Rose and I stood in front of a lobster tank. I wasn't sure why we were standing in front of a lobster tank, but we were. Well, we were at a lobster restaurant, but we didn't need to stand in front of the tank. I also couldn't believe that they had the lobsters out in the open. They could put them in the back because that seemed more human. Or better yet, why did they need live lobsters at all?

"What are we doing?" I asked Rose. It was her idea to do this, but I couldn't figure out why.

"We're learning to respect the enemy before battle." She explained. "Lobster eating is a battle. Is that a new shirt?"

I was wearing a white sweater with rose patterns woven in and a white floral pleated miniskirt with black knee socks.

"Yeah, your mom bought me some more clothes, which she doesn't have to do by the way." I declared. I wasn't sure why I was telling her that because she didn't have control of how her parents spent their money.

About thirty minutes later, we were seated at a table with a few empty lobsters shells in front of us. The place may have been inhuman, but it was also delicious.

"So how are things going with Kaitlin?" She asked.

"What do you mean how are things going? We're friends." I replied. "If you're talking about her dad, I don't know a lot."

I wasn't sure what her dad did, but I was pretty sure it was illegal.

"No, I wasn't talking about her dad." She remarked. "I was talking about how you like Kaitlin. It's a bit strange because people usually prefer Marissa."

"I don't like her as more than a friend." I argued. "Even if I did, I doubt that she would be interested in me. I don't even have a car."

At that time, the waitress returned with the bill.,

"I've got it. I've been doing some extra sailing lessons this week." She remarked as she took out her credit card. I wanted to groan.

"Not you too." I replied as I grabbed my head. "I don't want to keep mooching off of you guys. Your parents are paying for everything."

"They're parents. They work for us." Rose stated.

"They're your parents." I pointed out.

"They're your parents too." She argued. "That's what the adoption papers say. It's not like you have a way to make money anyway."

At that time, a waiter stormed out of the building.

"Well that's an interesting coincidence." I stated. I just had to convince them to hire me even though I was 16. I decided to go talk to the manager. I was pretty sure that he was a pervert because he was looking at my legs, but he agreed to hire me.

"You're gonna get me free lobster." Rose remarked.

The next day, I was getting ready for work. I was wearing a navy tee and black pants. It felt a little tight, but it wasn't to the point where I couldn't wear it. Rose was with me in the pool house.

"So this works out great for me." She said. "Now I'll have plenty of time to do things that I've wanted to do, like start my novel."

"Because you were doing so good before I got here." I quipped.

"The point is I now have nine hours of me time." She replied. "I can learn Chinese and study Metallica."

There wasn't much to study. If she really wanted to study music, so could listen to the Beatles.

"Are you going to be okay without me?" I questioned.

"Yeah, I have experience being by myself." She stated. I couldn't help but wonder how long it would be before she showed up at the restaurant. I didn't know if it was okay for siblings to show up.

We went into the house and I saw Sandy standing outside of the kitchen. He seemed to be eavesdropping on Kirsten and her lady friends.

"Dad, what are you doing?" Rose asked in concern.

"I'm waiting for them to disperse." He whispered as he hid behind a wall. My briefcase is in there and I need it for work."

"Can you give me a ride?" I questioned as I heard them talking about Jimmy going to jail. I hoped he would be able to get it soon because I didn't want to be late on my first day of work.

When I got to work, I was assigned to a tall brunette named Donna.

"So let me give you the rundown." She declared before she showed me where the trash and plates went, which I probably could have figured out on my own. She also showed me how to deal with drunks.

"How long have you been working here?" I asked.

"Too long." She answered. That really didn't tell me anything. "Everybody here is a freakshow. Welcome to Newport, where things only appear to be casual. Of course, it does have its upsides."

At that point, I saw Summer, Marissa, and Kaitlin walk in. Summer was wearing a bikini top.

"Hi." I greeted them.

"You work here?" Kaitlin asked in disbelief. "I thought you were the same age as me. Do you think that they'll hire me?"

"You could talk to the manager." Donna suggested. "But he is going to be here today."

"How's your dad?" I asked her.

"Not to be interrupt this flirting, but I'm really hungry." Summer declared. I blushed. I was not flirting with her.

"I guess I should take your order." I replied before I started writing things down. There really weren't a lot of things on the menu, so it wasn't that hard to remember. "So do you wanna hang out tonight?"

"I can't." Kaitlin replied. "Marissa and I have to stay home and watch the house."

I supposed they didn't want anyone vandalizing, even though I wasn't sure how be there would help prevent that.

A little bit later in my shift, I couldn't help but notice that Luke came in. I hoped he wouldn't notice me.

