Sophie stormed out of the kitchen, her heart pounding. She didn't want to hear any more of Vivian's sweet-sounding lies. As she headed upstairs, she could hear Vivian's soft voice in the background.
"Sophie just needs time to adjust," Vivian said, her tone sweet yet condescending. "I'll make sure she understands she's not alone."
Alone. That's exactly how Sophie felt—like she was the only one left in the world that mattered. She flopped onto her bed, tears stinging her eyes.
A few days later, things took a turn for the worse. The moment Sophie came home from school, she sensed a change in the atmosphere. Vivian was in the living room with Ethan, both laughing over something on the television.
"Hey, Sophie!" Ethan called, not even glancing in her direction. "You're just in time to see who gets kicked off the show!"
Sophie felt a knot tighten in her stomach as she trudged into the room. "I'm not interested," she muttered, heading towards the stairs.
Vivian turned, a smirk playing on her lips. "Oh, come on, Sophie. Don't be so antisocial. It's just a bit of fun."
"Fun for you, maybe," Sophie shot back, rolling her eyes.
Ethan chuckled, still focused on the screen. "You're missing out. We're having a blast over here."
"Enjoy it," Sophie replied, heading up to her room.
A few hours later, she was at her desk, trying to concentrate on her drawings. The door creaked open, and Ethan peeked in, a mischievous grin on his face.
"Whatcha working on?" he asked, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.
"Nothing you'd care about," Sophie replied, her voice cold.
Ethan moved closer, looking over her shoulder. "Oh, come on! Is that a dragon? That's so cool!"
"It's none of your business!" she snapped, pushing her sketchbook away from him.
"Why are you always like this?" he asked, crossing his arms. "It's like you want to be miserable."
"I'm not miserable," she retorted, glaring at him.
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because it seems like you are. You can't even be nice to me. I'm just trying to be friendly."
"Your idea of friendly is invading my space," Sophie replied, exasperated.
"Fine. Be that way," he said, turning to leave. "But don't expect me to keep trying if you're just going to shut me out."
The next day, Sophie found herself confronted with a much harsher reality at school. As she walked down the hall, she noticed Ethan surrounded by a group of friends, laughing and joking. She tried to slip past them, but Ethan caught sight of her.
"Hey, Sophie!" he called, his voice booming across the hallway. "Come meet my friends!"
Sophie's cheeks flushed as she felt the attention shift to her. "No thanks," she muttered, trying to move quickly.
"Oh, come on! Don't be shy!" he teased, stepping in front of her. "Everyone, this is my stepsister. The antisocial artist!"
Sophie felt her heart race as laughter erupted around her. "Stop it, Ethan!" she protested, anger flaring.
"Why? It's funny! She's always locked away in her little art world," he continued, the laughter only growing louder.
"Leave her alone, Ethan," one of his friends said, trying to be helpful.
"Why should I? She's the one being a hermit!" Ethan shot back, and Sophie felt her face burn with embarrassment.
"Just go away!" she yelled, shoving past him and making a beeline for the bathroom.
In the bathroom, Sophie leaned against the sink, taking deep breaths to calm herself. The humiliation washed over her like a cold wave. She splashed water on her face, trying to erase the heat of embarrassment.
When she finally stepped back into the hallway, she found Vivian waiting by the front office, her expression unreadable.
"There you are," Vivian said, her voice deceptively calm. "I've been looking for you. How was school?"
"Fine," Sophie replied, not wanting to get into it.
Vivian narrowed her eyes slightly. "It doesn't seem like you're fine. I heard about some trouble with Ethan today."
Sophie felt her anger boiling. "What do you mean trouble? He's the one causing it!"
"Language, Sophie," Vivian said sharply. "You need to learn to control your temper. It's unbecoming."
Sophie gaped at her. "Are you kidding me? You're blaming me for his bullying?"
