The Big Stepfamily was still loud. It was still clumsy. But now, when the laughter erupted from the living room, Lia didn't go to her room. She walked toward the sound, carrying her mason jar like a small, cold shield.
Lia was fourteen, an only child until six months ago. She was a planet that had suddenly acquired a chaotic, noisy solar system. lias big stepfamily
For a long moment, no one spoke. The rain hammered the roof. Then, slowly, Rafa’s shoulders slumped. He sank to the floor, and Mateo knelt beside him. Lia hesitated, then sat down on the step above them. She didn't touch him. She didn't offer comfort. She just sat there, a witness. The Big Stepfamily was still loud
"Because I'm an expert at watching people who aren't watching me back," Lia said. "It's what you do when you're the extra one." She walked toward the sound, carrying her mason
The deep wound wasn't the noise. It was the ease.
Rafa stared at her. The letter trembled in his hand. "How do you know that?"