Torn to Pieces

One

I wanted to be happy for her.

There was a sparkle in her eye that I hadn't seen in years, ever since the night we got the call that my dad had been killed in a car accident trying to get home to us in time for Christmas all those years ago.

I was ten and it broke me. My daddy was my hero, my favorite person in the entire world. One second we were huddled up on the sofa waiting for him to walk through the door, and the next I was trying to peel my mother off of the floor as she sobbed. One of the officers took my hand and led me into the dining room to get me away from the heart-wrenching scene.

That was almost eight years ago, and up until a few days ago I didn't even know my mom was dating anyone. She met him online and they decided to keep things quiet until they were sure it was serious.

"When there are kids involved it's just a little more complicated, honey. We wanted to be sure about things before we got the families mixed into this." That was her excuse for hiding her relationship from me for almost a year.

Now here I am, being fitted for my maid of honor gown and getting ready to stand next to her as she marries a complete stranger. I've never even met him.

All I know is that he is relatively wealthy, has two kids, and lives in fucking Alabama.

I can't even put into words how pissed I am to be moving in the first place, right before my senior year, but to Alabama? What do you even do there?

This time tomorrow we will be arriving at our new "home". Mom keeps saying this is the start of a beautiful new adventure, that I'm going to love it there. She describes it as a massive estate nestled in the bay, with nature and privacy surrounding it. While it sounds great, I have serious doubts that this is going to be as picture perfect as she thinks.

Not only am I getting an instant family, but starting at a brand new school where I will know absolutely no one. This was supposed to be the best year of my life. I was supposed to live it up with all my friends one last time before graduation.

Oh, how the tables can turn within a matter of days.

***

When we passed the welcome sign over the state border I wanted to cry. Goodbye beautiful and sunny Florida, I will miss you so.

"Promise me you'll try to get along with Sean and his kids, please. It's important to me." my mom pleaded as we neared the driveway.

"Yeah, got it." I muttered in response.

I tried to recall everything I knew about the Miller family. Sean, who would soon be my new stepfather, was an attorney at a large private firm that specialized in medical malpractice suits. He had two children, a boy named Alec and girl named Allie. Their mother had apparently died from cancer a few years ago, and like my own mother this had been the first relationship after the loss.

"I can't wait for you kids to meet, from what Sean says I think you and Allie are going to hit it off famously!"

All this excitement is overwhelming, but I try to muster up a semblance of a smile to appease her. Allie is in the grade below me. There hasn't been much said to me about my soon to be stepbrother Alec though.

"We're here!" Mom singsongs as we pull into a long winding driveway that leads to an impressive white southern style mansion. There is a wraparound porch equipped with rocking chairs and hanging plants.

"Oh great, we've been transported onto the set of Steel Magnolias." I mutter under my breath, and mom shakes her head.

A man walks out of the large front door dressed in his Sunday best and flashing a bright white smile. He's handsome. A girl, small in stature, comes to his side. I assume that this is the Allie I've heard so much about. Her dark brown hair hangs in perfectly placed curls, and her bangs are secured back with a color-coordinated clip to match the pale pink sundress.

I look down at my skinny jeans and two-sizes too big t-shirt and immediately feel grossly under dressed.

"Sean!" my mother beckons as she races towards her groom. "I can't believe this day is finally here!"

He scoops her up and twirls her around and I fight back the urge to gag. Allie is smiling, and staring at the happy couple fondly.

I slowly make my way to the porch and awkwardly wave at the Millers, well two of the three. "Uh, hi. I'm Josephine, but just call me Jo."

We make quick introductions before Sean leads us into the house. It looks like something out of a Southern Living magazine, and if I wasn't so pissed off to be here I'd be swooning that these are my new digs.

"Allie-Cat, can you show Jo to her room?" Sean asks, and his seemingly perfect daughter nods.

Such is the dutiful daughter.

She takes my hand and pulls me towards the grand staircase that leads to the second floor. "Our rooms are on the second floor." She gestures back towards our parents, "They are too, but on the other side of the hall. We have plenty of privacy."

I follow as she leads me down a long hallway and points to a set of white doors. "That's my room, and yours is across the hall. You have your own bathroom, and a huge walk-in closet. You'll love it! We left it decorated pretty plainly, Dad wanted you to have creative freedom."

It's actually pretty hard to keep up this angsty and brooding thing I had going on with how great these people seem. "Thanks, Allie. Don't you have a brother?"

Allie gives me a sad smile, "Yeah, he probably won't be around too much. He basically just comes here to sleep. He isn't exactly the biggest fan of this new... arrangement."

"Arrangement? As in my mom and I?"

She nods.

"He's not so bad once he warms up to you, but that may take some time. The basement was turned into his cave."

"His cave?"

She laughs, "You'll understand when you meet him. He isn't the friendliest, not very good with people."

Great.

Not only have I been ripped from my life and thrown into the middle of nowhere, I am living with an asshole who already hates us.