2. Back To School

It was Monday morning, marking two days since Callie had returned to the Foster's house. She woke up and took a shower, returning to her bedroom to get fully ready. It was her first day back at Anchor Beach today. It felt a little too soon to be going back, but there was no reason to wait any longer. She was back in Stef and Lena's home, and would therefore have to go to school, just like they agreed when she first arrived.

She dried her hair, allowing it to develop naturally into beachy waves and picked an outfit. She decided on her usual blue skinny jeans, and a plain grey t-shirt. She put on her Mom's necklace and paired it with a bracelet that she'd been given by Mariana a few weeks after she'd moved in. It felt like such a long time ago when she first arrived, but it had only been a couple of months, if that.

"Morning!" Mariana walked out of the bathroom and proceeded to apply one of the many bottles of perfume she had on her dressing table.

"Morning!" Callie tried to be cheery, but going to school today was the thing she least wanted to do.

"Here," Mariana tossed Callie a tube of mascara, and Callie raised an eyebrow.

"Uh.. thanks? Is there something you wanna tell me Mariana?"

Mariana laughed. "No! It's not like you need it, I mean why does anyone need black, thick, liquidy goo on their eyelashes.. It's actually kinda disgusting!" Mariana scrunched up her face as she thought about it, causing Callie to laugh.
"Anyways, it's just that it's your first day back and I notice you never really wear make-up. Orrrrr there could be someone you wanna impress.."

Callie shook her head. "You do realize that Wyatt doesn't live around here anymore?"

"I wasn't talking about Wyatt.."

Callie paused for a minute, a smirk on her face, before laying down onto her bed.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. I mean god, Mariana, that was totally inappropriate." Mariana was blurting out apologies left right and center as she made her way over to Callie's side of the room and sat down next to her.

"No, no. Don't worry. It's just, I don't know. Talking about what happened with Brandon just makes it all seem really real, and it can't be. It would ruin everything, it almost did."

"What happened? You're talking in the past tense, you know."

"Maybe because that's all it is now. Past tense."

Callie went silent for a minute as she sat there and thought things over. Mariana leaned over to give her a hug and left to her to go and carry on getting ready. From her point of view, it was better to not say anything, rather than mess up by saying the wrong thing. Callie sighed and began to apply the mascara. Why did she have to impress anyone? She was doing this for herself.


"Morning, Callie, ready for your first day back?" Lena handed Callie a glass of orange juice as she entered the kitchen, and gave her a warm smile.

"Uh, yeah, I guess. I'm a little nervous though."

"Oh don't be, sweetie. I spoke to some of your teachers just last week actually, they're all really excited about you being back."

Callie smiled and took a seat next to Mariana at the table, directly opposite to Brandon. She took a sip of juice and reached out to take a slice of toast, just as Brandon did the same. Their hands brushed slightly and both of them jolted back. Though unnoticed by everyone else, it was as though Callie had been struck by a bolt of electricity rushing straight through her entire body.

"Sorry.." Callie mumbled and Brandon shook his head slightly, looking down. She reached out again and successfully got her toast, and began to butter it carefully. She still had one eye on Brandon, and he had one eye on her. This is pathetic, thought Callie, we can't even look eachother in the eye. She knew things would be awkward between the two of them, but she hadn't expected it to be this bad. Maybe what she'd said to him in her room was a mistake, but she hadn't even intended to even say it. When it came to Brandon she had no self control, no matter how hard she tried.

"So you're all going to have to walk today guys, that's why I asked you all to be up earlier. I'm dropping Lena off and then I'll pick her up again later, but there's not enough room for all of you guys as well in the smaller car. The big car was picked up this morning for maintenance." Stef crinkled up her face and closed her eyes, ready for the anger that would derive from five annoyed teenagers, but there was silence.

"Sure." Brandon smiled as he jumped up, downed the rest of his juice and walked into the hallway.

"Seeya later, have a great day." Mariana was cheery, and Jesus and Jude both gave a smile as they left.

"Well.. that was easy.." Stef whispered to Lena as she put her empty coffee mug into the sink.

"Yeah, it was.. a little too easy."

