Family Rebirth

My whole family got a do-over. A redo. A second chance at life. Last time around, my dad, mom, brother, and even my little genius brother, all sided with the fake heiress. This time, things are…different.

It started when Tiffany, the girl my parents mistakenly believed was their daughter for seventeen years, demanded a bigger room. Dad gave her old one to me. Then she wanted extra tutoring from Ethan, my whiz-kid brother. Ethan, instead, started following me around, begging to help me study. Tiffany wanted Justin, my pop-star older brother, to come to school and show her off. He came, alright, but he sat with me at lunch. And when Tiffany asked Mom for the diamond necklace she designed, Mom clasped it around my neck.

"Ashley, how could you do this to your sister's room? This is just wrong!" Mom pointed at the red paint splattered across the walls and the word "DIE" scrawled across it.

Tiffany, fake tears welling up in her eyes, sobbed, "Mom, don't blame Ashley. It's my fault for still being here. She's your real daughter. No matter how nice I am to her, she'll always resent me. She probably just…needed to vent. I'll move out today. Pretend you never took me in. When I make my own money, I'll come back and take care of you and Dad…"

She played the victim perfectly, grabbing her suitcase and pretending to pack. Mom rushed to comfort her.

From the living room, Ethan's annoyed voice cut through the drama, "Send Ashley to the dorms. If she can't handle that, get her an apartment. This place hasn't been peaceful since she got here."

My brother. Sticking up for me? Unheard of. He then retreated back to his room, probably to obliterate some noobs online.

Mom frowned, thought for a moment, and then said wearily, "Ashley, maybe you should move out for a while. There are a few nice condos near the school that our company owns. I'll have someone take you to pick one out, fully furnished, and you can take a housekeeper with you."

Tiffany shot me a triumphant look. She’d done this before. The paint, the “DIE” – it was all her doing. A setup to get me kicked out. She'd been pulling stunts like this ever since I’d been brought home six months ago. It wasn't just at home either. At school, Tiffany's posse had made my life hell, and no one cared.

Last time, I'd wasted all my energy fighting with Tiffany, trying to win over my family, and failing miserably. I’d bombed my SATs and ended up…well, let’s just say it wasn't pretty.

This time around, I was done trying. My dad was a CEO, my mom a famous jewelry designer, my brother a pop star, and my other brother a genius. So what? I didn’t need them.

Mom, seeing my silence, softened her voice. "You can go look at the apartments. If you don't like any, you can always come back—"

"I'll move," I cut her off.

She blinked, surprised. For the past six months, I'd been desperately trying to fit in, never even hinting at leaving, no matter how badly Tiffany and I fought.

I ignored them, not bothering to explain. They wouldn't b...