Chapter 12

Callie tugged on the sleeves of her shirt as she heard approaching footsteps behind the closed door. The doorknob twisted with a click before the door swung open. The woman in the doorway's face contorted into shock as her eyes met Callie's.

"Callie, what's going on? How are you?" Rita asked. She stepped aside and waved her hand towards the house. "Come in."

Callie stepped into the house hesitantly, watching as Rita shut the door behind her. "I'm sorry to drop by without calling."

"No, you know you are always welcome." Rita said as she led Callie towards the couches. "Can I get you something?"

Callie shook her head as she took a seat on the couch. "No, I'm okay, thanks."

Rita took a seat in the chair across from Callie. "So what's going on? I haven't heard from you in a while. Daphne told me something happened, but won't tell me anything else."

"I uh…" Callie chewed on her bottom lip. "I was…attacked."

Rita frowned and her shoulders dropped. She was hoping the injuries and scars she saw on the young brunette weren't from a person. "Callie…what happened?"

"Um…there was a winter ball at our school back in December." Callie took a deep breath. "Th-this guy Vico…he um…he had a grudge against Brandon. He met Liam at a party and they were both seeking revenge."

"Liam? As in your old foster brother?" Rita's eyebrows scrunched together. She didn't like where this story was headed.

Callie blinked back tears as she nodded her head. She glanced down at her fumbling hands. "Vico wanted revenge on Brandon and knew the best way to do that was to hurt me. Liam wanted revenge on me for opening my mouth."

Rita waited a moment for Callie to continue, but she remained quiet, struggling to find her words. "What did they do?"

Callie swallowed thickly as tears glistened in her eyes. "They uh dragged me to the woods and beat me up pretty bad and…f-forced me to…you know…"

Rita tried to hide the devastation from her face. She didn't understand why the young girl before her couldn't catch a break. "I think I do know, Callie, but I think you need to say it aloud."

Callie shook her head, tears blurring her vision. She hadn't said that word since the Winter Ball. Somehow admitting it aloud made it seem too real. "No, I can't."

Rita reached forward and took Callie's hand in her own. "Callie, look at me. You have to say it. Admitting what happened aloud is the first step in getting passed it."

"They uh…they both..." Callie's lower lip trembled as she searched to form words. Her face flushed; she felt hot and cold at the same time. She paused for a moment, taking interest in a spot on the rug. "They raped me."

A sob ripped through Callie's throat. Rita moved to sit on the couch beside Callie. She pulled Callie into her arms and rubbed her back gently. "You're going to be okay."

Callie pulled out of Rita's arms and shook her head. "I'm pregnant."

"Are you sure?"

Callie lifted her baggy shirt, revealing the small, round bump; it was small, but prominent on her thin frame. "I'm pretty sure this confirms it if the three pregnancy tests didn't. I should be about 12 weeks."

"Should be? Have you been to a doctor?"

Callie bit down on her lower lip and shook her head. "No. I…I haven't told Stef and Lena yet. Brandon and Daphne are the only ones who know. Lena is pregnant too. She's only three weeks further than me."

Rita inhaled deeply. She closed her eyes for a moment in an attempt to process all of this. "Callie, you have to tell them and you have to go to a doctor."

"I know, I know, I just can't handle anything more. And I don't know how Stef and Lena are going to react or what'll happen when the social worker finds out. There's already so many of us in that house and now Lena's having a baby. I want to keep my baby but they may not be supportive of that and if they pull me…."

"Callie." Rita interjected the brunette's frantic ramble. "I can't tell you how they're going to react, but I can assure you they're not going to love you any less or kick you. What going on with the adoption?"

"Donald isn't my real dad. This guy Robert Quinn is so my adoption never went through. He wanted a DNA test for proof, or his family lawyers did according to him. He- he was watching me when I'd meet Daphne at work and then he didn't show for the test and I googled him and confronted him. He gave me this letter than I didn't open till last week, which is from the half-sister I just found out I have. I didn't want anything to do with Robert, but now…" Callie's voice trailed off.

"Do you want to meet you half-sister?"

"Yeah, I mean she's my sister, but I just…I feel like I can't handle opening anymore doors. There's too much going on and I can't…I can't do it anymore." A new batch of tears erupted from Callie's eyes.

"Hey, it's hard right now, but you are strong. You'll get through it. But you like to keep things bottled in and you can't do that. Talk out what you're feeling."

