Author Notes: This is CMR Rosa bringing a new story. This story was developed by me and my co-writer, wumblebum arts. This is a fanfiction of animated youtube videos I Was Abandoned Because I'm Too Ugly and My Sister Is Jealous Because I'm Prettier Than Her, from the Youtube channel Share My Story.

The protagonist of I Was Abandoned Because I'm Too Ugly, who I and wumblebum named Eva, grew up on a poor farm with her parents and sister. Eva's father walked out on his family, and her mother could not afford to raise two daughters, she had to choose between them, and she chose her sister. The mother explains to Eva that she chose her because she is ugly, and her sister was more likely to get married when she was older. The mother and sister left, and Eva had to survive on her own.

The protagonist of My Sister Is Jealous Because I'm Prettier Than Her, who I and wumblebum named Sara also grew up on a poor farm with her parents and sister. The family can barely grow food and have to starvation and get used to going without food for more than a week. Eventually, Sara's mother, who always told her how pretty she was, took Sara to the city to visit a model agency. Sara got a job there and earned enough money to support her family, earning a thousand dollars a month. However, Sara had problems with her mother favoring her over her sister and how her once close sister became jealous of her.

I thought how similar these stories were; both videos are about a family in another country living in poverty; the parents have two daughters, and they favor one daughter over the other because they are more pretty. And eventually, they abandoned the child they viewed as ugly. The difference between these stories is that I Was Abandoned Because I'm Too Ugly is about the unfavorite daughter, while, My Sister Is Jealous Because I'm Prettier Than Her is about the favorite daughter. I just thought, what if those two characters met and this story was born.

I know that there is no fanfiction based on animated YouTube videos, so I thought I would be the first to make a fanfiction base on a YouTube animated video. I know that most of those stories are fake, but I like them so much that I decide with wumblebum to make a few stories about them. I hope I inspire people to make fanfiction based on these YouTube animated stories.

Disclaimer: I Was Abandoned Because I'm Too Ugly and My Sister Is Jealous Because I'm Prettier Than Her is owned by the YouTube channel Share My Story. This story is for fun.

It had been over a year since Sara had last heard from her sister. How long exactly, she couldn't think about without worsening the anxiety. Every day it felt like time was slowly running out on some invisible timer.

She had wasted a year focusing on her own career and avoiding the problem, but these last six months, Selena had been her top priority. Getting in touch with her sister's old friends wasn't easy. Many of them had scattered; some were even transient. There was one person she'd been able to find early on - Maria, a young woman who had been Selena's closest friend.

Visiting Maria months ago filled with hope, she had found out that the two of them didn't actually talk that much anymore - she'd been surprised to see Sara but very glad because she didn't know exactly where her best friend was either.

Still, she told her as much as she knew; Selena had come to live with her for a while, having nowhere else safe to go. However, Maria's parents had grown impatient with Selena's use of drugs and had done their best to tolerate it before kicking her out, much to their daughter's dismay.

All she knew about Selena's movements after leaving was that she went to stay with some guy named Wade. Wade had a reputation around the city for being a drug dealer who wasn't afraid to get violent.

Hearing this had caused an intense pang of fear in Sara's heart, and she had asked if Maria knew anything else about the guy. Sadly she hadn't even known his last name, let alone where he lived.

It was a start - a lead, at the very least. Still, it cemented the anxiety in her mind that her sister was in an unsafe situation.

She stepped off the bus, having ridden listlessly around town for a while. She had spent yet another day chasing down the lead to no avail. For a second, all she could do was stand there as sadness and exhaustion started seeping into her body. She had been holding it in on the bus. Well, in reality, she had been holding it in for a long time. It was hard to say how long she had been this tired and scared.

There was a bench nearby, good enough of a place to sit down and let herself cry. As soon as her body was settled on the seat, she could feel her tears welling up, and before long, she was sobbing into her hands.

Her mind raced with possibilities. Selena could be in serious danger. What if this Wade guy abused or exploited her by forcing her to help him with risky criminal things? He was the kind of person who could really hurt her sister. What kinds of horrible things were happening to her that Sara hadn't been able to protect her from?

