Chapter 14.

A breeze rustled the grass as Callie played a sad, simple melody on her guitar. It matched her mood. There was a sadness hanging over her that she hadn't experienced in a long time. As she became absorbed in the music, she didn't notice anyone else coming into the yard, until Brandon was sitting down next to her.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey." She continued playing without looking up. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I wish," he snorted. He leaned back, resting his head against the tree trunk. "Isn't it amazing how everything you care about can be taken away in an instant?"

Callie turned to him sympathetically. She knew about that all too well. "Yeah."

"How did you feel when your dad went to jail?" he asked quietly.

Dropping her fingers away from the guitar strings, Callie plucked blades of grass from the yard, dropping them in a small pile as she contemplated his question. "Embarrassed," she finally admitted. "Ashamed, angry, sad."

"That about sums it up," he nodded.

Closing her eyes, Callie let the sun warm her face, and she slipped her hand in Brandon's, pulling it between them so no one could see. It felt good and familiar to touch him.

"Hey," he whispered, rubbing her hand with his thumb. "You never answered my question from before."

Opening one eye, she glanced at him. "I know what you're going to ask me."

"Please, Cal," he begged. "Just tell me the truth? My life is falling apart. I don't want to lose you, too. I love you."

"Okay," she nodded sullenly. "I didn't mean what I said this morning. Not at all. Except the part about you being my best friend. It's just... I don't understand how we can possibly stay together without getting caught. Moms are going to be watching us like hawks. It isn't fair to you or me."

"We could figure something out," he told her.

"How?" She regarded him skeptically.

"Well, you know," he shrugged. "We could text."

"Text?" She almost laughed out loud, but stopped herself, knowing he was hurting. "How could we have a realtionship through texting? Especially after we've kissed?"

Suddenly, their lips were smashed together frantically. Callie put her hand on Brandon's shoulder for stability, reluctantly giving into the kiss, even deepening it. It felt so good, so natural, and she wondered how it could be wrong.

"We shouldn't be doing this," she told him when they finally parted. "Someone could be watching us."

"Then let's give them a show," he replied, cupping her cheek in his hand and kissing her again.

"Stop it," she snapped, glancing toward the house.

Brandon withdrew from her apologetically. "Sorry," he mumbled. He felt like an ass. He'd never force Callie to go further than she wanted to. Not after Liam.

"It's okay," she murmured, blushing. Maybe she'd overreacted? It wasn't that she didn't want to make out with him. She really did. But she couldn't afford to get into trouble again.

"I love you so much, Callie," he whispered.

Blinking, she slowly nodded. "I love you too, Brandon." Standing, she picked her guitar up off the ground and went inside. When she reached her room, she found Mariana staring blankly at her laptop screen.

"Mariana?" she said quietly, not wanting to startle her sister. "You okay?"

Mariana turned to her, her dark eyes full of tears, and Callie went to her side and bent over the screen. Her sister was reading a news article about Ana. Callie skimmed it silently.

"Ana Gutierrez, 32, of Coronado Street was found dead this morning. Gutierrez's remains were discovered behind a dumpster near her home."

Quickly doing the math, Callie realized that Ana was only seventeen when she had Jesus and Mariana. She herself was almost seventeen. She couldn't imagine having a baby at her age. She continued reading.

"Gutierrez was savagely beaten and suffered multiple stab wounds to the chest. Her death has been ruled a homicide. Police suspect Officer Michael J. Foster, 45. Witnesses report that he was seen with her shortly before her death. Foster is also involved in a highly publicized scandal involving Gutierrez's late boyfriend, who was allegedly shot and killed..."

Callie stopped reading there. She finally knew what it meant when one's blood "ran cold." Was Mike really capable of such a crime?

"You shouldn't be looking at this stuff," she told Mariana. She quickly closed the window with the article, then shut the laptop with a snap. "Come on." She took her sister by the hand and led her to her bed.

"Lay down for a while and rest." She pulled the covers aside, and the younger girl crawled in.

"Stay with me?" Mariana asked, reaching under her bed for the teddy bear Ana had given her.

