Chapter 10.

When Callie got home, she waited and waited for the right moment to betray the trust of one of the two people she loved most in the world. Time was ticking away, and she needed to get that key.

In a big family, it was difficult to sneak around and keep secrets. Someone was always around. All she could do was hang out in the living room, waiting for the window of time when she would be alone downstairs, just for a few minutes, and yet, wishing it would never come. as her luck would have it, though, it did. She sneaked into the hall, and began rummaging through a bowl that held the keys, and other odds and ends. Next to the bowl, there sat a pile of junk mail. On top, there was a flyer from a used car lot. They were doing some kind of promotion, and there was a key taped to the front; one of those generic keys that may or may not open the door to your dream car. You had to go to the lot and try it out to see if you were the winner. Callie eyed the key, tempted to give it to Vico instead of the real office key. But she knew he'd figure out it was a fake right away, and then he'd be mad.

I'm sorry, mom, she thought, as she found the office key on Lena's key ring. Looking around, she quickly slipped it into her bra and turned away. As she spun around, she nearly bumped into Lena.

"Oh. I'm sorry, sweets. I didn't see you there," her mother apologized.

Callie gulped, stepping aside. "It's okay."

"Do you need something?" Lena asked, furrowing her brow.

"I was just looking for a paperclip," Callie lied. It was scary how easily she could come up with a cover story.

"There's some right in the drawer," her mother told her. "Help yourself."

"Cool. Thanks." She wriggled uncomfortably as the key dug into the tender skin of her breast, and she forced a weak smile. "Mom?" she asked, looking not quite into Lena's eyes, but just over her shoulder. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"

Lena's face lit up, and she reached out to hug Callie. "Yes... but I never get tired of hearing it. I love you too, Slug-a-bug." She leaned down and kissed Callie's temple, her beautiful curls tickling her cheek.

"So, did you get it?" Vico asked, as soon as she got in his car the next morning.

"Good morning to you, too," she told him, half-joking, half-seriously.

"Oh. Yeah. Good morning," he replied, smoothing his big hand over her hair. He leaned down and gave her a kiss. His mouth tasted like an onion bagel. It was rather unpleasant. It was funny, she thought, how mouths could taste so different. Wyatt's mouth tasted sweet, like a Blow Pop. She later found out it was because he used children's bubble gum toothpaste to brush his teeth. She laughed when he revealed that fact to her. Liam's mouth tasted the worst; stale like old beer. But Brandon's mouth was definitely the best. It tasted like the cinnamon toothpaste Lena bought at the health food store. His were by far the best kisses she'd ever had.

Her train of thought was interrupted by Vico. "So, did you get it or not?"

"Yes," Callie sighed. "But I feel really weird about this. I don't know if I should be giving it to you."

"Come on, baby," he pleaded. "A deal's a deal. You promised."

"Okay, okay." She reached into her pocket and slid the key out. "Here. But make sure you give it back."

"I will," he nodded, studying the key. "You're amazing, Cals. And don't worry. There will be something in this for you."

Over the course of the morning, Callie began to feel worse and worse. The longer her guilty thoughts raced through her head, the more her stomach clenched in pain. By lunchtime, she knew she couldn't face the smell of cafeteria food. Reluctantly, she dragged herself to Lena's office, and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Lena called from inside.

Callie opened the door, and say her mother at her desk, eating a chicken salad sandwich and typing on her computer. "Hi, sweetheart," she smiled. "What's up?"

Callie looked at her through wet eyes. "My stomach hurts. I want to go home."

"Again?" said Lena. "Come here, honey." She pressed her hand to Callie's cheeks and forehead. "You feel a little warm to me. Where does your stomach hurt?"

"Like, right here," Callie told her, gesturing to the middle of her abdomen, just above her belly button. "I feel like I'm gonna puke."

"Okay," Lena finally nodded. "I have a meeting in fifteen minutes, but I can call mom and see if she can come and get you." She patted her daughter's arm lovingly. "Who don't you go and lay down on the couch, baby."

"Okay," Callie nodded. She crossed the room to the leather couch that stood against one wall of the office, and settled down on it as Lena picked up the phone.

After she got off the phone, Lena took a bottle of chilled water from the small fridge in the corner and uncapped it. "Mommy's on her way, love," she told her. "She should be here in a few minutes." She handed Callie the bottle. "Drink this, and try to relax."

"Thanks mom," said Callie.

Lena smiled and brushed her hair from her forehead. "You're welcome. I just hope you feel better soon." She leaned down and kissed her forehead before going back to her work. "I'll be right at my desk if you need anything."