All she could think about was what a lousy sister she had been for not being able to look out for Selena. She'd never been able to help her like she should have, especially in the past when she was too young and powerless. Selena had been in pain for a long time, enough that she had turned to drugs for comfort. She was a vulnerable person and needed her sister now more than ever.

Selena could be in mortal danger. She could feel her head starting to hurt with the weight of her spiraling thoughts. It was all too much for her right now. All she could muster was to cry, tears starting to spill past her hands and onto her soft pink designer skirt in droplets that darkened the fabric.

Then she heard a voice. Not a familiar voice, but one that was calling out. The voice was close enough that she could deduce the person was probably talking to her - a woman's gentle voice.

She wiped her eyes and tried to steady her breathing, looking up at the lady standing right in front of her.

"Hey, what's wrong? Do you need help?"

An oddly warm and friendly-looking woman in her late 30s was standing there. For some odd reason, she felt like she could trust her.

"I just saw you crying all alone. What's got you so upset?"

Sara was a bit embarrassed, suddenly feeling a bit too seen.

"It's, uhh, complicated." She said, hesitant. "You sure you want to know?"

The woman simply nodded. "I know 'complicated' very well, believe me. Maybe I can help you out? I'm Eva, by the way."

"Oh, right! I'm Sara."

She wasn't sure why a total stranger wanted to hear her problems, but it would sure be nice to vent to somebody right now.

"Do you really want to hear me out? We're strangers."

Eva nodded again. "I have a good feeling about you. You seem like you need a good listener right now, and I'm an expert listener. Besides, I was a sad young girl all by myself once."

The older woman was just as sweet and warm as she looked, and Sara couldn't help but smile despite her distress.

"I wish someone had reached out to me when I was young, so I will be the person that I wish had been there for me."

"Wow. Thanks, Eva." She looked down at her shoes for a second. "I'm… dealing with a missing person. My sister."

Eva took in her words and thought for a second. "That does sound complicated. Do you want to talk somewhere more comfortable? There's a cafe nearby."

"Oh. Sure!"

Sara was desperate, and right now, this strange woman was like a ray of sunshine after a storm. They walked together to the cafe on the corner. Sara dragged behind her a little bit. She was truly worn out mentally. Eva held the door open and ushered her in, and they took a table by the window.

The place was really cozy, with cute wooden tables and plush chairs. It was definitely a better place to talk than a bench.

Sara felt the need to make a kind gesture - this woman was already doing much for her. "Do you want me to get coffee and food? I can afford it."

The older woman shook her head and smiled. "It's on the house, Sara. This is my cafe."

"This is yours? Wow."

"Mmhmm, it's my own little family business. I'm quite proud."

Eva put a hand to her mouth in surprise. "You should be! This place is great. Okay, I'll have a mocha… and maybe some of that cake; it looks good."

Nipping over to the counter, Eva briefly chatted with the chipper young barista and returned.

"Alright, that should be coming right over soon." She sank back into her chair. "You know, I had a sister too. She was a pretty girl just like you… I lost contact with her quite a while ago."

Sara's eyes widened. "Wow. That's oddly close to my situation."

"Yeah." There was a wistful look in her eyes. "So I might be able to understand your situation."

Sara nodded slowly and got more comfortable in her seat for a second.

"Sure. Yeah. I'll start from the top if that's okay."

Eva put her thumbs up and waited patiently for Sara to tell her story.

"So my family was really poor growing up on this farm where we had a lot of droughts - we had to collect rainwater in containers, and one time there were a bunch of mosquito larvae on the water, and my dad tried to get us to eat it because we didn't have much food! I would rather starve than eat that stuff. I had to go without food for a week sometimes. Things were really hard, you know? I even had classmates at my primary school who died from drinking dirty water and getting sick. We could barely feed our farm animals at times. My mother - she's called Lisa - has always played favorites with my sister, who is named Selena, and me, too, based on our looks. My mom always told me I was pretty. The favoritism got worse the older me and sister got. My father, Adrien, died when I was about 12 years old. I don't even remember my family talking about it. My mother was more worried about the loss of income, which was a bit cold, but I guess poverty does that to people… I ended up getting pushed into the role of breadwinner instead. She basically saw me as the only 'valuable asset' the family had to make money."