Callie met Rita's eyes. "I feel terrified. Vico's out on bail and I feel on edge all the time just waiting for him to come after me."

"He's out on bail?" Rita asked. It was like the world was experimenting with Callie on how much one person could handle.

Callie nodded and laughed humorlessly. "It doesn't matter that he nearly beat me to death. His family is loaded."

"But there has to be circumstances behind it like house arrest or something. If he came after you, he'd be in even bigger trouble."

"He can't come within 15 feet of me and he has to wear an anklet, but he left me in the woods in the middle of the night beaten to a pulp, do you really think he cares about getting in trouble? He wanted revenge on Brandon because he told on him about selling fake IDs. I got him arrested so I'm sure he wants me dead." Callie choked out.

"First of all, you didn't get him arrested, he got himself arrested. And he is being tracked where he is at all times. If he comes near your house or probably your school that alarm is going to go off." Rita said. "But it's okay, it's normal, to be scared. You were severely hurt."

"Everyone keeps telling me that they'll pay and be locked up, but I can't help but feel like they're going to get away with it." Callie reached up to tug at the necklace resting on her chest.

"There has to be a ton of evidence against them. You said they beat you up badly, did you go to a hospital? Did you have a rape kit done?" Rita asked, noting the way Callie flinched at the word rape.

"Yeah they did one in the emergency room. I was in the hospital for a week." Callie said. "Everyone keeps telling me there's a ton of evidence, but I feel like it doesn't mean anything. Evidence hasn't meant anything in the past when Jude and I were being hit in our foster homes."

"I know justice hasn't been given to you in the past and that things haven't gone your way, but you have to trust this. You have people fighting for you this time." Rita said. She glanced at Callie's stomach, covered by a baggy shirt. "So you've decided your keeping the baby?"

Callie burrowed her eyebrows at the slight disapproval in Rita's voice. "Yes, I am."

"Have you explored your other options?"

"Yes, I have." Callie said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "I can't personally bring myself to get an abortion, which it's probably too late for anyway, and after everything I've been through, I'm not giving my child to someone else. I already love this baby."

"I understand, but do you know how much it takes to raise of baby? You are only sixteen."

Callie narrowed her eyes at Rita. "I know it's difficult to raise a baby, but nothing about my life has been easy. I may be sixteen, but I was forced to grow up at the age of ten when I had to raise my brother for six years."

"What about finishing high school? Going to college? Starting a career?"

Callie swallowed thickly. Her heart race increased and she wasn't sure if it was due to anxiety or anger. She felt like Rita was attacking her. "Those things can still happen. It may have to be pushed off, but I can still finish school and start a career. I'm not asking you to agree with my decision, but a little support would be nice."

Rita's features softened at Callie's words. "I'm sorry. I've just seen so many girls get pregnant and keep the baby and then the father doesn't stick around to help and their lives fall off the track again."

"I'm not one of those girls! This wasn't a mistake I made. I didn't have the choice to have sex. I didn't have the choice to use protection. I didn't have the choice to get pregnant." Callie closed her eyes in an attempt to stop the tears from falling.

"You're right." Rita nodded. "You're not one of those girls. I have no doubt in my mind that you are capable of doing this. I'm sorry, I don't want you to think that I'm not supportive or that I think you're making a wrong choice. That wasn't my intention. I just…I wanted to make sure you fully thought this through. This is something you do have a choice in."

Callie scoffed. "Even this choice feels forced."

Rita frowned. The despair, exhaustion, and anxiety were evident in Callie's eyes. The pain the young girl had endured was immeasurable. "I can't tell you what will happen or that everything will be okay, but what I can tell you is that you will get through this and I truly believe that. I wouldn't say that about anyone. I've dealt with many girls who haven't even been through half of what you have and I wouldn't say it for them. You haven't caught a break for the past six years, but you keep bouncing back. You are the strongest person I know. So don't give up and don't fall into bad habits."

Callie tugged on the sleeves of her shirt. She didn't feel strong; she felt weak. She couldn't sleep at night, she could barely get through the day without at least one meltdown, she flinched every time someone touched her or she heard an unexpected noise, and she was constantly on edge. She felt as though she was barely holding it together. She remained silent though; she didn't want to talk about this anymore and she knew if she told Rita she felt weak it would open a can of worms. She was too emotionally exhausted.

Thanks for reading! The semester is finally over so more time for writing. Review!

Merry Christmas!