They both laughed slightly as everyone left the room. Callie stood up and collected her plate and cup, disposing them in the dishwasher, and then tried to leave to the kitchen, but she was stopped by Lena.

"Actually, Callie, honey, you can have a ride if you'd like, just with it being your first day and all?"

Callie contemplated the thought, and looked over to the hallway. Brandon was stood by the door and Mariana was ushering Callie with her hands.

"Um. no. It's okay, thank you though. But I thought I'd walk with Mariana, she's a lot more popular than I am so it might boost my social status.." Callie laughed, obviously joking and Lena nodded her head, smiling.

"Okay sweetie, good luck today." Stef echoed Lena's sentiments and Callie gave them a wave, leaving the kitchen.


The walk to school wasn't exactly long, and there were more shortcuts around here than anywhere else that Callie had lived. The kids had an extra 10 minutes to kill, so they decided on the scenic route. They'd walk directly along the seafront and pass the early joggers and people walking their dogs. Callie had only taken this route twice, but she loved it already.

The journey had started with 4 of them. Jesus had left to walk with Emma, so it was only Callie, Jude, Brandon and Mariana. However when Connor's Mom pulled up and offered Jude a ride with his classmate, he obliged, and then there were three.

Callie was directly in between Mariana and Brandon. Even standing next to Brandon made Callie feel alive. She couldn't look into his eyes without seeing them full of lust, or his lips without imagining them on hers. When she saw his hands she felt them tracing her skin and tousling her hair. She couldn't focus on anything but him, moreover, her with him.

"So here we are, oh the joys." Mariana rolled her eyes and reduced her pace as Anchor Beach came into view. Kids were running around everywhere. There were various groups of seniors, juniors, and a bunch of lone freshmen kids with backpacks bigger than them.

"You know what? I'm actually pretty nervous. It feels like it's been so long." Callie walked slower, too, and bit on her lip.

"Wait, are you worried about the rumors? Don't worry, Brandon sorted those-"

"Mariana!" Brandon cut his sister off as she looked down, clearly guilty. Callie got the feeling that there was something the two of them weren't telling her.

"Wait, what rumors?!" Callie stopped walking and grabbed the others to stop, too. Brandon sighed heavily and turned away to face the beach.

"Mariana?" Callie needed answers.

"No it was nothing, honestly. Forget I said anything."

Callie wasn't buying it. "Mariana I'm not dumb. Please, I need to know."

Mariana breathed deeply and looked down, then up. "Fine." She paused for a second and looked over at Brandon, who still had his eyes on the sea and not on the conversation.

"Some of the girls have made stuff up about where you've been.. you know, since you haven't been to school in a couple weeks."

Callie began to laugh. At least it was better than crying. "Great. Well, c'mon, what are they saying? Rehab? Juvie?"

"Um.. the hospital.." Mariana was playing with her hands, not looking at Callie.

Callie raised her eyebrows in a confused way, "wait, hospital? Why would I -"

"Listen, Callie, it's fine now they've been cleared up, you don't wanna -"

"I need to know, Mariana. Please."

At this point Brandon had turned around, and Callie looked at him for a second, their eyes meeting for the longest time in days. Mariana sighed loudly and Callie turned back to her, with pleading eyes. She heard Brandon's feet move and it was clear that he couldn't even bare to see Callie's reaction. How bad could they be?

"Um, they said that you had a bunch of STDs. They were kinda vague about it at the start, but then they started to name specifics. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, um, warts..." She coughed slightly as she trailed off, looking down.

Callie expected herself to be upset, and was shocked when she couldn't feel tears in her eyes. She was more angry than upset right now.

"Wow," was all she could manage.

"I'm sorry."

"What? No, no, it's not your fault. But they're all, they're all gone now?"

Mariana nodded and gestured to Brandon with her head, who was now leaning over the bar by the sand completely, his head facing down.

"Um, I'm gonna -" She pointed forward and Callie nodded, giving her a weak smile as Mariana walked off.

Callie waited for a moment and exhaled deeply. She looked to Brandon who still wasn't looking at her, so she walked around and stood next to him, now also leaning on the bar.

"Thank you."

