Chapter 1 When I was five , Dad suddenly brought home a little girl . " Riley , this is your sister Casey . From today on , she's the only princess in our family ! [] As he spoke , he snatched the doll from my hands and placed it in the little girl's arms . [ ] " Your sister has had a rough time out there . Let her have this doll , and I'll buy you a new one . " ] Just a doll . Not a big deal … So I agreed and gave up my doll to her . But once Casey had my doll , Dad completely forgot about buying me a new one . Eventually , Mom bought me a new one instead As soon as I got it , Casey saw it . ] Immediately , she snatched it from my hands and shrieked , " That's MINE ! ] " No , it's not ! Mom bought this one for me ! I protested . ] As I reached for it , she pinched my arin hard , making ine scream in pain . [ ] Heard of my pain voice , Grandma rushed over to separate us . Seeing the purple bruise forming on my arm , she angrily swatted Casey's bottom twice . ] ] However , as Dad witnessed this , he immediately pulled Casey into his arms , his face stern . " Mom , how could you treat Casey like that ? She was already neglected at her maternal grandmother's home , and now she comes here just to get hit ? If you can't treat both girls equally , maybe you shouldn't be here anymore ! " ] Grandma trembled with anger . " Did you not see what she did to Riley's arm ? It's completely bruised " ] Dad barely glanced at my arm . " It's no biggie . Kids fight - it happens . Mom , if you're gonna play favorites like this , maybe you should just go . " ] Grandma was so furious she packed her bags and left that very day . Meanwhile , Casey curled up in Dad's arms , flashing me a smug little smile . e new one ? I couldn't wrap my head around it . I'd already given her my toys , so why was she still taking mine i Dad ruffled my hair later . " Look , Riley , Casey grew up in the countryside . She had it rough . We need to repay her . " I didn't get it . Why was her tough life somehow need me to repay her ? ] That day , when Mom came home from work and saw the purple bruise spreading across my arm , she exploded at Dad . Their shouting match lasted for hours . ] Later , the next morning , Mom specially made me a cheese pudding for breakfast while giving Casey a glass of milk . I hated milk , which is why Mom always made the pudding to get some dairy in me . But the second Casey spotted it , she went ballistic " I want pudding too ! " she screamed , pointing at my bowl . " That's not fair ! I ALSO WANT THAT ! " Dad's face clouded over as he glared at Mom . " Seriously , Jenna ? Would it kill you to make another pudding ? " d slid it in fro Without waiting for a response , he swiped my pudding and slid it in front of Casey. He didn't even bother giving me her milk as a replacement . I sat there watching as Casey stabbed at the pudding with her spoon , mashing it into a sloppy mess . After destroying it completely , she pushed it away - never taking a single bite . Mom was so furious , then she hugged me and took me directly to the daycare . [ Thank goodness Casey was three years older , which meant she went to elementary school instead of being at the same school with me . But my relief didn't last long . Soon I turned six , and it was time for elementary school . ] ] Mom bought me a new backpack with Rapunzel on it . I was thrilled and proudly placed it beside my bed . ] e next m But when I woke up the messy marker scribbles . morning , my beautiful backpack was gone - replaced with Casey's old one that was covered in I burst into tears . Mom was still at her night shift , and Dad had no patience for me . " Riley ! What are you crying about ? Casey never had a backpack this nice when she was little . She's the princess of this family - she gets it first ! " With tears streaming down my face , I refused to accept it . Dad twisted my ear and made . me stand in the corner . I wailed so loud the entire building could hear me . || Meanwhile , Casey stuck her tongue out at me . " Riley , I'm the princess and you're just the ugly maid " ] ] She went off to school with my new backpack , while I dragged the old one , crying so hard I was soaked in sweat . In the end , I never even made it to registration that day . [ ] When Mom got home from her shift and found out , she immediately rushed out to buy me another backpack , then came home and started arguing with Dad again . " Dave , you're being way too biased !! Riley is your daughter too . How could you let her cry until her voice was hoarse ? " ] " Casey was too young to be so materialistic . What's wrong with using an old backpack ? " ] Dad conveniently forgot that Casey also had a brand new backpack when she started first grade . That night , Mom slept with me in my small bed , leaving Casey to Dad . No matter how tearfully Casey looked at her , Mom completely ignored her . ] Curled up in Mom's arms , I felt so warm and safe . [ ]