Chapter 34

Callie quietly tiptoed towards the crib where Frankie kicked her legs as soft whines left her lips. She scooped her into her arms and rocked her gently. "Hey, sweet girl. Are you hungry?"

The baby cried softly as her small hand curled around Callie's finger. A warm smile stretched Callie's lips as she continued to bounce slightly. She quietly made her way downstairs to the kitchen, pulling a bottle from the fridge, and placing it in the bottle warmer. Soothing coos escaped her lips in an attempt to comfort the fussy baby who anxiously awaited her meal. The light on the bottle warmer dimmed. Callie grabbed the bottle and strolled into the living room. She took a seat on the couch, propping Francesca up in her arms. The little girl latched onto the bottle quickly, silencing her whines.

Callie studied Frankie's features as she contently sucked on the bottle. Her heart swelled and ached as it did with every interaction with the newborn. The love she had for Frankie was immeasurable, but it was a constant reminder of the gaping hole in her heart that once occupied Melody. Especially today- what was supposed to be her due date. The bond she developed with Frankie was partly because of the loss she suffered. She craved caring for a baby because hers had been ripped away from her.

Callie placed the bottle on the end table when Frankie finally finished. She rested the baby on her shoulder and gently patted her back until a hiccup sounded through the quiet house. Callie pressed a delicate kiss to Frankie's head before cuddling her in her arms. "Are you happy now that your belly is nice and full?"

Big brown eyes gawked at Callie. Frankie's lips widened into a yawn before a soft sigh escaped her lips. A smile found Callie's lips as she bounced her softly and a gentle melody emitted her lips. "To you, I'll give the world. To you, I'll never be cold. 'Cause I feel that when I'm with you,
It's alright, I know it's right. And the songbirds are singing, like they know the score. And I love you, I love you, I love you, like never before."

Callie whipped her head at the sound of the floor creaking. Lena appeared in the living room, squinting slightly at the lighted room. "Hey. You didn't have to get her."

"I was up, and I heard her, so I figured I'd give you guys a break."

"Why don't I take her? You start school tomorrow. Or today really." Lena offered, glancing at the clock that read 4:36. "You can probably get another couple of hours of sleep."

Callie shook her head. "There's no point. I'm not going to be able to sleep."

"You okay?" Lena asked as she took a seat on the couch beside Callie.

"Today was my due date." Callie whispered.

Lena frowned. The pain the teenager was suffering from was inconceivable. Lena glanced at the baby in Callie's arms and could even begin to imagine losing her. She'd seen Callie slowly heal over the past few weeks, but she assumed this day was like tearing the scab off a healing wound. "I'm sorry, Callie. I know it's the first day, but you can stay home if you want."

"No. I don't want to start the year behind especially that I'll probably have to miss for the trial." Callie couldn't help the wince that crossed her face at just the thought of the looming trial. "Plus sitting home is just going to give me more time to think about it."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Lena, you don't have to stay up. I'm not going to get any more sleep and she's almost out anyway. You should get some rest." Callie watched Frankie's eyes flutter shut.

"I appreciate the help, even though you don't have to. But I'm up now anyway. And I'm not going to be able to go to sleep knowing you're sitting down here hurting." Lena watched Callie's eyes linger on the baby. "I'm sorry that you have to deal with a baby in the house. I can't imagine how difficult that must be."

Callie shook her head as she gently stroked Frankie's dark hair. "No. I don't want you to apologize. You guys planned this. Nobody planned for me to get pregnant or the way it ended."

"She loves you." Lena smiled, her eyes glancing down at her new daughter. "You're great with her. She's always comforted by your presence. Stef and I love and appreciate how much you help out with her, but we don't expect you to, especially if it's too difficult."

"It's hard." Callie admitted, tears springing to her eyes. With every cry, Callie imagined what Melody's cries would have sounded like. With every yawn, Callie imagined what Melody's yawning would look like. With every milestone, Callie imagined Melody reaching her milestones. "I think about Melody every time I look at Frankie, but I think caring for her is healing in some ways."

Lena smiled sadly. "I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through. You just let us know what you need and when and we'll do it."

"All of you have been great and extremely supportive." Callie smiled sadly as her eyes sauntered back down to the sleeping newborn in her arms. "But I think it's impossible for any of you to give me what I need."