Brandon shrugged. "I wasn't gonna let them spread that stuff about you. It was bullshit."

"Well I'm really grateful.. You're my hero." She laughed as she said it, but it was true. Brandon laughed softly and turned to face her.

"I'm just sorry that people were saying that stuff about you. You don't deserve it, not at all."

Callie smiled, his words reminding her of their conversation before their first kiss. She paused for a few minutes, and then, "it was Talya, wasn't it?"

Brandon knew she'd figure it out, and he couldn't lie to her. "Yeah.. it was."

She nodded, and laughed slightly, though her happy performance wasn't working.

"God, she's really out to get me isn't she?" She pulled on the sleeve of her sweater and covered her fist with the material, and then reached up to carefully wipe her eyes before anything could fall from them.

Brandon noticed and turned. "Don't let her get to you, honestly. It's done, in the past. I sorted, it's been sorted now. Just enjoy your first day back."

Callie nodded slowly, thanking him again, silently. Things were quiet for a moment or two, until Callie spoke.

"So how exactly did you stop it?"

"I didn't -"

"Please. Even without Mariana saying anything I would of easily guessed that you'd be defending me. It's who you are."

Brandon sighed and turned to face her. "Look, Callie, I just did what I had to do, it's not important.." he trailed off as he began to walk away, but Callie stopped him and grabbed his hand, feeling empowered by the feeling she got when they made contact.

"It is to me."

Brandon looked at the connection her hand on his had made, and then back up her face. Her eyes were glistening with fresh tears that were ready to fall, and she was silently begging him to tell, and he couldn't refuse her. He didn't want to have to to tell her, but he was defeated, and he thought it was better for him to tell her than Mariana, who was bound to exaggerate and make him out to be some lovesick hero (although that was pretty much what he was at the time).

"I told everyone the truth." He felt Callie's grip loosen on his hand as she pulled away and had her eyes glued onto him. "I told them that you were somebody with self-respect, and dignity, that there's no way in hell that you'd let something like that happen.. I found Talya and told her that it was all shit, and that if she didn't tell everyone that she was a big liar, then I'd find something true to spread a rumor about, something about her."

"I can't believe you'd do that for me, I mean, well, I can, but still." Callie smiled, grateful.

"It's nothing, somebody had to put her in her place."

Callie was speechless, almost. "Where, um," she ran a hand through her hair, "where do they think I was now then?"

"Well I told them that it was none of their damn business, and if they really wanted to know then they should come and ask me, or you when you're back." He shook his head and laughed, though there was no smile on his face. "No one did."

Callie smiled at him, and copied his smile-less laugh. She felt relief. She'd always been on her own in this world, well, with Jude, and she'd never had anyone out there to watch her back, and she thought that that was the way she liked it, but it felt strangely comforting to have Brandon sticking up for her, especially when she wasn't there for stick up for herself.

"Brandon, you know you didn't have to do that."

Brandon narrowed his eyes and walked closer to her, their bodies only inches apart. "Yes," he breathed, "I did."

Callie felt heat building up and rising throughout her body. In that moment she didn't care that they were in public, right next to the school, and that Stef and Lena could drive past at any moment. She needed Brandon with every single inch of her being. She felt stupid, and ridiculously careless, but at the same time, incredibly free and very safe. She wanted to be close to him, she needed to be close to him, and her brain knew that she couldn't be, but her heart was totally independent. She stayed close to him, breathing quietly, no words needing to be said.

It's a good job that Brandon's sense was still intact.

"We're, we're gonna be late.." He said, coughing slightly.

Callie nodded and the two of them widened the distance between them, and it stayed that way, as they walked into school.

tbc


Just wanna thank you all for the overwhelming response on chapter 1! I really do appreciate all of your lovely reviews, they mean such a lot to me.

Those of who you've read my stories before know that I do update pretty quickly, but I feel like doing that often makes me rush them, so I hope you don't mind but this story will probably be updated a little less often, but still regularly, nonetheless. I just have a good feeling about this story and I don't want to rush it and end up ruining it :) I'm also very indecisive so imagine that with me trying to plan chapters and be all professional.. not a good combo :P

Also remember that more reviews = a quicker update!