AN: So, this is my first ever story that I actually went through with posting. My laptop is broken atm so I haven't had the chance to actually edit this as I typed it up on my phone so sorry for the layout and well any mistakes lol but anyways I hope you enjoy it.
She'd never met anybody like him before. He reminds her of her old self, the girl she used to be before she lived with the Fosters. The girl that sometimes resurfaces at night when the thoughts in her mind become too much. His name was Brandon. Brandon Jacob. This time last week he was in juvie and today he's sitting at the kitchen table eating dinner with her family. When he arrived at their house yesterday she wasn't quite sure what to think of him. She remembers how scared he looked despite the tough persona he had going on. It reminded her of when she first met the Fosters, she was a tough cookie but still she was scared.
"So, Brandon. Why don't you tell us a little about yourself." Lena asked.
The words that he heard had scared him, what if he didn't say the right things or if he said too much but nonetheless this family had been nothing but welcoming and he felt as if this was the least he could do. "Erm, I don't really know what to say I..err.. I'm from New York."
Lena smiled encouragingly at him with hopes of reassuring him, "Lovely city."
Brandon smiled, "It is, I miss it sometimes."
"So how'd you end up in San Diego?" Marianna questioned him.
He froze, he's pretty sure that Stef and Lena have read his file by now so they'd know but these kids wouldn't know. "Brandon?" Stef prompted him, the concern in her voice clear.
He looks down at his plate sheepishly, "I kinda ran away." When he looks up he sees shock amongst all the faces at the table and then immediately he feels a sense of relief, nobody has read his file yet.
"Why?" Stef asked him. Brandon looked at Lena, hoping she'd move the conversation along but no words left her mouth.
"I lost everything that mattered and so I ran." His voice held no emotion but his eyes betrayed him.
"What happened?" A voice beside him asked, he turned to face her, surprised she'd said anything.
"Callie." Stef hissed.
"I'm sorry Brandon, I don't mean to pry." Brandon laughed, for the first time in what felt like forever to him he laughed.
"It's okay, Cal." He reassured her.
Jesus, Jude and Marianna excused themselves. They were all in a rush to get upstairs and continue whatever it is they were all doing before dinner. The only ones left sitting at the table were Brandon, Callie, Lena and Stef. "We'll get dessert ready, if you guys wanna wait in the living room." Brandon and Callie nodded in unison and left the kitchen together
After minutes passed, the silence was too much. "Do you wanna know why I ran?" Brandon spoke softly.
Callie found herself saying yes instantly. She found herself intrigued by him and wanted to know more about him. He was unsure why he had even asked her, she was basically a stranger but he found himself wanting to talk to her, he felt as if she was somebody worth talking to. They barely knew each other but they felt comfortable with one another. So, when he saw the opportunity to open up to somebody he took it and he's thankful that it's Callie he gets to talk to.
Brandon turned so he was facing her and took a deep breath before speaking. "My mom took off, she just up and left one day and left me behind. There wasn't much money left behind so I did what I had to do to get by, I done things I'm not proud of. I don't regret it though. I needed to take care of myself. One day, I went to meet my girlfriend... You see she knew I was gonna leave the city and she told me she wanted to come with me and then she just broke down and kept telling me she was sorry. I was confused, ya know? She'd be nothing but good to me, loving me when I couldn't love myself, hiding me in her room when I would sneak out of my house when my mom had been drinking, then she pulled away from me and stopped sobbing. She told me she cheated on me and then we fought for hours and we were done, then I went home," Brandon paused for a few seconds before continuing to open up to Callie, "I took out the suitcase from under my bed, it was already full because I'd packed the night before. I filled my backpack with a few photos and books and any snacks I could find left in the kitchen with a bunch of other stuff. I couldn't get the train. It was too expensive. So I ended up at the bus station, I had no clue where I was gonna go. The next bus to leave was headed to San Diego, see the money I used to buy the ticket was some I'd stolen from some guy in the city. When I got here, well San Diego, I didn't know where to go. I mean I'd never been here before. I asked the bus driver if he knew any motels nearby and luckily for me he was actually from here and he sent me on my way to a cheap motel. That was where I stayed for a week, when I ran out of money they kicked me out and then I ended up stealing food from a supermarket and they called the cops and bam, next thing I know I'm in juvie."
Callie let out a small gasp but Brandon continued.
"I was only in juvie for like a month, I told them all the things I'd done from the stolen wallet in New York to stealing from various stores to have stuff I could pawn for cash, to stealing food from supermarkets. I thought I'd have gotten longer than a month but I'd never done anything criminal before and I guess they took into consideration that my mom abandoned me and left me to fend for myself and the fact I didn't know my dad and then my social worker brought me here and that's pretty much the story." He hadn't expected to make her cry but here she was looking at him with tears in her eyes, "Don't cry, Callie."
She wiped her eyes with her sleeve before she responded. "I'm so sorry, sorry for crying and sorry for all you've been through."
Brandon smiled at her, "It's okay. I met you and your family so I got something to be thankful for, right?"
Her heart ached for him, she didn't quite know what to say. She surprised not only him but herself when she hugged him.
"You're gonna be okay." She whispered.
"I know." He told her, truly believing the words he was saying.
Brandon and Callie were unaware that Lena and Stef had heard them. They'd come back in to check on them but when they heard them talking they didn't have the heart to interrupt them.
"Poor kid." Stef mumbled.
"He'll be okay." Lena assured her wife.