Lena swallowed the lump forming in the back of her throat. The thought of never seeing Frankie breathe, never see her open her eyes, never watch her grow was unbearable. It nearly made her heart stop at the thought of only holding her once. But Callie had actually experienced all of those things. "What can I do right now? Do you want to just sit quietly? Do you want the TV on? Do you want to talk? I can make some tea or coffee."

"Lena, you should sleep while you have the chance."

"That wasn't one of the options." Lena offered a gentle warning. It pained her that Callie continued to put everyone's needs above her own. Lena swore that someway, somehow, she would get the teenager to understand all that she was worth. "There's no point in arguing. Even if I made the effort to, I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep knowing you're sitting down here. I bet you can understand that because with that big heart of yours I can guarantee you wouldn't be able to sleep if any of us were up hurting."

Callie pursed her lips slightly. Apparently, Lena knew her too well.

"So how can I help right now?" Lena repeated.

"I guess talking would be nice. I need a distraction." Callie said.

"Did I ever tell you the time I found Brandon in my bathroom covered in my makeup?"

Callie couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips. She glanced down at the sleeping infant to make sure she hadn't disturbed her, but the baby remained peaceful. "No."

Lena shared the story she was referring to followed by many others. The two sat on the couch for the next two hours sharing stories about their lives before they knew one another. It was mostly Lena who talked, sharing memories about Brandon and the twins' childhoods, her own childhood, and her and Stef's relationship. Callie listened contently, eager to learn more about the people she now considered family. She shared a few of her own stories about her and Jude's life prior to foster care.

It wasn't until the sun rose and Frankie awakened for her next feeding that the two ended their bonding. Callie reluctantly handed the baby off to Lena and made her way upstairs to get ready for school. Using the bathroom prior to everyone else's rising was in her best interest. Especially Mariana who was sure to take extraordinarily long on the first day of school.

The insecurity brewing inside of Callie multiplied as she stepped into the school's entrance. Everyone's eyes ogled her. The last time she had stepped foot in this school was the Anchor Beach party nearly a month ago. That night had ended with her stumbling into the bathroom bleeding and in pain, eventually becoming the worst night of her life, despite the other countless nights fighting for that title. Everyone had seen her escorted into the ambulance on a stretcher, but she didn't know how much they knew. Even if the truth had gotten out, she could only assume that people would twist it.

Brandon reached for her hand and Callie met his concerned eyes. It was bad enough that her due date was haunting her, but she also had to return to the place where she was harassed relentlessly. "You okay?"

Callie nodded as she watched two girls whisper as they passed her. "Everyone staring and talking about me. It's nothing new."

Brandon stopped in his tracks and spun to face his girlfriend. He reached down to plant a kiss on her lips. "Let them stare at that."

A smile found Callie's lips as Brandon once again found a way to ease the anxiety whirling in the pit of her stomach. She placed her hand on his chest as his hands continued to rest on her hips. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." Brandon laughed lightly.

"Stop being adorable. It's too early." Mariana groaned teasingly.

"Says the girl who hangs all over Mat." Brandon countered with a grin. His hands fell from Callie's waist before the two of them locked hands.

"Whatever. I'm going to my first class." Mariana sighed before strutting down the hall and disappearing into the crowd.

"She's so happy in the mornings, huh?" Brandon joked, earning a laugh from his girlfriend and Jesus.

Jesus took off to meet with Emma while Jude parted when he spotted Connor and Taylor down the hall. Callie was extremely grateful that she had first period with Brandon. It made the day a little more bearable knowing she had that comfort to start the day and ease her way into it.

Callie inhaled sharply as she felt a hand grasp her behind. She twirled around to meet the eyes of Tommy Walker, who wore a smug smirk. The three months she had gone without seeing him had been too short. She clenched her teeth as she took a step away from him. "Don't you dare touch me."

"Feisty." He winked with a grin. "You look hotter now that you're not pregnant."

"You're an asshole." Callie muttered before she continued down the hall. To her dismay, Tommy followed walking beside her. "Go away. I have nothing to say to you."

"That's okay. Your mouth will be busy with what I have in mind anyway." The light chuckle that left his lips made Callie's stomach churn.

"Even if I didn't have a boyfriend, I wouldn't touch you with a ten-foot pole." Callie snarled. Her heart quickened when he stepped in front of her and backed her into the wall behind them. She attempted to dodge around him, but he blocked her. "Get out of my way."

