I didn’t expect a text from my dad to ruin my week or to find myself crashing a seven-year-old’s birthday party with my grandpa behind the wheel. But here we are.
So, I’m Britt. I’m 19 and in college now, just finishing up my freshman year. I live about 20 minutes from my dad’s place, so I go over there whenever I get a break.
Or I used to.
Before everything turned weird.
I’ve got a little brother, Ryan. He’s seven — bright eyes, a gap-toothed grin, obsessed with outer space, and always running around with some new story about Mars or aliens. He’s my half-brother technically, but I don’t care. To me, he’s just my brother. Period.
I’ve been there for it all — from his preschool recitals to the soccer games where he’d run the wrong way, and every single birthday since the day he was born.
He always tells me, “You’re my favorite person, Britt.”
And I swear, no matter what kind of day I’ve had, hearing that makes it better.
The thing is, ever since Dad married Melissa — who’s 30, and honestly looks more like someone I’d see in one of my classes — things haven’t felt the same.
She’s never been mean to me exactly. Just… cold. She treated me like I was an annoying leftover from Dad’s old life.
Still, I never thought she’d actually ban me from something as important as Ryan’s birthday.
Last week, I texted my dad to ask what time the party was. Ryan had been talking about it for weeks, so I figured I’d help out, maybe bring cupcakes or something.
Instead, I got this text:
I just… stared at my phone.
My chest felt tight, like I’d forgotten how to breathe. “Sit this one out?” Was this a joke?
I called him right away. My hands were shaking.
“Dad? What is this text?” I asked.
He sighed, long and tired. “It’s not me, it’s her. Melissa thinks Ryan should just have family there without outsiders. It’ll be easier if you don’t come.”
“Outsiders?” My voice cracked. “I’m his sister. What are you even talking about?”
“I know, Britt. Look, I don’t want a fight. Just don’t make a scene, okay? Respect her wishes.”
I hung up before I started crying. Then I cried anyway. Ugly, hiccuping sobs in my bathroom with the door locked, so my roommate wouldn’t hear.
*****
I didn’t go to the party. Obviously.
I stayed home in my pajamas, trying to distract myself. But the gift I bought for Ryan was sitting on my desk, a big Lego rocket set he’d been eyeing for months.
I wrapped it in this shiny blue paper and drew little stars on it with a silver marker. He loves space stuff. I even added a card with a doodle of us in spacesuits, holding hands on the moon.
It just sat there, staring at me.
I kept imagining him looking around at the party, asking, “Where’s Britt?”
And Melissa saying something like, “Oh, she’s busy,” like I didn’t matter.
Around 2 p.m., when the party was probably in full swing, I curled up on my bed and started scrolling through TikTok. Every video just blurred past. I wasn’t even paying attention.
Then I heard it — a car horn blaring outside, loud and long.
I frowned and got up to peek through the window.
It was my grandpa. My dad’s father. He was standing by his old truck, arms crossed, looking dead serious.
I opened the front door. “Grandpa?”
He nodded once. “Grab that gift you got for Ryan.”
I blinked. “Wait, what’s going on?”
“I know everything,” he said. “Your dad’s been spineless since he married that woman. But she went too far this time. Get your shoes on.”
“Grandpa, she said I’m not allowed—”
“I don’t care what she said,” he snapped. “You’re his sister. Nobody gets to erase that. Not on my watch.”
I hesitated, heart pounding. “But what if she makes a scene?”
“She won’t. And if she does, let her. Besides,” he added with a smirk, “I’ve got a plan.”
“A plan?”
“Oh yeah,” he said, motioning to the truck. “And it’s gonna be good.”
I grabbed the present, slipped on my sneakers, and climbed in. Grandpa didn’t even turn on the radio. He just drove, eyes fixed on the road like he was headed into battle.
I didn’t know what he was planning. All I knew was, something was about to go down.
As soon as Grandpa’s truck turned onto the street, I felt my stomach twist. The driveway was packed with cars. Balloons were tied to the mailbox, and I could hear kids laughing and music playing from the backyard. The whole place looked like a Pinterest board for the perfect kids’ party.
I sank lower in my seat.
Grandpa glanced over at me. “You ready?”
“I don’t know.” I stared at the house, hugging the Lego set to my chest. “What if Melissa throws a fit?”
“Then we’ll throw a bigger one,” he said with a wink. “Now come on. Let’s remind her who this family really is.”
My legs were shaking as we walked up to the house. Grandpa didn’t hesitate; he opened the front door like he owned the place and stepped in without knocking. I followed, clutching Ryan’s gift and trying not to cry from the tension sitting in my throat.
I didn’t even make it past the hallway before the room went silent. It was like the music had dimmed just for dramatic effect. All the adults looked up; some confused, some surprised, and then there was Melissa.
She was standing next to the cake table in this skin-tight white dress, like she was walking a red carpet instead of throwing a kid’s birthday party. Her eyes locked on me. Her smile dropped instantly.
“What is she doing here?” she snapped, her voice low and sharp.
Grandpa stepped forward without flinching. “She’s here because this is her brother’s birthday, too. And you don’t get to decide she’s not family.”
The tension cracked like a whip across the room.
Melissa’s eyes narrowed. “This isn’t your decision to make, Harold.”
“No, but you made it your decision when you uninvited my granddaughter and called her an outsider,” Grandpa said, his voice loud and deliberate.
Before she could fire back, a familiar voice echoed from the kitchen.
“Sissy!”
Ryan shot out like a rocket, arms wide, his face lighting up when he saw me. He barreled into me with a hug so strong it nearly knocked me over.
“I thought you weren’t coming!” he cried, looking up at me with the purest joy I’d ever seen.
I crouched to his level and hugged him tightly. “I wouldn’t miss your birthday, buddy. Never.”
He looked down at the gift I was holding. “Is that for me?”
“Yup,” I said, smiling. “Open it.”
Ryan didn’t waste a second. He tore through the blue paper, gasped when he saw the Lego box, and practically squealed. “It’s the SPACE one! You remembered!”
He turned around and shouted to his friends, “My sister got me the best present ever!”
I glanced up, just in time to catch Melissa’s expression. Her jaw was clenched, lips twitching like she’d just swallowed sour milk.
Melissa marched toward me, her heels clicking across the floor like gunfire.
“You had no right to come here after I specifically said you weren’t welcome,” she said, each word more pointed than the last.
I didn’t have time to respond. Grandpa stepped between us, eyes locked on her like steel.
“No, Melissa. You had no right,”
