The last oneshot I had planned for my small series of people talking to Callie before the trial. Enjoy!
Callie spent most lunches with Wyatt, but sometimes he pulled a vanishing act and Callie was left to sit alone. Jesus or Marianna might sit with her if they knew she didn't have any company and Brandon would most certainly sit with her, but she didn't want to be some loner burden for her foster siblings to take pity on. The middle school had a different lunch so Jude was always out. So she was solo on the hallway bench one day, and Talya walked up, fingers fiddling with each other in a nervous fidget.
Callie looked up at her and gave her a tight smile. She and Talya had made up: they'd had a moment after the drunk video and made their peace once she and Brandon had started to date again. But it wasn't as if they were friends. They might never be friends. "Hey," she said in a clipped voice, trying to shut down any attempts Talya was making at conversation. Talya smiled nervously and said hi in response, not taking the hint.
"Are you looking for Brandon?" Callie prodded, hoping that was the case, or if it wasn't that Talya would get on with it. Was she gonna bug her about her relationship with Brandon again? It would be best, for all parties involved, to forget, to move on. Dredging up old drama, not something Callie needed right now.
"I'm sorry," Talya said quietly.
Callie took a bite of her sandwich, chewed slowly for a moment, then said with mouth still full, "Talya, we did this, I think. It's ok."
But Talya shook her head. "No. Uh. I mean, yeah, I already- but about your journal-"
Callie raised and eyebrow. "My journal."
"You didn't- you were vague and I didn't know- I may be a bitch, Callie, but I wouldn't use something like that against anyone. I thought it was consensual."
Callie knew then that she wouldn't be able to swallow the bite of sandwich still in her mouth. Did everyone fucking know at this point?
Talya blundered on, "I got scared about you and Brandon because I thought Liam- I thought you two were a thing, not what it was. You didn't use the word rape, and maybe you didn't even think of it like that til recently, but you said you regretted your relationship, and that made me think- you know. And I thought all the bad stuff, I thought you meant getting kicked out-"
"That is what I meant."
Talya froze, confusion clouding her eyes. "What?"
"That is my regret. Getting us kicked out." Finally admitting defeat, Callie stood and spit the lump of mush that was a bite of sandwich into the trash can.
Talya seemed to be chewing this over, then uncertainly said, "Uh... not... I mean, it's good you got out of there... with Liam around."
Callie avoided Talya's eyes as she gave a shrug. "Maybe."
"Maybe..." Talya trailed off quietly, more confused than ever. "Why... maybe?"
Callie gave a tight smile. "I coulda started putting something in front of my bedroom door, and we could have stayed in a house where we were fed and clothed, that was safe for Jude. We left, I got sent to juvie for months and Jude was stuck in a hellhole. That's what I regret. Taking Jude out of safely."
"...but you weren't safe."
"So?" Callie finally looked Talya in the eye, not glaring, not hostile, just openly curious. "I can handle stuff. Jude is sensitive, things are hard enough for him as it is. The Olmstead parents, they were OK. And they liked Jude. Gave him some attention that he needed. I could have dealt."
Talya seemed completely thrown for a loop, like she'd never had to deal with anything like this before. She frowned. "That's not cool, Callie."
Callie flinched. Brandon had used those exact words. Part of the charter school vernacular, it seemed.
"You can't just sacrifice yourself like that, even for your brother. Both of you should be happy, not just him," Talya argued. "I mean, you want to protect him, but you gotta protect yourself too. Make sure you're both safe."
Callie watched Talya, smiled and shook her head at Talya's naïveté. In this world, not everyone had the luxury of safety. To sacrifice hers for Jude's wasn't any big deal. "We are safe," she said with a thin-lipped grin. "None of the rest matters now."
"Callie!" Talya shouted, suddenly angry. Callie shrunk slightly in shock. "Martyr much? That's such bull that you think you're expendable."
"Talya, you don't even like me," Callie snapped in irritation.
"Of course I like you," Talya huffed in exasperation. Callie blinked, confused. Talya avoided Callie's gaze. "I didn't want to, I actively tried not to. But you're, like, the most genuinely kind person I've ever met. You pretend you aren't, but you're bad at it. That day in class? When you chased me? Did you notice how none of my friends bothered?"
Callie shifted on her feet. Talya still couldn't look at her. "I gave you no reason to do that. None. I was cruel, I tried to make us enemies. You wouldn't bite. I swung at you, you refused to swing back. You're just a good person Callie."
Talya finally managed to meet her eyes, but could hold them only for a second. "And you don't deserve the treatment you've had to put up with. That includes from yourself."
Before Callie could think of a reply, Talya had run off.