My Mother’s Favorite Lesson Killed Me

I was the family's bargaining chip.

My parents were a blended family—each brought a child from a previous marriage.

They'd made a pact: treat each other's kids like their own.

But my sister hated school and wanted to run off with some bleach-blond loser. My brother hung out with troublemakers, smoking and drinking like it was nothing.

Dad couldn't stand watching my sister throw herself away. Mom couldn't stand watching my brother waste his potential.

So they had me—a tool to keep the other's kid in line.

And when it came to me, their shared flesh and blood, they held nothing back.