"I hate that douche." Donna remarked. "He walks in like he owns the place. I caught him trying to grab my ass before. He comes in like he owns the place. That Abercrombie-wearing jock wouldn't last two minutes in Corona."

"You're from Corona?" I asked in surprise. "I'm from Chino."

"This is a long way from home. That place is no joke." Donna declared. I then noticed Marissa and Luke were talking. I was pretty sure that Summer had dragged Kaitlin to the bathroom. "So, I bet these Newport kids make you sick."

"I don't like to judge people." I remarked before I looked at Kaitlin.

"Okay, you have good taste." Donna replied. I blushed. "I like the surf, the sex, and the tips. I can even show you some real people after work. Just stick close to me, Shorty."

I then noticed Marissa walking out. She forgot her sister. I hoped Summer was going to give her a ride home.

At the end of the day, Donna gave me a share of tips. It would definitely help.

"We usually don't tip trainees, but these tips wouldn't be as good if not for you." She said. "These guys like cute jailbaity as much as they like girls with big tits, though you do have to buy me a beer now?"

I assumed that it was somewhere that wouldn't check IDs.

Donna went to get her jacket and I walked outside where I noticed Rose. I couldn't believe that she had made it through the whole day without coming to see me. I was expecting her hours ago. Maybe she had more to do than I thought she did.

"So, I was in the neighborhood and I checked my watch and saw that you were getting off." She said. I was pretty sure that she was lying. "Maybe we can do something to celebrate your first day on the job.

"I already have plans." I declared before Donna came back.

"You ready to go, Shorty?" She asked.

"This is Donna. She grew up in the town next to mine." I explained. "This is my sister, Rose."

"Sister?" Donna questioned. I hadn't told her about the adoption because it was none of her business. At that time, Rose said something to surprise me.

"Half-sister." She told Donna.

"So there are some people I want you to meet." Donna declared.

"Can she come?" I questioned.

"No, I'm okay. You do your thing." Rose stated. "I'll see you tomorrow.

She looked like she wanted to go, but was too proud to say it.

The next morning, I woke up feeling sore. I hadn't actually done a lot other than drink and I might have made out with someone. I wasn't even sure who. I noticed Rose at the table with a comic. I grabbed some Captain Crunch and poured myself a bowl.

"What are you reading?" I yawned. She just mumbled something.

"So how was last night?" She asked. We then exchanged some one-word sentences.

"You could have come if you wanted." I replied. She could be with some people that didn't know she was transgender. It was nice being able to pass as a girl because then no one would know anything unless I told them.

Later in the day, I wasn't working and Rose and I went to the boardwalk. I couldn't help but notice Kaitlin was wearing a bikini. Maybe I could wear one of those when my boobs came in.

"Hi." I greeted the brunette.

"Hey." She replied. "So, I was wondering if you wanted to come over tonight. Marissa and I still need to be at home, but you can still be there and maybe we can even make dinner."

"That sounds fun." I remarked. "So, did Marissa really leave you at the restaurant yesterday?"

"She did and I'm pissed at her for it." Kaitlin replied.

"So, I'm thinking about getting a bikini soon." I stated.

"You don't have to do that." She said. "It takes girls time to get used to wearing bikinis and are you sure it would fit?"

"I think it would help me fit in better and I have pretty good control down there. I wasn't going to until I started growing more anyway."

I then went into the Lobster Shack and found out that I had an afternoon shift and needed to be there in an hour. That was something that it would have been nice to know ahead of time. I knew I was new, but then still could have told me last night. I supposed it could have been worse. At least I didn't have to work in the morning.

Later, I was finishing shift when Rose walked in.

"So, how do you feel about the IMAX experience?" She asked as I raised my eyebrow. "This town sucks. I was the best I could do. So do you wanna go or not?"

"I can't. I'm hanging out with Kaitlin tonight." I replied.

"So, you finally asked her on a date." Rose replied.

"It's not a date." I argued. At least, I was pretty sure that it wasn't a date.

"Well if it's not a date, she can come with us," Rose reasoned. Normally that would be good reasoning, but not in this case.

"She and Marissa can't leave in case someone tries to vandalize or steal from their house." I pointed out.

"Oh, right, their dad ruined lives." Rose remembered. "Well, have fun,"

"Hey, Donna, I'm heading out." I told my coworker.

"I cannot believe we survived this. I'm still hungover from last night." Donna replied as she handed me my cut. That made it sound like I was selling drugs.

"Hey, Donna, I got an extra ticket to IMAX if you're interested." Rose offered.

"What are you 8? I have a better idea. There's a house party tonight with crazy honeys." Donna explained. "Do you wanna come?"

"Is that cool?" Rose asked her.

"Of course it is." Donna replied. "Just let me get changed."