Eva's eyebrows raised with concern. "Sorry to hear about your father. You think your mother might have become colder because she didn't deal with his death well?"

"Possibly, I guess. I didn't realize it at first, but sometimes it did seem like she was taking her anger out by being harsh on us. My mother took me to the city that very year to put me to work with the modeling agency. They took me on - ironically enough, I was so skinny from being poor that they said I would make a great model. It all happened too fast. The money was amazing. It was amazing to be able to eat, considering the famine going on in the countryside - I was happy to be alive and not dying of starvation. Like, I felt good about providing for my family, but I hated the favoritism. It really screwed with my sister's head, and to make things worse, I had no idea how to react because I was also young and immature...

"Like, for example, our mother ruined her birthday once. I was about 14 at the time and had a photo shoot, so she told Selena to skip school to help with my makeup, which was pretty unfair. She started to cry because, well, she was missing out on her life. We'd been drifting apart for a while because I was always too busy to spend time with her. Still, I tried to be a good sister. I tried to ask her what was wrong, but she was too overwhelmed, and she ended up pushing me. I fell over so badly that I hit my head and got slightly concussed. I was so mad that I believed she was being ungrateful; my mother always called her ungrateful, see. Then I remembered it was Selena's birthday! I had been so busy all the time that I'd lost track. I thought our mom had just forgotten, so I tried reminding her, but she said she didn't care - she literally thought my photoshoot was more important than Selena's birthday!"

There was a slightly saddened, empathetic look on Eva's face.

"Anyway, so I decided to try and fix things. After bugging my mom about it for probably a whole hour, I got her a birthday cake to try and celebrate - and that's when our mother totally ruined it even more. She said it was fine for Selena to eat cake because she was 'fat anyways' and that I shouldn't eat any so I could stay thin and pretty. She said there was 'no way Selena could get uglier,' and of course, Selena ran off in tears. It was awful. I tried to comfort her again, but she kept turning away from me and telling me she hated me. She told me to tell her the truth - that she was ugly. I refused and told her I could never see her as ugly, but she just kept pressuring me as if I was lying. I panicked and told her what she wanted to hear. Then she thanked me for my 'honesty' and said since her life was already ruined, she'd ruin mine too. Looking back, she was only talking that way because of how our mom treated her, but I didn't understand at the time. She started to pull horrible tricks on me - she locked me in the bathroom to make me late for a shoot and started waking me up at night so that I would look all tired… One time she put laxatives in my breakfast, so I was constantly running to the bathroom. Things were getting bad, but I didn't know how to make the situation better."

Eva nodded her head silently. "Of course. You were both just kids."

"Yeah, well… I still wanted to reconcile. I tried getting her a gift - an iPhone because she always wanted one. I told her I knew she probably hated me, but I felt she deserved a present. Selena was still mad at me, though, and she took the phone along with mine to pawn it for some quick money! I didn't know what to do other than tell our mom, and she immediately stormed into Selena's room. She was just screaming and yelling about what a 'bastard' she was and how she would throw her out if she misbehaved again. She told her she contributed nothing, that she should obey me no matter what, buying me groceries or wiping my ass. Looking back, it was brutal stuff. Selena didn't even fight back. She just said yes, all solemnly.

"Our rivalry got worse from there. I started picking on her as revenge. I made her clean my room for stealing my iPhone, treating her like a maid. I was laughing at her while she cleaned up, too. At one point, she was on her knees cleaning something up, and I thought it would be funny to sit on her like a horse. It wasn't funny at all; it was incredibly mean, but at the time, I was just acting like a spiteful child. I didn't end up doing it, thank goodness. She started to get really depressed, so we eventually stopped messing with each other but still… Things were not quite the same after that. We got cold on each other. I tried to be civil, but it felt like things were messed up, and it was my fault."

