Initially, Jane tried to be a good stepmother and even tried to include me in her and Amy\u2019s nail appointments. But the older we got, the closer they became \u2014 shutting me out completely. \u201cMaybe Amy\u2019s just going through something,\u201d my father said when we went for ice cream, and I confessed. \u201cMaybe she just needs extra time with her mom.\u201d I learned to live with it, getting used to the fact that even though Jane called me her daughter, I wasn\u2019t going to be. Then, we entered our final year at school, and prom quickly became the highlight of the social calendar. I didn\u2019t want to admit it to my father, but I was excited for prom \u2014 Mason and I were finally dating, and I knew that the day was going to be magical. I also knew that while my father would pay for my dream dress, I wanted to work for it myself. If Dad buys yours, he will have to buy Amy\u2019s too, I thought to myself. So, I took extra shifts at the diner I worked at \u2014 anything to add to my dress fund. A few weeks leading up to prom, I added babysitting to my schedule. Finally, I had enough for my dream dress. Dad drove me to the store and waited patiently while I tried it on. When I stepped out, he beamed at me. \u201cOh, Elsa,\u201d he said. \u201cYou look beautiful, darling.\u201d That was all I needed from him. \u201cAre you sure you want to pay for it yourself?\u201d Dad asked when we were at the till. \u201cBecause I\u2019ll do it in a heartbeat.\u201d I refused and paid for the dress.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you can buy me a waffle,\u201d I grinned. Then, my picture-perfect dream shattered. A few hours later, I walked into the house after my shift at the diner. Amy and Jane were sitting in the living room, wiping my grandmother\u2019s silver teapot. With pieces from my dress. I shrieked. \u201cHoney,\u201d Jane asked, the picture of concern. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s my dress!\u201d I said, picking up a piece. Oh!\u201d Jane exclaimed. \u201cIt was your prom dress?\u201d \u201cYou did this?\u201d I asked, unable to breathe properly. \u201cWell, yes,\u201d Jane said smugly. \u201cBut I thought that I was cutting up some secondhand dress. It didn\u2019t look prom-worthy. So, I thought I\u2019d use it to polish the silver and the windows.\u201d I couldn\u2019t take it any longer. I burst out crying \u2014 the tears dropping fast onto my clothes. i heard Dad\u2019s heavy footsteps from somewhere in the house, but it was clear that Jane didn\u2019t. Because she stood up, walking closer to me. \u201cNow, now, Elsa,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Initially, Jane tried to be a good stepmother and even tried to include me in her and Amy\u2019s nail appointments. But the older we got, the closer… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n