hear if Kristen and I passed the exams for college. My dad, Anna, and Sofia were all there to support us. The tension was palpable as we waited for the results. When they finally came in, and we both passed, relief washed over me. Anna and I hugged tightly, and then my dad rushed in to embrace me too. It was truly a great day, despite the challenges I faced.  

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