Eva cooed to her as she noticed how wet her eyes were getting. "Sara, no. You were very young. You couldn't be blamed for your mother turning you against each other. She was the adult in that situation."

"Yeah." Sara nodded, blinking her tears back. "Maybe we just didn't know how to handle conflict because she never taught us."

"Precisely." Eva leaned forward. "You were children, and your mother put you in that position. Don't be too harsh on yourself."

"Thanks. I kinda struggle with guilt nowadays, but I hope I can make up for it by being kind to her and helping her."

"It's okay to have complicated feelings about this. It's a complicated situation." Eva explained. "You see, regretting past behavior is totally normal. It just shows that you're becoming a kinder person as you grow up."

"Wow. I never thought of it that way."

Eva shrugged. "Think of this, too. If you regret how bad your relationship was, that means you really love her. It means there's hope for you guys."

As she said that, the barista arrived with a tray. Two cute round mugs full of fragrant coffee sat on top, as well as a generous slice of cake and a delightfully fresh-looking sandwich. Eva took her coffee and sandwich before giving Sara her own drink and a slice of cake.

"Wow. It looks delicious… But it's a big slice." Sara stared awkwardly at her plate. "I don't know if I should eat such a big slice; I'm a model."

Eva gestured dismissively. "Hey. You deserve to have a treat now and then. I insist that you eat as much as you want."

An odd warmth bloomed in Sara's body when she said that. When was the last time an older woman had said something so comforting? Her mother had never been this warm.

"Thanks." She smiled widely as she took a sip of her mocha. "Ooh, that's very nice."

"Glad you like it."

"Uhm, should I carry on with my story?"

Eva cleared her throat and put on her serious, listening face again. "Sure."

"Okay, well… Things got worse when I was 16 - well, better and then worse. What happened was I landed this great fashion campaign when I was 16. I'm talking about two days of shoots and a whole 50k. It was enough for us to get a new apartment with two bedrooms. I remember being excited to share a room with my sister because we'd been slowly growing closer again. It really felt like life was looking up for once. We talked to each other and got along - both of us were thrilled. Then we arrived at the new apartment, and my mother suddenly sprung this on us; she decided to force Selena to sleep in this old storage room that she called 'the maid's room.' It was more like a closet than a bedroom, with no window. She didn't even get a bedframe for her mattress, and the place had spiders all over the room. It was inhumane! I kinda wish I'd been able to convince her to change her mind - I wish I'd had the guts to tell her that I would never let my sister sleep in those conditions. It's one of my biggest regrets, but I was just terrified of our mom. To be totally honest, she could be terrifying when she got like that, and I was paralyzed by the shock of it."

She gave a heavy sigh as she geared herself up for the next part.

"Then she started coming home in a weird state. Like, it was obvious she was on something. She'd started using some hard drugs, and that scared the hell out of me - especially because of just how sad she looked, coming home like that and going off to her tiny box room. It hurt my heart. Being forced to sleep in there had destroyed all the excitement she'd had about moving. She'd totally spiraled. I couldn't believe what our mother had done to her. She's seriously crushed her spirit and hope. The lovely sweet girl who had defended me against bullies before had turned into a depressed drug addict - she had turned into a junkie, and nobody had tried to help her."

"Oh, that's awful." Eva frowned, very disturbed on Selena's behalf. "It's just terrible what Lisa did, taking away her own daughter's hope - not to mention her dignity, making her sleep in a tiny closet. That's cruel. You did your best to fix the relationship, and she ruined it."

"Well, maybe if I'd been able to–"

"No, no. Sara, you were just a teenager. Not many teens can stand up to their parents so easily." Eva shook her head.

"Thanks… It weighs heavy on me, though." Sara sighed. "I know that logically you're right, but it makes me anxious. I think I just struggle with guilt a lot in general."

