CHAPTER 4: Living With Ethan

The next morning, I was already bracing myself for the whole “living with Ethan” nightmare as I got ready for school. I mean, yesterday had been a lot, and my brain had gone around in circles all night, trying to process the mess I was in. But I kept telling myself that maybe—just maybe—school would go back to normal. Maybe no one had to know. I could just keep my head down, survive the day, and try to stay invisible.

Yeah, good luck with that, Camila.

I stepped out of my room, backpack slung over one shoulder, and wandered down to the kitchen where the smell of breakfast was wafting through the air. Normally, that would have made me feel all warm and cozy, but today? Nope. Today, I just felt like everything was off.

And then I saw why.

Mom was in the kitchen, dishing out breakfast, looking as cheerful as I had ever seen her. And there was Greg, all smiles and laughter, like he had just won the lottery by scoring a second family. For some reason, the sight of them together—laughing, bonding, being this happy little unit—itched at me. I didn’t even know why it bothered me so much, but it did. Like, I should’ve been happy for her, right? But in that moment, I felt like I was watching a stranger’s life.

I muttered a “good morning,” though I don’t think anyone even noticed, and headed over to join them, trying to blend into the background. And then I saw him—Ethan—sitting on the far end of the table. His face was completely buried in his phone, scrolling like it was the most important thing in the world. If he noticed me, he didn’t let on.

It was like we were all pretending everything was just fine, like we had all been family forever. And, to be fair, it looked fine. It looked normal. But it didn’t feel normal to me.

Mom glanced up with a warm smile. “Good morning, honey. Come sit. I made scrambled eggs and toast.”

I mumbled a quick “thanks” and slid into the chair next to her. My gaze kept darting over to Ethan, but he stayed locked on his phone, barely touching his breakfast. Typical, I guess. That’s the kind of guy he was at school, too—aloof, always in his own world, like he was above everyone else.

“So,” Greg began, looking up as if he had just had the best idea. “Ethan, why don’t you drop Camila off at school today?”

I could feel my face go hot immediately. My heart skipped a beat as the words registered. No way. There was no way I was about to be chauffeured to school by Ethan of all people. I didn’t even care if he ignored me the whole time; just being in the same car would make me feel like I was on display, like the whole world was watching.

“Uh, no thanks,” I blurted out, a little too fast. I could see Mom raising her eyebrows, giving me this look, but I didn’t care. I was not doing this.

“Oh, come on,” Greg chimed in, all smiles and obliviousness. “It’s on his way anyway, right, Ethan?”

Ethan just shrugged, barely looking up from his phone. “Yeah, whatever. It’s fine.”

Mom, who had probably already coordinated this plan behind my back, nodded along enthusiastically. “See? It’s no problem at all.”

I glared at her, but she just shot me that “mom look” that said “Don’t make a scene.” But seriously? She knew how I felt about this whole thing. She knew this was already so uncomfortable for me, and now she was practically pushing me into the lion’s den. I could barely contain my frustration.

“I’ll pass,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Really. I’m fine.”

Mom let out a little sigh, but she didn’t push it. Ethan shrugged again, looking like he couldn’t care less either way, and after a few awkward seconds, he grabbed his keys and headed out. I watched as he strolled out the door, not even glancing back, and a part of me felt relieved. But another part of me felt...I don’t know...left out?

I tried to shake off that weird feeling as Mom finally picked up her own keys and waved me over. “Come on, honey. I’ll take you.”

The drive to school was quiet, which was just fine with me. But I could feel Mom’s eyes on me every few seconds, like she was waiting for me to say something, to crack a joke or give her some kind of reassurance that I was okay with all this. But I wasn’t. I was fuming, and I didn’t even know why. It wasn’t just about Ethan. It was about the way everything had changed so fast, like I hadn’t even had time to catch my breath.

After a few minutes, Mom finally broke the silence. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I didn’t mean to push you into anything you weren’t comfortable with.”

I didn’t look at her. “It’s fine, Mom. It’s just...weird, you know?”

She sighed, nodding. “I know. I get it. I really do. But it’ll get easier, I promise.”

I didn’t say anything, just stared out the window, watching as we got closer to school. I knew she was probably right, that eventually this would become normal, but it didn’t feel that way right now. Right now, it felt like I had been thrown into someone else’s life and expected to just...go along with it.

When we pulled up to the school, I mumbled a quick “thanks” and slipped out of the car, heading inside without looking back. I just needed to get through the day, to get lost in the routine and forget all this family drama, even if only for a few hours.

But as soon as I stepped into the hall, I felt it—that buzzing, electric tension that comes from knowing you’re not invisible anymore. I could see a few people glance my way, like maybe the word was already spreading. Maybe some rumor had already started.

And it wasn’t like I could avoid Ethan completely. I would see him at some point; we went to the same school, and he was practically everywhere. But I didn’t run into him the whole morning. I slipped through classes, kept my head down, and tried to ignore the whispers that I felt were creeping up behind me. I kept telling myself it was all in my head. That no one knew, that no one cared.

But during lunch, Lexie found me. I could see the excitement on her face from across the room, and she practically sprinted over to my table. “Cami! Oh my god, I need details.”

I groaned, resting my head in my hands. “Please, Lex, don’t make this worse than it already is.”

“Are you kidding?” She grinned, sliding into the seat next to me. “You’re practically royalty now. Ethan is like...he’s like the king of our school. And now you’re his—”

I cut her off with a look. “Do not say ‘stepsister.’”

She laughed, nudging me playfully. “Fine, but seriously, how’s it been?”

I shrugged, trying to play it off. “Honestly? It’s awkward. It’s beyond awkward. I feel like I’m living in a soap opera. He didn’t even say anything to me. Just...looked at me and walked away.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Not even a ‘hi’? Ouch.”

“Yep. That’s the extent of our sibling bonding,” I muttered, stabbing at my salad with a plastic fork. “And now Greg and my mom are all about the ‘family bonding’ stuff, like we’re supposed to be some happy little unit.”

Lexie let out a low whistle. “That sounds...yeah, I don’t know how you’re handling that.”

I shrugged again, trying to ignore the knot forming in my stomach. “I don’t know either, honestly. But I’ll survive. I’ll just...keep my head down and pretend it’s not happening.”

She smirked, giving me a knowing look. “Good luck with that. With Ethan around? Something tells me it’s not gonna be that simple.”

I forced a laugh, but inside, I knew she was right. This was only the beginning, and if I had learned anything in high school, it was that nothing ever stayed quiet for long.