"Of course," Callie nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed, and taking her sister by the hand.

That evening, before dinner, Stef tried to watch the news. But as Brandon came into the room, she grabbed the remote and clicked the TV off. She wasn't fast enough, though. The news was covering the murder investigation, and Brandon entered the living room just soon enough to see his father's mugshot fill the screen.

"You didn't have to turn it off," Brandon shrugged, his face downcast. "I saw."

"The media's bound to sensationalize the case," she warned her son. "We've got to expect it. Your dad is a cop." She reached out and hugged Brandon. "We'll just have to take this one day at a time."

At that moment, Lena came to the living room doorway. "Dinner, guys. Come eat."

Callie scooted off the sofa, and went to the table. "Need some help?" she asked Jude, ruffling his hair. He was laying plates and silverware at everyone's place.

"Nah," he replied. "I've got it." He spent much of his free time with Lena, helping her with chores and errands.

Callie took her seat next to Brandon as everyone filed in, and Lena served baked ziti and salad.

The food smelled good, but Callie wasn't particularly hungry. She picked at her food, and took a small bite of salad as the phone rang.

"I'll get it," said Stef, looking annoyed. She got up and answered the phone.

"Callie, it's for you, sweetheart."

"Who is it?" she asked, puzzled.

"I don't know," her mother replied, with her hand over the receiver. "It's a boy."

Callie's eyes went wide, and she glanced at Brandon, who's jaw tightened as a look of hurt filled his face. Getting up, she took the phone from Stef.

"Hello?"

"Is this Callie Jacob?" asked a male voice.

"Who wants to know?" she asked.

"It's Craig, from biology." The phone crackled a little, and she heard him cough. "So, what are you wearing, baby?"

"Excuse me?" she gasped, shocked.

"I was hoping we could set something up," Craig continued.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Callie told him. Her heart began to pound, and her palms began to sweat.

"I was promised a 'good time,'" he replied. "You gonna deliver?"

Callie was too stunned to reply. She could hardly believe her ears.

"I'll bring the rubbers... that's no problem," he assured her, with a sleazy chuckle.

"I have to go," said Callie. "Don't call me again." She slammed the phone down in disgust, and hesitated before going back to the table.

"Who was that, honey?" Stef asked. "You seem upset."

Callie took a shallow breath, trying not to cry. "Um, this guy from school... he asked me what I was wearing, and he acted like... I don't know. He asked me if I'm gonna 'deliver.'"

"Shit," Jesus mumbled. "Callie, I know what's going on. I tried to tell you at school, but we got called to the office, and I forgot with everything that happened."

"Care to enlighten us?" asked Stef.

"I was in the bathroom today, and there was stuff written about you inside the stalls," he told his sister. "Nasty stuff."

"What did they write?" Callie asked, her hands shaking.

"They wrote our phone number," he replied. "And it said to call you for a good time, and that you'll screw anyone. Then it listed all these things you supposedly do." He lowered his voice to almost a whisper. "You know, blowjobs and stuff."

Callie dropped her head, hiding her face in her hands. So that explained the weird feeling she got in the school hallways that day. She began to cry as she felt Stef reach over and rub her back.

"I'm sorry, Callie," said Jesus. "I erased what I could, and I meant to tell you right away."

She nodded, still refusing to look up, as the phone rang again. Stef hurried up to answer it.

"Hello?"

There was a pause.

"No, Chase. This is not Callie. This is her mother, and I also happen to be a cop. We have caller ID, and I'm taking names. The next person who calls will be arrested for sexual harassment. You can spread the word." She hung up the phone forcefully.

"Chase?" Mariana gasped in disbelief. "Oh my gosh... he's such a douche."

When the phone rang a third time, Stef pulled the jack from the wall.

"I'm going to call the janitors and ask them to clean the bathroom walls right away," said Lena, grabbing her cell phone and going into the other room.

"Are you okay, love?" Stef whispered, her face pained. "Do you want to talk?"

Callie shook her head as tears streamed down her face. "May I be excused?"

"Yes," her mother replied. "Go ahead. I'll be up to check on you in a bit."

To Be Continued