"You know a lot of the guys on the wrestling team, including me, are seniors. This was supposed to be our best and final year. And now we don't have Vico. Because of you." Tommy spat, his eyes narrowing at the brunette, who was trying to hide the fear brewing inside her.

"Maybe he should have thought about that before he forced himself on me." Callie retorted, her gaze remaining hard on Tommy. She refused to back down, refused to show the fear that was beginning to make her limbs tremble. She made the attempt to walk past him again only for him to block her again. Oxygen escaped her lungs when his hands gripped her upper arms and pressed her into the wall. The anger that flickered in his eyes was unmistakable and it made Callie's heart gallop wildly. Plenty of students roved the halls, but nobody batted an eyelash. "Don't touch me."

"You're a lying whore." Tommy growled, lowering his head towards hers. "If you don't drop the charges on Vico, there will be hell to pay."

"Hey! Get away from her!"

Tommy released his grip on Callie as Jesus stormed towards them. Tommy held his hands in the air as he took a step back from Callie. "No need to overreact. We were just catching up."

"Get out of here, Walker, and don't say another word to her." Jesus warned, slipping himself in between Callie and Tommy.

Tommy's eyes gawked at Callie for a moment, silently reminding her of his threat. He lingered for several seconds before taking off down the hall, leaving a defeated and frightened brunette and a concerned and furious Jesus.

Jesus spun to face Callie. "Are you okay?"

Callie swallowed thickly, nodding a little too quickly. "I'm fine."

"Did he do something? What was he saying to you?"

"It doesn't matter." Callie whispered.

Callie's avoidance only increased Jesus's worry. "What did he do, Callie?"

Callie let out a breath before she hesitantly recalled Tommy groping, pestering her for sexual favors, and threatening her to drop the charges against Vico.

Jesus clenched his fists by his side as his nostrils flared. He was always a protective brother; it started from a young age as he and Mariana were exposed to difficult environments. The protectiveness only intensified with all that Callie had been through. "I'm going to kill him."

"It's fine. He's just trying to scare me." Callie wasn't sure how much she actually believed her words. It was true he was trying to scare her, and he succeeded, but Callie wasn't convinced it was an empty threat. They'd been here before. Brandon pissed off Vico, Vico promised revenge, and he followed through. Tommy had already proven that his boundaries were just as nonexistent as Vico's.

"It's not fine." Jesus said. "Why don't we go tell Monty?"

"No." Callie said quickly, shaking her head. With Lena on maternity leave, Monty was filling in as head principal, but Callie was fully aware that it would get back to Lena. "Let's not make this a thing."

Jesus studied Callie for a moment. He wanted Tommy to receive some sort of consequence, but he also did not want to go against Callie's wishes. So many decisions had been stolen from her and he'd be damned if he robbed her of another.

"It's okay, Jesus. It'll just make it worse." Callie added when she saw the hesitancy in his eyes. "And please don't tell Brandon. I don't want him going after him."

"Okay." Jesus sighed reluctantly. "But you let me know if he bothers you. And if this gets worse, we're going to Monty."

"Hey, how's your day going?" Brandon asked.

Callie let out a sigh as she slipped her bag off her shoulder and placed it on a nearby chair. "Not the best."

Brandon met Callie's eyes, searching for a further explanation. The defeat he found swimming in her chocolate orbs made his stomach sink. "What happened?"

Callie shrugged. "Just everyone talking about me. They all have their own stories about everything."

"Why do you care what everyone thinks?"

"I don't. I mean I wouldn't if they didn't say and do things."

"Who is doing what?" Brandon straightened his posture as he watched Callie shift uncomfortably.

A sigh left Callie's lips. "The entire wrestling team has it out for me for ruining their team."

"You didn't ruin their team, Vico did."

"I know, but that's not how they see it."

"What are they doing?"

"It's just constant sexual remarks and they think they can touch me whenever they want." Callie muttered, failing to meet Brandon's eyes.

"They're touching you? Where are they touching you?" Brandon's voice raised an octave and his nostrils flared as he inched to the edge of his seat.

"Just like grabbing my butt or…it's not a huge deal, it's just annoying."

"No, it is a big deal. That's not okay. We need to tell Monty." Brandon stood abruptly only to have Callie tug on his arm.

