My family has never been rich. Mom, Ursula, me and my string of stepdads. Ursula and I never really had toys. I had a barrel, and a box from a bike. I loved them. My grandma, Frances, was often around. She and mom often talked about my dad. Urs and I don’t remember him much. His name was Frank Buffay, and he named me, when Mom named Urs.

Ursula is my twin sister. We’ve never really got on that well. She’s always been the one my mom preferred – she walked first, talked first, and so on. But grandma likes me more. I’ve hated her ever since she stole my thermos when I was about six. Just last week, she stole my boyfriend and my best friend. Sure, they were the same person, but now I’m all alone, with no friends.

My latest stepdad has just been sent to jail. My mom killed herself two days ago. She stuck her head in an oven. So now it’s just the Buffay twins against the world. Or the Buffay twins against each other and the world. Grandma can’t look after us. I wouldn’t want her to, either. She’s got a new boyfriend. Urs and I are on the street. Not together. No way. I’m staying with an albino guy, well, kinda. His cardboard box is next to mine. All I have is a plastic skull and a Sesame Street keychain. I wrote to PBS and all they sent me was a keychain!

Well, I’m thirteen. What are the chances that I’ll ever go to high school? My life ended with junior high.

Ya know, yesterday I saw a really happy family. A mom, dad, seven girls and a boy. The boy seemed the youngest. The eldest girl was shouting at him. She called him Joey, and said that he was greedy. He told her that he was a growing boy. Joey looked about eleven. I think he’s Italian. I’d like to get to know his family better. They seemed so happy.

Today, I saw another family, as well. Happy, but not as large. A mom, two kids (the girl was very fat) and two men. The mom was yelling at the two kids. She called them Ross and Monica, and told them that Uncle Richard wouldn’t be impressed. Monica went over to ‘Uncle Richard’ and held his hand, saying she was sorry. Then Ross started saying he wanted to get back home, because his friend Chandler was coming over. Monica told him that she and Rachel (I didn’t get who she was) thought that Chandler was made up, because they had never seen him. They started arguing again.

I’d really like to get to know Joey and Ross and Monica. Who knows, maybe I will. I think I’m psychic. I’ve started to have all kinds of visions. Maybe my feeling about those three kids are visions. I hope so. I don’t want to end up a homeless person like the albino guy. I want to have a life again. I bet I will. I’m only thirteen. A lot can happen between then and the end of your life.