She then walked away. I then knew I had to talk to her about Donna.

"Rose, she's from a shady neighborhood. I don't know if you can handle that." I told my new sister. "Not to mention, she doesn't really like kids like you."

"So, I'll drive there and park my mom's Range Rover up the street." She replied. "Look, maybe I can hang out with Donna some and we can all be friends and we can all hang out together some time."

I wasn't even sure if I wanted to be friends with her.

"You two coming?" Donna asked as she came out in a skimpy dress.

"We'll go for an hour." I told Rose. I knew it was a bad idea. I texted Kaitlin to tell her I was going to be late.

So, we went to the party. The first thing that I heard was Drake. I really wished that he would just go away. At least The Black-Eyed Peas sounded like they were having a good time. Drake just sound miserable.

If I didn't have experience with parties like this, I would be scared. I was still kind of scared. Rose apparently thought it was the coolest thing ever.

"She's a good dancer." Rose remarked as I noticed one of the girls from last night stripping on a table.

"Yo Chino Girl." Donna called. I hoped that wouldn't become a think. "I want you to meet some of my boys."

I couldn't help but wonder in what way they were her boys.

"We should take her back to the pool house." Rose replied. She couldn't let them know she was rich.

"Don't say pool house." I told her.

A few minutes later, I called Kaitlin.

"So, I kind of got dragged to this party." I explained as Donna rubbed my shoulders, but not in a flirty way. "I just gotta get Rose away from this dancer."

"Dancer?" Kaitlin asked in disbelief.

"It's a very, very long story." I remarked. "I'll be there as soon as I can. See you."

I then went to grab Rose and a few of the girls looked at me with jealousy in their eyes.

"I'm her sister." I replied. I had even changed my name to Cohen.

"Hey, I'm really connecting with this girl." She stated before she started to tell me some of her life story. I just glared at her. "Okay, let's go."

As we were walking out, I couldn't help but hear that someone had crashed a Range Rover. Kirsten was not going to be happy about that. Both of us looked at the car in shock. I texted Kaitlin to let her know I had to cancel.

In the morning, Sandy, Rose and I were looking over the damage to the vehicle and there was a lot of damage to the vehicle

"So, this happened in the parking lot of the IMAX last night?" Sandy asked in disbelief. I wasn't sure why she thought that story would decrease her chance of dying.

"Shark movies bring out a rough crowd." Rose replied.

"Okay. I'll call the insurance, but you're explaining this to your mother tonight." Sandy explained. "I feel sorry for you."

"So, when do you want me to say it?" I questioned.

"Say what?" She questioned. "If it's 'I told you so.', I would prefer you not saying it."

"I'm going to work." I declared. When I got there, I couldn't help but notice Kaitlin in the same uniform as me. She wasn't exactly the person that I wanted to talk to. "Hi. You got the job."

"Yes, but I'm still mad at you." She replied. "If you didn't want to go out with me, you should have said so."

"I didn't even know that you were asking me out on a date, but I really did get sidetracked. Kirsten's car is totaled now." I explained.

"So, you're saying that you would go out with me?" She asked.

"Are you sure that your house is a good place for a first date?" I questioned.

"Good point. We'll do it at your house." She replied. "Tonight and don't try to get out of it. So were you really at a party last night?"

"And I didn't have any fun." I stated.

"Is it hard being a waitress?" She questioned as we went to the back.

"It's really not as hard as I thought it would be." I answered. "I think it has to do with the limited menu. I think the manager only hired us because he thinks we're cute."

"As long as he doesn't do anything, I don't think I'll mind. Any money is good money." She replied.

After dark, Kaitlin was shadowing me. I couldn't believe that they were letting me train her after only two days. Did they really think that I was competent enough to do that?

"So, I went to talk to Kaitlin, but Marissa said that she works here now." Rose stated before she noticed Kaitlin next to me. "Hello, Kaitlin. I'm here to tell you that everything that happened last night was my fault. Please forgive Rhiannon."

"You're a little late with that." I responded.

"You two have already made up. That is good." Rose replied. "Now as an extension of my apology, I'm going to let you two have the house to yourselves tonight."

"Well I'm going to go get ready. I'll see you soon." Kaitlin replied. I would have to figure out what I should wear.

I then noticed that Rose was talking to Donna again. I was really starting to think that the two of them being friends was a bad idea. Rose was too naïve to realize that Donna was someone that she shouldn't be associating with.

"No." I told her.

"You can stop scowling at me." She instructed. "You have a date."

"You're asking for disaster." I pointed out. The last thing that I wanted was to be dragged to another party.

"It's going to be fine." Rose assured. She wasn't that assuring. "Now as I was saying you have a date. Make me proud."

