I’m getting really annoyed and frustrated with my cousin. We’re twenty- fucking- two (22) and she copies everything I do. Growing up, I’d brush it off because I’m a few months older and figured she was just looking up to me. But it always annoyed me because even my own little sister never copied me intentionally like she does.

What set me over the edge was that I had a portrait of my grandpa from when he was younger made into a tattoo design with his birth month flowers and the marine corps emblem incorporated in a frame around him about two months ago. While I was showing my grandma, my cousin showed up and I showed it to her thinking nothing of it. So she casually mentioned she was getting a tattoo today and I still thought nothing of it. When she finished she posted a picture AND SHE RIPPED OFF MY DESIGN!!!! The only difference is she used a different picture of my grandpa since I was the only one with a copy of what I was planning on using. She put it in the SAME spot I was planning and when I called her out, she denied ever seeing my design. She said she had been waiting to do this for months when I know she never thought of it.

It bugs me especially more because she wasn’t close to our grandfather like I was. I spent every day with him and he was like my father since I didn’t grow up with mine. I’m just so tired of her doing shit like this. I’m starting to realize I can’t even trust her and our relationship isn’t benefiting me. All my life I’ve had to look out for her and defend her and she’s never done the same for me. She’s the type where if the “cool” crowd in high school said I wasn’t cool, she’d act like she don’t know me. Her “friends” were/are constantly using her and would make fun of her and I’d always defend her and even got in a fight once so she wouldn’t get in trouble or hurt! But instead when we went back to school, she avoided me and kissed their asses.

Basically what I’m asking is, how do you cut someone off like this? I know it’s going to start family trouble, because like I said, I’ve always been responsible for her. But I think we’re at an age where I shouldn’t have to deal with constant toxicity around me and she should handle her damn self.