a/n: contains minor spoilers for nesting dolls, you've been warned.
I caught up with Caleigh in the parking lot of the complex. She looked like she was about to burst into tears.
"Caleigh," I called out.
She turned around abruptly. "You heard the whole thing, didn't you?"
"Come on, let's go for a ride," I offered. She nodded and the two of us hopped in my SUV. We rode in silence for a few minutes before she finally spoke up.
"Don't you hate it when people stab you in the back?" She said starting to let tears fall down her face.
"I think what Brooke was doing back there was stabbing you in the face," I reassured her that I was on her side.
"Yeah, and then she turned the knife. Some friend," Caleigh responded. The tears were starting to flow freely now. "You probably think I'm some kind of freak."
"Why would I think that?" I asked her.
"Because, I was in foster care," she replied.
The way she said it I could tell she was a little bitter. "You're not a freak just because you were in foster care," I said, trying to reassure her.
"Like you would know," came her smart reply.
"Actually, I probably understand you more than any of your friends," as I spoke, Caleigh turned from the window to look at me.
"How could you understand?" she asked.
"I've been in the system. I know what it's like." I glanced over at her as the information I relayed started to sink in. "Look, I read the essay you wrote in your application. I know what it's like. You lost your brother to thugs, and my mother killed my father. I know what it's like to be around people who don't care. I know what it's like to wake up crying because your memories of the event haunt you." I was crying by now.
"Where are we going?" It was obvious that she didn't know what to say. I mean, how could she respond to what I had just told her.
"Where do you want to go?" I asked her.
"Home," she replied, causing me to cry even harder.
"No, you're not going to let Brooke beat you." It was a command that she realized I would make her follow no matter what.
"How can I live with her?" she sincerely asked.
"You're not going to. I'm not going to let you put yourself in that situation."
"Then where am I supposed to live?" Caleigh asked.
"With me." Caleigh looked at me, shocked. "I have a spare bedroom in my place, we'll wait until Brooke leaves, then you can grab your stuff."
"Are you sure you can handle living with me?" she asked, concerned.
"I believe the question is can you handle living with Brooke?" I asked her.