Bliss
"So, I need to understand something." Lena said, "How is it that you're Jude's guardian? You're only sixteen! Shouldn't that be reserved when you become a legal adult?"
"Yes." Callie answered, holding Jude's hand, "So, it was last year that we were placed with the Smiths. My Dad, Donald, he had signed all the rights of Jude's care over to me once he got sent to jail. Jude and I... we weren't planning on going back into the foster system. We were gonna lay low, I had found a part-time job at a McDonald's nearby. I bought us an apartment. I was 15 at the time. So, we only had to wait a couple years, so I could be registered." She gulped, "So then one night, I was walking Jude home from school."
"You sent him to school?" Stef asked, "How could you possibly afford that?"
"I had...um...a- a second job, as a waitress down the block from our apartment." Callie cleared her throat, "Anyway, I was walking Jude home from school one day, when this woman from an adoption center saw me with him and thought I was kidnapping my brother."
"Why would she think that?" Stef asked, sounding bewildered.
"I was tugging on his arm, trying to make him run with me. It was a game I played with him. I would race him back to our apartment every other night, and whoever got home last had to make dinner. But of course, this woman called the police on me and took Jude away from me."
Lena and Stef gasped in shock.
"I managed to get out of being thrown into jail and followed Jude into the system, and we were placed with the Smiths. When they found out about my parental consent over Jude, they did everything in their power to take him away from me. I told Dad all of this, and he agreed not to sign the papers over to them. He said that I was better for Jude." She sucked in a breath of air, "I told Melanie and Richard that I was 18, but they didn't believe me."
"So... you lied to us? You really have no parental rights over Jude?" Lena asked, "Then why go to all of this trouble? We accused those people of forgery!"
"Because they did forge someone's name. Just not mine. They used Donald's."
"Then, I don't understand. Wh-Why would they say they copied your signature? Why didn't they tell you they copied your Father's?"
"Because they knew I would tell."
"Tell what?"
"What they did to Jude." She sighed, "My brother and I just want to be together again. I've gotten enough money saved up from playing guitar, so we wouldn't be on the streets anymore."
Stef opened her mouth to speak, but Callie stopped her.
"I have control over my brother. He is supposed to be under my care. So, I am begging you, please don't adopt us or send us back into the system. We are going to leave. Tonight. And I appreciate all what you all've done for me and my brother, but we don't need your help anymore."
After a long pause, Stef nodded, "Okay."
Lena looked at her partner in surprise.
"Just be safe you two. And before you leave, Callie, please make sure you have everything you need. Money, clothes, any of it. Okay? It's getting late, so why don't you pack and go to bed. Alright?"
The brunette nodded and headed upstairs to change into her pajamas. It didn't take long, and she waited downstairs for Jude. She busied herself with packing until he finally came down. Smiling, she placed her bag on the chair beside her and laid down on the couch. Jude walked forward and snuggled next to the girl, the brunette pulling a blanket up over the two before finally falling asleep.
They woke up first thing in the morning. Both Callie and Jude awkwardly waving goodbye to Stef, Lena and the other kids. Brandon huffed, a smirk on his face as if this outcome was triumphant. As if Callie and Jude had gotten what they deserved, and that he was finally pest free.
Mariana was the only child in the family who seemed sad by their leave. The Latina hugged Callie, waving goodbye as she watched the two children leave.
The brunette smiled at her little brother as they sat on the bus, on the way to their new apartment. The girl had managed to snag one last minute over the phone, and it was big enough for two people.
So, as the bust rolled to a stop, Callie picked up her brother and ran outside. Opening the door to the building, she ran inside (still holding him) and threw him down on the bed.
"What do you think, baby?" The brunette asked, sitting down next to him, "You like the apartment I got?"
"It's small." Jude observed, looking around the apartment.
Callie frowned.
"But I like it!" He said happily, hugging his sister once again. The brunette was finally happy. Happy that she could be with her brother. Happy that they would never be apart again. Happy that they weren't on the streets.
"And guess what? It gets better." Callie grabbed her brother's hands, "It's almost the end of the school year and I have enough money saved up to send you to a good school."
"Really?" His smile slipped, "What about you? Don't you need to go to school?"
"No. But you do." Glancing at her watch, the brunette frowned, "Time for bed. Go change into your pj's."
Jude nodded and found the bathroom, changing his clothes quickly as Callie did the same in her separate bedroom.
Kissing him a quick goodnight, Callie tucked her brother into bed before heading back to her own bedroom to crash.
The girl smiled to herself, finally feeling safe. In her mind, she believed that everything was where it should be. That everything was going to be alright. It had been a long time since the brunette had felt positive. And it felt damn good.
Back at the Foster home, the whole family sat around the dinner table in complete silence. Stef and Lena felt heartbroken at the sight of Callie and Jude's leave. But Brandon, being the douche he was, didn't feel any ounce of guilt. In fact, he was smiling more than ever.
"It feels so good knowing that Hobo Girl and her delinquent son have finally left this house." He stated with a smile.
"Brandon!" Lena said, sounding angry.
"Okay, first Jude is not her son. He is her younger brother." Stef corrected, "And second, you are never to speak that way about someone ever again."
"But, Mom they were destroying our lives! Taking over our home!"
"Brandon!" The Moms (and Mariana) shouted at the eldest son.
"Who gave you the right to bring a stranger into this house? Without asking us first, no less!"
"Wait, is this where all of this hate is coming from? Because we didn't ask you if it's okay?" Stef asked.
"You asked me if the Twins could stay with us, why couldn't you ask if Callie and Jude could?"
"Because not everything is decided by you, Brandon. This was an emergency, young man. And I for one, would've thought you'd be more mature about this. But clearly I was wrong."
"Yes, clearly you were!" He shouted, "We aren't some damn animal shelter Moms. We can't just keep adopting kids left and right."
"You better watch yourself, young man." Stef ordered.
"That's your answer for everything! Whenever someone disagrees with you, this is your response!"
"Brandon, you need to think very carefully about what you're going to say next." Lena said.
"Let's all admit it. You're all glad that Callie is gone. She's a freaking bitch that deserved what she got."
"Brandon!" Mariana shouted, surprising everyone.
He stared into the eyes of his younger sister, "What?"
"You think Callie's the bitch? Try looking in the mirror sometime." The Latina said, picking up her plate and setting it next to the sink.
"Yeah, you have been acting like an ass lately." Jesus agreed, "What happened to you, man?"
And with that, the family dispersed from the kitchen, leaving Brandon alone with his thoughts.