Eva nodded. "I totally understand. Does it feel any better now you're getting it off your chest?"

"Well, I'm not quite sure yet." Sara got back to eating her cake and drinking her coffee while they talked. "Still, let's keep trying."

Raising her sandwich to take a bite, Eva listened quietly.

"The time I finally learned that my mother truly hated Selena was quite the wake-up call. I had seen Selena's drug problems go on for a while and decided to confront Mom about it. I figured it was better late than never. I told her that Selena was getting very unwell sleeping in that tiny room and was using drugs to cope. I said it straight up. We had to go to a doctor and everything, where Mom made her get tested. She came up positive - the worst one was fentanyl. It was really sad to see her like that, but I thought she'd finally be getting help. I asked Mom what we were going to do to help Selena. Do you know what my mom said? She said she had 'misbehaved' again and told her to leave the apartment and never come back. Well, I put my foot down. I told her I'd had enough of this, and I wanted Selena to stay because I made the money in the family. I said I should be allowed to use my money to help Selena.

"So she was all flippant about it, saying it was fine, but she wouldn't bother helping, and Selena would be my problem. I wanted to prove her wrong about my sister, but I didn't know how to actually help. I could have tried to get her therapy or even rehab, but I was just a teenager, so I didn't really know how to get that stuff sorted out. My mom knew that. She was counting on it. Selena got worse and started stealing stuff from us. She stole my phone again, too - and I'd just gotten a cute boy's number! Mom got really smug about it. She claimed the only solution was to drop Selena altogether. I didn't know how to argue with her anymore, so I just let it happen. She'd defeated me, in a way. Our rental contract was expiring, so Mom found a new place and purposely didn't tell Selena. She sent her out to do errands and called the moving company while she was out. We moved in secret. I really didn't want to, but she insisted. Then we were unpacking at the new place, and I found Selena's clothes in a box. I was seriously confused; then Mom said she was 'teaching the brat a lesson. That's what made it click for me. Her own daughter was struggling with drugs, but she had zero compassion."

She barely got the last phrase out as she started welling up with tears.

"I tried to stand up for her, but it was too late. I wish she'd never been put in that awful room. I feel like I failed her. She protected me from bullies when we were little, and I couldn't even help her when she became an addict. I tried to distract myself by focusing on my career for a while, but it only made me more exhausted, and the guilt started eating me up. I started having nightmares about the bad things that might happen to her - her ending up dead somehow and me not being able to help her. I just turned 18 not long ago, and I've been looking for her. I learned from her old friend Maria that after living with her for a bit, she got kicked out for drug use and ended up living with some violent drug dealer. I'm not even sure if she's still alive. I've been feeling really guilty for letting Mom kick her out."

Eva's warm hand landed softly on top of hers.

"Sara, you can't change the past." She said her voice like honey. "You really tried to help your sister, but your mother tricked you into letting her abandon the poor girl. It's a rotten thing for a mom to do. You can still help Selena - it's not too late."

"Th-thank you." Sara sobbed, wiping her eyes with a napkin. "I think that I still truly love my sister even if I hated her at the time. Family relationships can be complicated, right? I just can't believe I let it happen over the missing phone thing. A phone and a guy - it was just a dumb excuse. I got back in touch with him at work anyway, so it didn't matter. I was stressed and overworked, and I guess I just gave up and let my mother win. I never even dated the guy, but we're friends now, I suppose."

"Sara…" Eva rubbed her hand soothingly, grounding her.

"Thanks so much for listening. You really are good at it." Sara steadied her breath, her eyes finally staying dry. "I might only be 18, but sometimes I feel like I've already been through too much; is that weird?"

"Not at all." Eva chuckled. "I've felt that way too. I think it's common in people who've had stressful childhoods; we end up mentally exhausted."

"Yeah. I certainly am a bit mentally exhausted." She nodded, picking up on the older woman's specific phrasing. "I guess I was given a lot of responsibility as a kid. I'm proud and all, but I am quite tired."