"No. I can handle it myself. There's no need to make a big deal out of this."

Brandon paused in his tracks. "What if this was Mariana? What if the wrestling team was harassing her and touching her? Would you want her to just handle it herself?"

Callie remained silent for a moment; they both knew her answer. She would be the first person to do anything and everything to protect Mariana. "No."

"So why is it any different for you?"

"Because I'm used to it."

Her words made his heart ache. He knew very well that she wasn't used to it. This wasn't something that one got used to. But it was happening so often that it was becoming a normal occurrence and Brandon refused to let it go on. "That doesn't make it okay. In fact, it makes it worse that it's happening so often. They can't get away with this."

"There's no evidence, Brandon. It's my word against everyone else's." Callie said, defeat evident in her voice. "Telling Monty is just going to make things worse. They'll retaliate and who knows what they're capable of."

Brandon knew this was troubling Callie more than she was trying to let on. This was creating an unsettling anxiety. How could it not? "We can't just let them continue doing this. We don't have to tell Monty, but something has to be done."

Tears suddenly sprang to Callie's eyes. The events of today built upon the countless hardships of the past year suddenly felt overwhelming.

"Why are you crying?" Brandon asked worriedly.

Callie squeezed her eyes shut as silent tears dribbled down her cheeks. Everything crashed into her at once: the grief, the trauma, her due date, the harassment, the looming trial, the false assumptions and stories. The hopelessness was unbearable and all too familiar. There was no solution in sight. If she sought help from an adult, the most severe punishment would be suspension for maybe a few of the wrestlers. But that was a stretch. The likely thing to happen would the wrestling team would simply be talked to and faculty would increase their watch for evidence. But Callie was nearly certain they would find ways to continue their harassment hidden from the eyes of faculty. And any kind of punishment, save for expulsion, was only going to infuriate the boys and intensify their desire for revenge. They had already proven their lack of morals; they'd proven that they only saw Callie as a sexual object, as a means for power and control. The biggest red flag was that they were all friends with Vico, stood by him, and supported him despite the accusations. And so, Callie feared the extremes they would go to in order to satisfy their want of revenge.

"I'm scared and exhausted and worn out."

Brandon erased the space between them and reached up to gently brush away the tears trickling down her cheeks. "I know. You've been through a lot. More than anyone should ever have to go through. I'm not going to go against your wishes, but I'm not just going to sit back and let them do this to you."

"I don't want you to go after any of them." She wiped at her dampened cheeks. "I have enough to worry about. I can't be worrying about you getting into fights or getting hurt. I need you, Brandon. I can't do this without you."

Brandon reached up again this time to push a strand curl behind her ear. He cupped her cheek to gaze in her chocolate orbs swimming with anxiety and pain. "I'm not going anywhere. I won't start a fight, okay? But I will intervene if I see something and I want you to let me know when something happens. I think we need to avoid you being alone."

"I don't want to be babysat." Callie muttered.

"No one is babysitting you. But they seem to try to catch you alone. And they're wrestlers. They're impossible to fight against."

"I know." Callie whispered as images of Vico pinning her down in the woods flickered in her mind. "

Brandon watched the battle erupt in Callie's mind. He knew her better than he knew himself and he could tell her mind was wandering back to that dreaded night in the woods. "I'm sorry. Of course, you know. I'm just worried. The thought of something happening to you again is suffocating."

A shaky exhale left Callie's lips. She wanted to reassure Brandon that she was fine. That the wrestling team was just trying to instill fear. That they would eventually become bored and move on. But she couldn't. It was clear that they were furious about Vico's expulsion and impending jail sentence. They made it obvious that they were seeking revenge. "I know. But you're with me in the morning. We have last period together too so you can be with me when we're leaving school. They can't do much more than what they're doing now in the middle of the day with so many other people around."

Brandon sighed. He wanted to confront the wrestling team. He wanted them to be punished for their harassment, for instilling further fear in Callie, for thinking they could do what they want. But he wouldn't go against Callie's wishes; not unless it started to get out of hand. "Promise me you'll tell me if they bother you."

"Okay."

Thanks for reading! I can't believe how long it's been since I updated- I apologize. I'm currently student teaching and have been extremely busy. Anyway, I hope you've stuck around. The trial begins next chapter!

Review!