Something Like A Sister

Chapter One: Dakota

"You're what?!" I gasped, jumping up from the couch.

"Dakota, I seem to be recalling a little girl who was begging us to get her a sister," my Dad said with a smile.

I crossed my arms, "Well that little girl grew up."

"Dakota, the processes is already in motion. We even have a pickup date," my mother informed.

"Oh, and you didn't think to ask your daughter, your biological if she was okay with this?" I said completely offended that I wasn't being included in critical family decisions."

"Dakota, please," my mother said.

I shook my head, "Whatever, it isn't like I can change this." I said and began to walk away. I heard my parents sigh as I walked out.

I couldn't believe all this. I have always been an only child. Always. For sixteen years I have been an only child and then suddenly my parents think they can just go and adopt some foster girl and change all of that. Now, you maybe thinking that I'm complaining just because I'm a typical, spoiled only child, but that isn't the case with me. In fact I am the farthest thing from spoiled. I don't get everything I ask for, I don't get random gifts when it is no where near my birthday or Christmas, and if I whine or complain about anything my phone is taken away for a month. So yeah, not the typical only child life and my parents have gone to great lengths to make sure that I didn't turn out to be a typical only child. Don't get me wrong, I totally understand why. I have met some spoiled only children and I apperciate my parents for raising me the way that they did, it is just that I feel like I am being replaced. My parents are so excited for this new child that I feel like they are forgetting that they already have one. Like, hello? I'm write here! Your biological child Dakota. I'm still here. I just don't understand why they felt the need to get another child. They said that they, "just have more room in our hearts for one more child." For me that translates to, "we just don't love you with our whole hearts." This new daughter means that I wasn't good enough and some how she is without them evening knowing her.

"Wait your parents are what?" my best friend Ashley asked a few days later when she was over at my house.

"I know," I said siting down next to her on my bed. "It is ridiculous,"

"Why now, if they wanted another kid why have they waited so long?" Ashley asked.

"I don't know, maybe it was because of all those marriage problems they had when we were in middle school. They probably didn't want to adopt if they thought they were going to split."

"True," Ashley said taking a handful of pretzels. "Well, if that is the case at least you know that they don't think they are going to get divorced."

"Who knows," I said before taking a mouthful of pretzels.

Ashley looked down at her watch, "Well I should head home, I have to watch the twins tonight."

It was August 10th, two weeks before school started. I was in the car driving with my parents to go and pick up my new "sister", as my parents kept referring to her as. They didn't understand that this new "sister" (whose name is Lacey) wasn't my sister and she never would be. My dad parked the in a park spot infront of the Children Services building.

"Dakota, could you please leave your headphones and phone in the car?" my mom requested. I sighed and did what she asked. It wasn't like I had a choice. My mom took my Dad's arm as we walked in. When inside a social worker greeted us and led us to a waiting room, where we found a girl with curly dark blonde hair wearing a starchy floral dress and a pearl necklace reading a book - Pride and Predjudice. The receptionist said, "Lacey, your family is here." The girl looked up from her book, gave us a smile and greeted us with a simple "Hello, it is so nice to finally meet you." It was almost as if she had done this a hundred times before. My mom's eyes filled with tears as she grasped Lacey in a hug, "Oh Lacey, it is so nice to finally meet you too." My mom had been looking forward to this day for the past couple months. Lacey's picture had a special place on the refridgerator and on the mantel, next to a picture of me that had been taken last summer.

"Now, Mr. and Mrs. Quinn, there are just a few things we need to go over and a few papers you have to sign. The girls can wait here if they want or they can come with us. It doesn't matter to me," the social worker said. My mom looked at me.

"I can wait here," I said with a forced smile. All I could think was I have no idea what to talk about this girl and I don't have my phone. This was the exact situation I had been trying to aviod by bringing my phone and headphones (besides the fact that the drive was thirty five minutes). My parents left the room and I sat down next to Lacey who resumed reading her book. The copy was tattered, as if it had been read a hundred times before. I wondered if she used always had this book with her whenever a new family had come to pick her up - to make her seem intelligent because she could read old English.

"So, do you really like that book?" I asked after a few minutes of silence, trying to make the situation less awkward.

Lacey looked up and smiled, "Yeah, Jane Austen is one of my favorite writers. I have read all her books many many times."

"So, who are your other favorite authors?"

"Shakespear," Lacey said. "Oh and I like poetry by Slyvia Path."

Great, I thought, I have absolutely nothing incommon with this girl.

"What about you? What do you read?" Lacey asked me.

"Ummm," I said wiping my sweaty hands on my jeans, "Mostly just FanFic and magazines, like Seventeen"

"Oh," Lacey replied quietly. I could tell by her expression she had absolutely no idea what FanFic was.

I changed the subject, "What about music? Do you listen to any music?"

Lacey closed her book, "Well, my last family had a record player so I listened to their old records alot. I really like Frank Sinatra. What about you?"

"I listen to bands like Matchbox Twenty and Train."

Lacey nodded witha smile, "Isn't Train the band that sings Here Come's the Sun?"

"Um, no. The Beatles sing that song," I said, trying not to sound to shocked that she didn't know who sung Here Comes the Sun.

"Oh," Lacey said and reopened her book. I just stared out the window of the waiting room and prayed that my parents came back soon. I had absolutely nothing in common with this girl besides the fact that we were going to be living in the same house. She was the polar opposite of me. She liked bows while I liked studds, she liked old music while I liked bands, she read old English while I read teen magazines. There was nothing that was the same between us and I didn't know how I was suppose to become her "sister" when I couldn't think of anything to talk to her about. I couldn't believe that my parents were in an office signing the papers that would make this alien of a girl sittting next to me part of my family.