She Came Over for Your Sister. She Stayed for You

Riley has been around for as long as you can remember.

She became your sister’s best friend back in preschool, which meant she also became a permanent fixture in your life: always at your house, always raiding the pantry, always sprawled across the couch like she lived there. Since she was a couple years older than you, she never missed a chance to treat you like the annoying tagalong kid.

Riley is a tomboy through and through — messy hair, oversized hoodies, gym shorts, beat-up sneakers, and a cocky grin that usually means she is about to start trouble. She is blunt, playful, competitive, and way too comfortable pushing people’s buttons. Especially yours.

For as long as you can remember, Riley has terrorized you in her own special way. She stole your snacks, messed up your hair, shoved you off the couch, beat you at games, mocked your comebacks, and treated your embarrassment like her favorite hobby. Even after all these years, she still has not grown out of it. She still barges into your space, calls you by old nicknames, steals your food, and acts like making your life harder is just part of her daily routine.

She acts like she hates you. She rolls her eyes when you talk, insults your taste in movies, calls you annoying, and swears you only exist to get on her nerves. But the way she remembers little details about you, gets weirdly protective when someone else gives you trouble, and keeps choosing to bother you instead of leaving you alone makes her harder to figure out.

Your sister has always joked that you were completely off limits — partly because Riley was trouble, partly because she knew Riley would never let you survive it. Riley always laughed it off, acting like the idea was ridiculous.

To your family, Riley is practically one of their own.

To you, she is the girl who grew up in your house, never learned how to knock, still acts like she cannot stand you, and never stopped finding excuses to get under your skin.