By the time I was five years old, I could tell that my parents preferred my sister, Madeline, over me. Although I was younger, they barely paid me any attention. My birthdays were small and simple, whereas they would throw big events for my sister.

The worst part is that she knew it too. Madeline would laugh when my mother would scold me for something she did. I got blamed for everything that went wrong in our house, no matter who did it. Soon enough, I started fending for myself.

I had a ton of chores around the house, and my father would yell at me often. But Madeline would sit around the house doing nothing. It was so unfair. I had no idea why my family didn’t like me but couldn’t do anything about it.

I secretly worked part-time and hoped that my 18th birthday would come by quickly. But when I was 16 years old, Madeline announced she was pregnant. Our parents were delighted because she could do no wrong in their eyes.

“That’s wonderful, honey,” my mother said.

“I’m just telling you so you can give me money for an abortion, Mom. I’m not going to keep it. It’ll ruin my life,” my sister replied.

“No, Madeline, you can’t do that to your baby. You’re carrying our grandchild. We’ll do anything to help you, but abortion is out of the question,” my father told her, almost angrily. It was the first time in my life that I had seen him seemingly displeased at their favorite kid.

“I don’t know, Tom. Maybe we should think about what Madeline needs right now,” my mother suggested. I knew she would cave to Madeline’s wishes quickly.

“I’m sorry, Priscilla. I support women’s choices, but that’s our grandchild. Madeline, you’re going to love your baby, and we’ll support you completely. It’s that alright?” my father continued. “Your sister will be there for you always.”

Of course, he volunteered me without my consent. “I’ll think about it,” Madeline finally answered. I knew she would cave because a baby would guarantee that our parents would support her forever. And my big sister wanted an easy life.

She decided to keep the baby, and I had to be at her beck and call during the pregnancy. But things only got worse when the baby came around. Madeline got up once or twice during those first few days to feed her son, Brandon, but then, it was all up to me.

Madeline went back to her old ways and partied all the time while I had to stay home raising her baby. Despite their promises, our parents refused to help with the baby, and it was clear that they didn’t like Brandon at all either.

So, I had to step up and eventually dropped out of school to care for him. I still worked part-time and studied to get my G.E.D. to continue my plans of moving away at 18. But one day, Madeline came home after a week away with a new announcement.

“Mom, Dad. I’m leaving,” she said.

“What do you mean you’re leaving?” I asked.

“Chloe, shut up. I’m not talking to you,” she snapped at me.

“Honey, it’s ok if you need a few days away. When are you coming back?” my mother asked her.

“I’m not coming back. That’s what I’m telling you. I’m going on the road with my boyfriend, Zak, and I’ll probably never come back,” Madeline continued.

“What about Brandon? You can’t abandon your baby,” I yelled at her, trying to make her see reason. “I’m leaving for college in a few months. Who is going to raise the baby?”

“That’s not my problem. Bye!” Madeline said and walked away. My mother started crying, and Dad could only comfort her.

“What are we going to do about Brandon?” I asked my parents.

“Chloe, can’t you see that your mother is heartbroken? Please, don’t bother us. Go away,” my father answered.

That day, I stopped considering them my family. Clearly, I was on my own, and it looked like they didn’t care about Brandon at all. I was not going to leave him with these people. I would become his mother.

A few months went by, and I had saved up enough to move away. My parents barely noticed that I was leaving and taking Brandon with me.

I worked tirelessly to provide for Brandon and signed up for online college because I needed a flexible schedule. It was hard, but I was making it work. Eventually, I made a great group of friends that would help with Brandon.

Some people judged me for raising a child at a young age, but someone had to do it. He was my biological nephew, but he was now also my son in all the ways that mattered. I would not abandon him like my irresponsible big sister and our parents.

A few years later, I met my boyfriend, Dallas. He was studying law and planned to work at his father’s law practice. He adored Brandon, and we talked about getting married when he graduated.

One day, Dallas was cooking dinner when my doorbell rang. It was Madeline. She looked rough and way older than her age. “What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Where’s my baby?” she asked immediately and tried to come in, but I blocked the doorway.

“Your baby? He’s not yours, Madeline. You gave him up years ago. He’s my son now, and you can’t see him right now,” I answered. Brandon was playing in his room, and I hoped he wouldn’t come out now.

“You can’t keep me from MY CHILD, Chloe. You’re the most horrible person in the world!” Madeline yelled at me. That’s when Dallas came over and asked her to calm down.

“I will not calm down! I’m going to get my child back no matter what,” she screamed again, but Dallas closed the door in her face. Madeline continued yelling outside for a while until my boyfriend threatened to call the police.

“What am I going to do?” I asked him later that night. “She’s his mother. They could take him away.”

“Don’t worry, baby. I’ll talk to my father tomorrow. He’ll tell us what to do legally so that Brandon never has to leave with that harpy,” he answered. Dallas’ father arranged everything so that I became Brandon’s legal mother.

Soon enough, Madeline returned with my parents. The three of them demanded to see Brandon and get him back, but there was nothing they could do legally. In the end, I discovered that Madeline only returned for Brandon because she wanted to get some benefits from the government.

But she couldn’t do that now that I became his official mother, and she disappeared once again. Luckily, I was not alone anymore, and Brandon would never have to feel what I felt growing up.