Lias Big Stepfamily !full! File

"He's not going to send you away," she said. Her voice was steadier than she felt. "I've been watching him for six months. He buys the almond milk you like even though he's allergic to nuts. He stayed up all night fixing your bike chain. He told my mom he was proud of you for trying out for the soccer team, even though you didn't make it."

"Because I'm an expert at watching people who aren't watching me back," Lia said. "It's what you do when you're the extra one."

Her mother smiled—a real one, not the brave kind she'd been wearing for two years. "The dressing is in the fridge. Marco's secret recipe." lias big stepfamily

She wrapped herself in a towel and crept to the top of the stairs. Below, Rafa was pacing, his fists clenched, his face a mess of tears and fury. In his hand, crumpled, was a letter.

Mateo grabbed his shoulders. "We'll fix it. We'll talk to him." "He's not going to send you away," she said

Her rebellion was quiet. She stopped coming to community dinners. She ate in her room, door just barely ajar. She stopped saying "good morning" and instead just nodded. Her mother would find her in the dark, staring at the ceiling.

They had history. Marco would say, "Remember that time at the lake, Rafa?" and the other three would dissolve into a private symphony of laughter. Sofia knew the exact way Mateo took his coffee (black, one sugar, stirred seven times). Isabel knew the secret spot behind Marco’s ear that made him purr like a cat when he was sad. Lia was a guest at a table where everyone else knew the password. He buys the almond milk you like even

Lia opened the fridge. There it was: a small mason jar labeled "LIA'S TURN" in marker. Below it, in different handwriting: "We're glad you're here."