I went home and texted Kaitlin that I needed a few minutes to get changed. I eventually decided on a blue dress with red bandana patterns on it and white cardigan. I told Kaitlin that I was ready and she came over wearing a white tee with a high-waisted pleated black miniskirt and maroon knee socks.

"So, you were right about the job. It wasn't as hard as it looked." She stated. "Now what are we going to eat?"

"I was going to make some burgers." I suggested. "Is that okay with you."

"My mom doesn't like us eating meat." She explained. I frowned before she smiled. "But she's not around."

A few minutes later, I took the burgers off of the Grill.

"So, I've got ketchup, mustard and hot sauce. Do you want anything else?" I questioned.

"No, this is good." She replied. "So, do you think I could get you to make one for Marissa as well. She likes burgers too but never gets to eat them at home."

Sure, I replied before I put the burger on the Grill and we started to eat. She just took it inside of the house.

"Do you wanna get in the pool?" I asked. That stuff about waiting after you eat was really only for swimming laps.

"I didn't know you had a swimsuit." She replied.

"I do and since you know everything, I'm not afraid for you to see me in it." I explained before I went into the pool house. She went home to change into her own.

I wore a pink one-piece with green leaves on it. There wasn't a bulge because I was good at tucking. Kaitlin came over wearing a white bikini top with black palm trees on it and a solid black bottom.

"Wow, you look amazing." She told me.

"Really?" I asked.

"I mean sure you don't have any breasts, but you still look good." She said. "If I didn't know anything, I would just think you hadn't hit puberty yet."

"Well I am going to be starting puberty soon." I said. "Well minus that one thing that girls get."

"Trust me. You don't want that." She said.

At that point, I pushed her into the pool. I then jumped myself.

"You're lucky I like you." She said.

"We need to talk about how you feel about your dad?" I stated.

"I don't know what I'm going to do." She said. "This happened in the middle of cotillion. I don't even know if I'm going to have one if I'm going to have to move or anything. I really just want to enjoy this moment right now."

"I can help you with that." I replied before I went over and kissed her.

At that moment my phone rang. At first I wanted to ignore it, but it kept ringing and I realized that I probably needed to take it. It was Rose. I got out of the pool and answered it.

"Hello?" I answered.

"I think Donna might be crazy." She replied. I already knew that.

"This is kind of a bad time." I replied. I was still wet.

"This is serious." She said. "I need you to take my dad's car and meet me at Holly's."

If I got busted for driving without a license, I was going to be so angry at him. I sighed.

"So, it looks like I'm going to have cut this short." I replied. "Rose just told me that I need to go to Holly's. I think it might be trouble."

"Please be careful." She responded. I dried off quickly and put my dress on over my suit.

As soon as I got there, I noticed Donna was getting into it with Holly. I would need to sever all ties with her.

"I should have known this bitch was a friend of yours." Holly remarked. "How about both of you get out of my house before I call the cops."

"We should really go." Rose replied. I was a little concerned for Holly. Then things escalated when Donna pulled out a gun and pointed it at Holly. People started to run.

"How much do you hate this bitch, Rhiannon?" Donna asked. "How about you, Rose?"

"Well I don't really know her." Rose replied. I knew that I would have to do something. It would be a pretty quick decision. Holly was pleading for her life. I ran over and tackled Donna. It actually worked. I half-expected to fail miserably and fall on my face.

Unfortunately, the gun had gone off. Holly hadn't been hit, but Luke had. Some guys grabbed Donna. Hopefully they would be able to hold her until the cops showed up.

"No one touch the gun." I declared. We didn't need anyone else's fingerprints to get on it.

"Someone call an ambulance!" Summer shouted.

"Stay with me, Luke." I replied. "You're going to be okay. Just stay with me for now."

Once I got to the hospital, I called Kaitlin to tell her what happened. Rose was talking to a cop while I filled Kaitlin in. I already told her that she should tell Marissa.

After I was done, Rose and I headed to the waiting room.

"Don't say it." She warned me. "You were right about her."

"If you want a job, I imagine there will be an opening." I declared.

"I'd rather work on the novel. This would make a good chapter." She told me.

At that point, Marissa showed up she looked particularly worried for someone that she had broken up with.

"He's okay. He's with his parents." I explained.

"Was this girl a friend of yours?" Marissa asked. Why did everyone assume that I was friends with her?

"She was a co-worker." I explained. It was hard to believe that she would keep her job.

"I'm gonna go see him." Marissa declared before she headed up.

"So, I think it would be a good idea for us to stick together because I seem to make stupid decisions when I'm not with you." She replied.

"That's what sisters are for." I replied. We didn't hug, but it still felt good to say.