"Of course. Stressed out kids grow into adults who are burned out mentally." Eva ran her fingers through her hair and sipped her coffee. "Still, I healed and got my sparkle back. Maybe you and your sister can do it too."

"Thanks. I hope so." Sara breathed a sigh of relief as she'd finally gotten it all out in the open. "What about you? I'm curious about you if that's okay."

Eva smiled. "Well, you were open about your story. I guess I could tell you about myself too."

Sara poised herself to listen, cradling her coffee in her hands as Eva started to explain where it all began.

"You see, I was also a poor kid born on a farm. I was abandoned at quite a young age. It all started when my father walked out on us after having a big fight with my mom. I remember him saying something like, 'Fine, if I'm such an awful dad for not loving my daughter enough, then I should just leave. They had only been teenagers when they had my sister and me, so they really weren't equipped to be parents. Without my dad around, my mother, Irene, really couldn't afford to look after both me and my sister Ella. She was put in an awkward spot because she had to pick between us. She ended up picking Ella because she was prettiest and 'most likely to get married apparently."

Sara frowned. "Oh, that's terrible."

"Yeah. The trauma of being so poor can make people act pretty cold. It's probably where your mother got it too… But you know what really hurt? Seeing Ella cry when Mom broke the news. It shattered my heart. I'd never seen her so upset. I was nine years old and was left behind on the old farm alone in the hut. I was alone with my thoughts. All I could think about was how Mom had picked Ella because she was prettier. I was too young to comprehend any of it, so I blamed myself for not being pretty enough. I felt really unlovable."

"Oh, no. That's terrible." Sara gasped. "I'm so sorry."

Eva felt Sara's hand cover hers and was grateful for the grounding presence. "I spent a while just lying in my bed crying about how ugly I felt; I even wanted to die at one point. I really did. Then I got hungry enough that I felt a burst of motivation and managed to finally leave. I wandered through the jungle for some time and barely made it to the next farm over. There was another family there - a couple with their own two daughters. They were able to take me in for a while so long as I helped out on the farm so they could send one of their girls to school. It wasn't bad staying with them; if I woke up an hour early every day, I could borrow some school books and study. They treated me well enough and were never too hard on me. I couldn't go to school, but this was at least something. After some time living with them, I realized that it wasn't my fault I was abandoned. I realized that this family would never abandon their children - I started to feel pretty spiteful towards my mom. The spite wasn't a bad thing, though. I used it to motivate myself to keep studying. I wanted to prove my mother wrong by finding a job.

"It didn't last that long, though. The older sister was really jealous of her little sister for being able to attend school. She got her sister's school books wet and tried to blame it on me, so I confronted her about it. She stole some money from her parents and bribed me into leaving, saying this was her family and I should just 'fuck off. I was about 12 at that point. She told me to go find an orphanage to live in, but that would be tough to do on my own. Still, I had her parents' stolen money now. I had to go. There was enough money to travel to the city and to feed myself for a few weeks. Besides, I knew my family was probably in that city as well. It was for the best that I got out of that dump eventually. I had mixed feelings. It was nice to have a stable home, but I also wanted more out of life. I wanted to get a good job and prove myself."

Sara squeezed her hand as she saw a pang of sadness in her eyes. "It must have been hard to have to leave two homes in a row."

"It was. I felt abandoned all over again. Still, I just about managed to get to the city using public transport… I just about made it. "

"You were such a brave young girl, traveling all by yourself." Sara patted her hand. "First through the jungle all by yourself, then into the city."

"Thanks. It really was scary. Then, when I got to the children's home, I was still scared - especially of some of the boys. I tried to talk to the receptionist, and she just laughed at me. She said I wasn't pretty enough to worry about boys picking on me, and I'd be lucky if they noticed me at all."

Sara gasped. "That's inhumane. I can't believe she said that to you."