"It's not bullying if he's just trying to be friendly," Vivian replied coolly. "Maybe if you opened up, you wouldn't feel this way."
"Open up? To someone who makes fun of me?" Sophie exclaimed, incredulity washing over her. "That's ridiculous."
Vivian folded her arms, her expression stern. "You need to understand that he's your brother now, and you're going to have to learn how to get along."
Sophie turned to storm away but felt Vivian's hand grip her arm. "Don't walk away from me when I'm talking to you," she said, her voice low.
"Let go of me!" Sophie shouted, shaking off her grip.
Vivian's eyes flashed with irritation, but she stepped back. "You need to learn to behave, Sophie. You're making this harder on yourself."
After a long, painful day at school, Sophie returned home, her head spinning from the humiliation. She wanted to escape, but there was nowhere to hide. As she made her way to her room, she could hear Ethan's laughter echoing from the living room.
"Mom! Did you see the video I sent you? It's hilarious!" Ethan exclaimed.
"Ethan, I told you to keep the volume down," Vivian replied, her voice filled with warmth.
Sophie felt a surge of anger as she walked past the open door. "Why are you so nice to him?" she mumbled under her breath.
Ethan caught her eye, a smug smile on his face. "Because I'm fun to be around, Sophie," he called out, his tone mocking.
"Fun?" she replied, spinning around to face him. "Is that what you call bullying?"
Vivian glanced at Sophie, her expression disapproving. "Sophie, enough with the drama."
"It's not drama! He's making my life miserable!" Sophie retorted, frustration spilling over.
Ethan stood up, hands on his hips. "I'm not making your life miserable. You're just sensitive."
"Sensitive?" Sophie scoffed, shaking her head. "You're the one who can't stop putting me down!"
"Maybe if you stopped being so standoffish, I wouldn't feel the need to," Ethan shot back, his voice growing louder.
Vivian intervened, her tone authoritative. "Enough, both of you! This needs to stop."
"Yeah, right. You always take his side!" Sophie spat, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks.
"I'm not taking anyone's side, but I won't tolerate this behavior," Vivian said firmly. "You need to act like a sister, not an enemy."
Sophie felt her heart race, the injustice boiling inside her. "Why should I? He's not even family to me!"
Ethan's laughter rang out again, this time more mocking. "You're just mad because I'm more fun than you. Admit it!"
Sophie clenched her fists, fighting the urge to lash out. "You think this is fun? Making fun of me? You're just pathetic."
Ethan's grin faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "Whatever. You'll come around eventually."
The next few weeks continued in a similar fashion. Ethan seemed to take pleasure in provoking Sophie, and each day brought new challenges.
One afternoon, Sophie was sketching in her room when she heard Ethan call out from the living room.
"Hey, Sophie! Want to join us for a game?"
"No!" she yelled back, trying to ignore him.
"Come on! Don't be such a loner!" Ethan's voice was teasing, making her blood boil.
Sophie gritted her teeth, refusing to respond. She thought about how much easier her life had been before all of this, before Ethan and Vivian had barged in.
Later, as she sat in the dining room, she overheard Vivian talking to Charles.
"Ethan is fitting in so well," Vivian said, her voice bright. "I think he's really going to be a great influence on Sophie."
"Really?" Charles replied, skepticism evident in his tone. "I hope he's not pushing her too hard."
"Oh, she'll come around," Vivian replied dismissively. "She just needs to learn how to be more social."
Sophie felt a wave of anger wash over her. They were all ganging up on her, and she couldn't take it anymore.
The following weekend, Sophie tried to avoid everyone by spending most of her time in her room. But Ethan had other plans.
"Hey, Sophie! Let's go to the mall! I'm bringing some friends," he called out, bursting into her room without knocking.
"No! I don't want to!" she shouted, glaring at him.
"Why not? It'll be fun! You can show us your art skills!" he said, a mocking smile plastered on his face.
"I said no!" she snapped, feeling her face flush with