A/N: If you see forum formatting, don't hesitate to tell me…nicely.

Disclaimer: I don't own My Candy Love.

Chapter 1—Broken Puzzle Pieces

Saturday, September 5

My life might have just fallen apart.

I'd hate to be a martyr (the modern day version, at least) but I honestly have just moved onto Snob Hill. West Madison Road looks like a nightmare in itself; every home looks like it belongs in Beverly Hills, every car is worth more than 40,000 dollars, every front yard has been featured in Home and Garden, and every resident is rich. In addition every resident has connections to those who are rich, those who are famous, and those who are rich and famous.

I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb.

When my Dad's Chevy Silverado pulled into our new driveway my jaw barely remained hinged on to my skull. This house was beyond enormous; it was colossal, titanic, monstrous. There were two balconies on the front and who knew how many on the back—the double doors were accessible only after you had climbed a multitude of steps that looked like the equivalent of a stadium mile. It was a Villa-style house that may or may not have been more than three stories, with an intricate garden on either side of the skyrocketing stairs and a huge expanse of front yard, a dusty path leading to the turn-about in front of the four garages.

"Home sweet home," Dad lamented cheerily. He unbuckled the strap around his waist just as the front door to the house swung open and a woman stepped out. My new step-mom.

I stayed there for a moment as he strode with a confident gait towards the woman descending the staircase to meet him, clutching my adidas duffel bag tightly. In the back of the truck our suitcases were strapped down, the overstuffed remains peeking over the bottom border of the window behind me. I gulped loudly.

While Nickelback was blasting in my right ear, I hesitantly opened the door and clambered out of the car. As soon as I had closed the door, I noticed the volleyball net that had been pitched up on the lawn and the two girls sitting on it, huddled together as they observed my Dad from afar. Truthfully I didn't feel like drawing their attention, and getting back in the truck occurred to me as a bizarre idea. So I stood there awkwardly and waited for something to happen, like I usually do.

This time it didn't seem like such a smart thing to do—the girls had turned their hawk-like gazes on me. There was a blonde there wearing a tinny white shorts and a tight floral-print camisole with strappy pink sandals, and a dark haired girl with a pretty Asian face wearing slightly less-cute burgundy sandals with capris and a white blouse. They both gazed haughtily in my direction.

Wonderful. I ducked my head and paced myself, ignoring them and walking over to where my Dad was. I actually had seen them before, at my Dad and Cadence's wedding—they were bridesmaids with Charlotte and me. And they were rotten.

As I approached Dad I managed to see him lean down and kiss Charlotte's mom lightly on the lips. I reminded myself not to cringe but unsuccessfully attempted to repress the annoyed twitch of my eyebrow. He put a hand on my shoulder afterward and smiled lovingly at her. "I'm sure this is going to be a wonderful arrangement, Cadence," he said, shaking me lightheartedly. I was suddenly crushed by depressing thoughts. He hadn't done that since my mother had died. He must be happy.

Too bad we had never had the same interests.

She gave me a kind look—contrary to her daughter's friends and, occasionally, her daughter—and squeezed my hand gently. "I hope you like it here, Adelaide. It's going to be fun, I promise."

If only I had known.

"Mom," Charlotte's voice rang out from behind Cadence. "Where is my Spiker outdoor volleyball?"

Cadence turned to face her daughter, Charlotte, who was almost as ridiculously beautiful as Amber, the blonde sitting in the grass. Her brown hair was pulled away from her face and small, shiny adornments below her eyebrow caught the ceaseless sunlight of late summer, making her look eccentric (which was definitely not her style). A strapless sundress twirled around her legs as she walked.

"I wouldn't know, honey, I haven't seen it since that dog came ravaging about here the other day."

The blood washed away from my face. Did she not know about Beau?

"Oh, that reminds me," Dad started, "we need to pick up some kibble, we didn't pack enough for the dog to last the week." He said it with a crooked smile, and considering Cadence's face I think she did know about Beau.

Charlotte frowned behind her. "Dog? What kind of dog is it?"

"German Shepard," I replied.

"You mean the giant brown and black ones?"

"Well," I replied drily, "Beau is actually grey and black, but yeah, that's the type of dog."

Charlotte looked about ready to make a snide remark but was silenced by a warning glare from Cadence. In response, Charlotte only arched an eyebrow at me and brushed past, heading over toward the girls sitting in the grass.

"Come along, I'll give you two a personal tour," Cadence offered, smiling brightly. My dad stepped up beside her as we started off, while I trailed behind and patiently waited to adjust to the hissing whispers behind me.

I stayed behind them the whole way, not bothering to catch the stolen words they exchanged. Maybe I was just being self-pitying, but I already felt abandoned. At first we toured the pool and hot tub out back, along with the patio, the garden, an unused but well-conditioned set of swings, and the basketball court (THANK YOU, UNIVERSE). Then we passed a loft and a study and a dining room and a living room and a huge kitchen and three bathrooms and a home theater with a bar and the first balcony and another living room in the first story (not counting the garage below), which was two levels with a tall staircase carpeted only in the middle. On the second story we saw a smaller dining room and a smaller loft and a much smaller kitchen and a smaller study and several bedrooms and several guestrooms and two bathrooms. Then there was a shorter spiral staircase that went to Charlotte's bedroom, my bedroom, and our shared toilet and shower—with the attic above us. I don't know why she wanted to live near the attic, nor why I was living on the same floor as her with nothing but a half of a bathroom between us, but what I did know was that I had a mini-fridge and there was a large chute next to the bottom of the stairs for me to throw my laundry into when I was too lazy to go downstairs.

It was kind of a long walk.

As soon as my "tour" was over I retreated to my new room, hoping that my Auntie would bring Beau soon so I had some company. I didn't fight with or dislike Charlotte, but she was a little snooty and it seemed like the prospect of talking to me pained her. I sighed, pulling a folded note out of the pocket of my duffel bag. It was the last thing that Aeron had given me before we broke up.

Hey, you've been really down lately and I know that moving is going to be tough. I'm going to miss you and so will Em and Brina, and I also know that you won't believe that, but it's true. I just want you to know that I care about you. And to be honest I can see that you're not as in to me as I am in to you. But if you ever need a friend to talk to, just a friend, because I know you're going to break up with me, call me. I swear I'll support you no matter what. I love you, Addie.

He'd never been one to text. It hurt to read it every time, but I couldn't let it go away. I did care for Aeron…like a best friend, like a brother. He was cute and at first I kind of liked him, but I know he's not for me. He cherished me and showered me with gifts and flowers and niceties but it just got boring after a while. Sighing, I noticed the corner of something fuzzy poking out of my bag. It was a stuffed bear from Ken, a boy who had always had a crush on me. A big, slobbery, obsessive crush.

My head fell back and hit the pillow in exhaustion. I was concerned about my health, what with the chances that I stay locked up in this room for the next few years of my life.

And I had to transfer schools…

4