My whole life turned upside down when my mom decided she needed to get married. She married Josh Anchor, a wealthy man, and the father of two gorgeous twins. Josh lived in Sacramento, California, so of course my mom was willing to move from Nashville, Tennessee, to the beautiful state of California. Elizabeth and Bethany were the names of Josh's daughters. One word that describes them would be, “brats.” My mom, Sarah, absolutely adored the, and it seemed that she loved them more than me. As soon as my mom got married, I knew our relationship wouldn't be the same. Well, my name is Jamie McDonald, and I am fifteen. I wear the thickest black glasses, I have shoulder-length brown hair, and I am about to tell you the story of my life.

It was a hot, summer day in June and I was getting ready to go to the town's annual carnival. Josh told Elizabeth and Bethany that they had to take me with them. As soon as we got to the carnival, they got out and locked me in the car. Great, just great. They laughed and walked off. When they were out of sight, I received a text from Bethany saying that they would be back in a few. I thought she meant a few hours, but surely enough she was back in ten minutes. This time, they weren't alone. They were with a bunch of people. Even though I'd only knew them for six months, I knew what they were about. They were stuck-up, rich girls, who only cared about themselves. I swear that they wanted to make my life miserable. Bethany and three girls waved sarcastically and broke up in laughter. Then, they finally walked away. Elizabeth was walking with this tall, tan guy(who I later learned is Jake). As I observed, she was trying to hold his hand while he repeatedly pulled away. She tried to pull him away from the car where I was caged in, but I don't think he was ready. He gave me a smile and grabbed the keys from Elizabeth. She was fuming.

Jake and I started to hang out more, and we got to know each other. He was my only friend, but I was okay with that. We hung out everyday in the summer. He told me that he was never able to be himself until he met me. By the end of the summer. I knew I had fallen in love with a boy I never thought would give me the time of day.

When we went back to school, nobody liked me nor Jake. Everybody teased us, gave us dirty looks when they saw us together, or just simply ignored us. I knew that it was all because of Elizabeth. She wanted everyone to hate me because hated me for “stealing her boyfriend.” Jake made me feel alive; he pulled me out from the dark room I was stuck in and into the light. When I was teased at school, none of it mattered because I had Jake, but Jake was gone now...

It was mid-January and the roads were really icy. Jake and I were on our way to Tennessee to escape all of the drama from school. I asked my mom if I could move several times, but she always said, “This is our home now and besides, you have to learn to deal with it.” I asked Jake to go with me, but he always said that I should learn to face it and not worry about what other people say or think. He knew I was unhappy, so he finally agreed to go.

Thinking back, I realize that Jake's death brought me closer to my family. I now understand how short life is, and how you have to live every moment like it is your last because what if tomorrow never comes?