"It was." Eva closed her eyes and shook her head at the memory. "It's shocking how young girls are treated sometimes. I toughed it out, stayed in that children's home despite everything - it was harrowing, but I did it. The other kids really did ignore me, just like the receptionist said. I hate saying this, but she was probably right. Still, it was a blessing in disguise to be left alone. I caught up on my education even though I hadn't gone to school. I knew I needed to specialize in something to get a job, so I chose English and got my speaking skills honed enough that I could work as a tour guide. I only made about $10 a month, but I earned extra money teaching private cooking classes to the people I took on tours. I worked my ass off. I was able to rent my own small room before I even turned 20. I don't know how I managed, but I did it. Even without a family to support me, I became who I am today."

Sara looked at her in open awe and admiration until she finally spoke. "That must have been exhausting."

"I was exhausted, yeah. I was tired. There was pride there, but only because I believed my mother would finally accept me." Eva gave a wistful sigh. "I just really didn't want to give up - I needed to prove my mother wrong. I needed to prove all the cruel people wrong. It sounds intense, but sometimes being angry at those who hurt you can be a strong motivator. I hoped they'd regret abandoning me. I resented my mother for doing it, but I wanted to know if she felt any remorse."

"Well… Did she?" Sara asked nervously, but she felt like she already knew the answer.

Eva shook her head again. "After I got my apartment, I wanted to show them what I'd accomplished, so I searched the city for many months and found them. I had to call different Universities to find out where my sister was studying; then, I had to follow her home from class. I finally found their place, and my father was back with them again. They weren't happy to see me at all. Their apartment was bigger and nicer than mine, too. I said hello to my father, and he just looked annoyed. My mother had this ashamed look on her face - ashamed of her mistake, or maybe even of me, I don,t know. They wouldn't let me see Ella telling me she is not here and it was better if I just go away. I was devastated."

"Oh, no." The younger woman rubbed the back of her hand again.

"Yeah… I had to accept then and there that they didn't want me. My father had left, only to return once I was gone. I used to think he'd just left in the heat of a fight, but at the time, he'd said he couldn't love his daughter. It kind of dawned on me that he was talking about me back then - as soon as I was gone, he took both of them back. I realized my family didn't want me, no matter how much I tried. I proved them wrong, but they would never take me back."

"I'm so sorry. That must have been awful." Sara leaned in closer and looked her in the eyes. "They were too shallow to realize how awesome you are."

"Thanks. It really was awful." There was a little glint in her eyes like she might cry. She just about managed not to. "It means a lot coming from you. You're awesome, too, you know that?"

For a second, they just enjoyed each other's warmth, Sara's hand on Eva's as they shared their burdens.

"I was distraught for quite some time. I cried a bunch." She finally continued. "I thought about contacting my sister again, but I didn't want to face my parents. I was already tired of the drama, but I still hoped every day that she was happy. I love her a lot, but I am anxious that she's adopted a negative opinion of me from our parents. She probably hates me. I dunno; I guess I just don't have the strength to handle the thought of her hating me when we used to be so close. I had to pick myself back up again, all alone.

"I had been victimized a lot, but I refused to be victimized again. I'm a survivor, and I don't ever want to be mistreated that way again. I sometimes struggle with self-pity, but I don't want my family's cruelty to ruin my life. I let myself feel the anger, the sadness, and the regret - then I focus that energy on living life with my lovely husband and son. Not seeing my parents is for the best. I miss my sister, but I've made up my mind. I'm 39 years old, so I can't just keep living in the past. I have my husband, George, and our wonderful son Ethan - a whole new family who truly loves me. George helped me set up this cafe and has been nothing but supportive. I'm truly happy now."

"I'm really glad." Sara smiled widely at her, moved deeply by her story. Her eyes were also getting wet. "You're seriously inspiring. I would love to be as strong as you are. I mean, we both managed to work our way out of poverty. We've both been exhausted because of it."

"Yeah. We're quite alike, aren't we? We came from dark beginnings but have blossomed in our potential." Eva smiled back and picked up her coffee cup. "I'm not surprised you've become so successful as a model. It's pretty impressive - a real 'rags to riches' story."