Stef arrived just before Lena had to leave for her meeting. "Hi, babe," she said, giving her wife a quick kiss. Then, she crossed the room to Callie. "Well, hello angel. How are you feeling?"

"Not great," Callie confided. "My stomach hurts."

"This is the second time this week," said Stef. "I think it's time to take you to the doctor."

"Do I have to go?"

"I think you should, baby. Don't worry. You'll be fine."

When Callie and Stef got home, Stef walked her upstairs. "I've got some laundry to fold," she told her daughter. "Why don't you go put on your PJs, and you can come lay down in our bed, and keep me company."

"Sounds good," said Callie. She looked to her mother apologetically. "I'm sorry you had to leave work because of me."

"You don't need to apologize, love bug," said Stef. "I'm your mama, and it's my job to take care of you."

"So, you don't mind?'

"Not a bit. Besides, it's been a slow day." She touched her hand to Callie's cheek. "Go on and change. I'll be in the other room."

Callie nodded and hurried to her own room, taking her lightest pajamas from the dresser. She could see her bed reflected in the mirror, and she remembered the letters she'd tucked under there. She wished she hadn't; it wasn't as if they didn't haunt her enough at night, disturbing her sleep like the Telltale Heart, a story she'd read when she was in Timothy's class. She didn't want to look at them, but she had to make sure they were still there. Crouching down, she peeked under the dust ruffle, and saw them, shoved toward the wall, collecting dust. She'd gotten lucky so far. No one had asked about them. But they would, and she dreaded the day she'd have to tell her moms that she wasn't going to college.

"Are you okay, Callie?" Stef called from down the hall.

"Yeah!" she called back, pulling her shorts on. "I'm coming." She shut the door behind her and went to her moms' room, crawling into the huge bed.

There was a brown teddy bear with button eyes propped against the pillow on Stef's side of the bed. Callie picked it up and smiled. "This is cute."

Stef looked up at from her laundry and nodded. "It's just something I had as a kid. You can have it if you want it."

"Are you sure?" Callie asked.

"Of course, baby girl. It's yours."

"Thanks," said Callie. "I used to have a bear sort of like him when I was little." She hugged Stef's bear to her chest.

"Yeah?" her mother asked. "What happened to it?"

"Someone stole it," she replied. The same was true for most of the few toys she and Jude were allowed to bring when they went into foster care.

"Well," said Stef. "Now you have a new one."

"This one means more to me, though," she told her. "Because it's from you."

"Thanks, honey," Stef smiled, touching her hand.

"Mama?" Callie asked, her mind suddenly drifting back to Vico and the key. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"If you help someone do something illegal, but don't actually do it yourself, can you still get blamed for it?"

"Yes," Stef nodded. "You'd be an accessory to crime." She chuckled a little. "Why do you ask, love?"

Callie shrugged. "Just something for school." She sat up a little against the pillows, her mouth filling with a sour taste.

"Mama?"

"What?"

"I'm going to be sick."

"Oh, lord," said Stef, reaching for the wastebasket under the nightstand. She held it up to her daughter, patting her back as she vomited.

When Callie lifted her head, she was in tears.

"Baby," Stef breathed. "Shh. Don't cry." She took her in her arms and hugged her close. "My sweet girl"

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I didn't mean to."

"Honey," said Stef, pushing back Callie's damp hair. "You did nothing wrong. You're sick. It was an accident."

Callie trembled as her mother handed her a tissue. "Thanks."

"My poor baby," Stef whispered. It broke her heart to see her children sick or crying, no matter how old they were. "Lay down now. It's okay. Really." Callie reclined against the pillows, and she took the wastebasket into the bathroom. When she returned, she sat down on the edge of the bed. "Want me to rub your tummy?"

Callie nodded wearily, and Stef placed her hand on her stomach and massaged it in gentle circles.

"That feels good," Callie told her, holding the teddy bear at her side. She felt, and most likely looked, like a five-year-old, but she didn't care. At that moment, all she wanted was to be safe and sound with her mother watching over her. It was a comfortable, warm feeling, and it filled some of the empty space inside her.

"I could sing to you," Stef offered. "But I have a terrible voice, so you might end up feeling worse.

Callie laughed a little, her tears drying on her cheeks. "That's okay. Just having you here is enough. I love you, mom."

"I love you too, baby. More than you'll ever know."

Callie sighed, closing her eyes. She wanted so badly to tell her mother everything about Vico, the key, and the fake I.D.s. But she was in too deep now. She was an accessory to crime. She thought about her time in juvie and shuddered.

To Be Continued

Note: the next chapter will cover the prom, just before things go from bad to worse. Stay tuned!