Sara hesitated for a second, a vulnerable look on her face. "I dunno. I'm touched and all, but sometimes I feel bad for making money on my looks alone. I mean, you have probably had it worse than me, right? You are really amazing; you built up your business from the ground up with your own strength… I just pose and put clothes on."

"No. Don't ever put yourself down." Eva shook her head, immediately dismissing the thought. "You are remarkably strong. I might not know that much about modeling, but I know it's not easy. In the world we live in, no job is. All the dieting and exercise alone are enough to drive people crazy. It's a tough gig. Plus, I bet those photoshoots are mentally draining; all those bright lights and all the stress… Don't let anyone convince you there's jobs more noble than the next. We're all working hard to survive in this world. Everyone has to work hard - well, except the super-rich, I guess."

"You know what - you're right." She blinked hard. "Yeah. I never thought of it that way. I guess every job is a little rough. It's all labor. I'm really glad I met you because you're seriously smart, and on top of that, we have things in common."

Eva finished her coffee and set the cup down with a cheeky smile. "There's something really cathartic about bonding over crappy parents, huh?"

"Yeah." Sara finished hers and leaned into her chair to smile back. "So, who do you think is the most evil, your father Julian or my mom Lisa?"

The question was undeniably silly, and Eva couldn't help but laugh. "You're quite witty; you know that? Well, I dunno how I'd answer that. They're both gross."

"I know, right?" She laughed, too. "It's like asking someone which pile of garbage they think is more appealing."

The image alone was enough to make both of them laugh again, and there was the distinct feeling they had really bonded here in this moment.

"You know, you've got it figured out with your parents, but… My feelings towards mine are complicated." Sara mused. "Like, I know they were poor, but I wish I didn't have to start working at 12 years old… My dad did his best, and it's not his fault he died. I still don't know how to feel about my mom. She makes me sick because of the way she treated Selena, and sometimes I wonder if she even loves me or if it's just favoritism for my looks. I wonder all the time if she'd have kicked me out, too, if I didn't make money as a model. Still, I'm so used to having her around that I don't know how to deal with the thought of dropping her. It's a really tough choice to make."

"I understand." Eva nodded. "It's a tough position to be in. Your mother is just one of many parents who play favorites with their kids, just like my parents did. Sadly in our cases, it was taken to an abusive level and became life-threatening. I've talked to therapists and psychologists and learned that some parents would have a 'golden child' and a 'scapegoat' - that's what happened with our families. It's hard to make a decision when it comes to things like that. I don't know what their inner reasons are, not entirely, but I do know that treating kids that way isn't acceptable."

"Yeah, you're totally right… Well, I guess I'll just focus on helping Selena for now, and I'll deal with our mom later."

Eva stared into her empty cup for a second. "You know, it's messed up how far poor families often have to go just to survive. It must have been awfully stressful to start working at such a young age."

"It used to be easier when Selena used to protect me from bullies… and when we were getting along, we were a hell of a duo. I feel awful about turning on each other because of our mom's influence."

"You still love Selena, and I bet she still loves you too deep inside."

"I hope so." Sara felt her eyes well up again. "I know she's a bitter person right now, but I don't blame her. I want my lovely big sister back. She has a drug problem; she's in with a bad crowd - that's not who she really is. I want to help her and give her some hope. She was a really nice girl who used to protect me, but when our mother started treating her worse, she really deteriorated and turned to drugs to feel somewhat at peace and in control. I understand that now."

Eva put a hand on her shoulder as she sobbed. "You're a very brave young woman. You've taken the initiative to try and mend the relationship, and that takes a lot of strength. I'll help you any way I can - I never got to fix things with my sister, but maybe you can."

"I know we just met," Sara mumbled between her sobs. "But I feel like we could be great friends."

"Yeah."

It felt amazing to be listened to by an older woman in her life and not just to be pressured and emotionally neglected. This whole thing was seriously intense, in a good way.

"Are you feeling a bit better now?"

Sara dried her eyes and let out a deep, determined breath. "I'm ready to make this right."