Callie ran out of the house, onto the front porch, and then around the side of the house and into the backyard as quickly as she could. She wanted to run farther, but she also knew she would be in trouble this time if she did. She had run more than once since living with Stef and Lena, and she didn't want to get in trouble for doing it now just because Mariana decided to be an ass. Mariana didn't understand anything. At. All. But Callie knew after the last couple of times, actually running off was not an option. Besides, it was dark, and she didn't really like to be outside when it was dark. Not alone, anyways.
Callie ran to the tree that was outside of her and Mariana's bedroom window and climbed. She was quick. She knew exactly where to step, not because she had climbed this particular tree, but because she had climbed many in the past.
In a tree was safe. It gave her time to think. To get away from everyone. Most people wouldn't climb a tree after her, even if they could find her. She had had foster parents in the past call the fire department, but only twice, when they realized she was just going to keep climbing trees when she needed to think, when she knew Jude was safe. He was safe here. Here, she never had to worry about Jude. It was a completely new feeling to her, to not have to worry constantly about her little brother.
But, Mariana had had no right to call her selfish. Not at all.
Callie climbed up higher in the tree, trying her best not to think about Mariana or Stef or Lena or Jude. She didn't want to think about Jesus or Frankie or Robert Quinn or Sophia. She wanted to think about herself and whether or not she and Jude were ever going to truly be safe. But deep down, she knew the truth.
She shook her head as she climbed to the next branch, clearing her thoughts. She knew she was safe here. Jude was safe. Jude was happier than he had ever been. It was stupid to let Mariana's words make her think back to a time she was anything but safe.
Was she happy? She felt happy. But was she?
She didn't know. Because she didn't remember what being happy, truly happy, felt like.
"Callie?"
Callie's eyes narrowed. Mariana. She did not want to talk to Mariana right now. She wanted to be mad. Angry. Hurt. She was hurt and angry. She deserved the feelings she was feeling. She knew, deep down, it was okay that she was angry.
She finally reached as far into the tree as she could in the dark and made herself comfortable on the slim branches. She was higher than her room window and she could see Mariana, even though she knew Mariana could not see her through the leaves and branches..
"Mariana, what is going on?" Stef asked from the gate. She had followed the girls after hearing the chaos.
"Nothing, Mom!" Mariana snapped without thinking.
Callie rolled her eyes. Mariana was just making it worse for herself, and even Callie knew that.
"Mariana, where did Callie go?"
This time it was Lena.
"What do you mean where is Callie?" Stef asked, just as she was about to tell Mariana to watch her mouth.
"Can you two just leave this to me? I will find her. Good grief! You act like no one can do anything, ever! I will find her and bring her back in," Mariana snapped again.
Callie wiggled a little closer to the trunk of the tree, rustling the branches a little.
Stef, with her eagle eyes, caught the movement immediately, even if she couldn't tell exactly where Callie was in the tree.
"Mariana, I would watch your attitude if I were you. Why would Callie even be out here?" Stef asked, moving underneath the tree so she could find out exactly where her twelve year old was.
"Mom, seriously, this is between me and Callie! I will find her!"
"Maybe you should explain why she was yelling at you and vice versa not five minutes ago, and then why she ran out of the house," Lena said, her hands crossed over her chest as she stared her sixteen year old daughter down.
"I said I would find her! We got into an argument and she called me selfish! Then I called her selfish and it escalated, okay? Can you just leave me alone and let me find the little brat so I can tell her I am sorry?" Mariana yelled at her mothers.
"You wouldn't have to tell me you were sorry if you weren't being an ass! And stop calling me a brat. You don't know anything about me, Mariana!" Callie yelled at the older girl.
Mariana looked around. Where the heck was Callie?
Lena walked over to the tree and looked up.
"Young lady, I am not going to tell you again, watch your language. Now get down out of that tree before you hurt yourself," Lena said, though she was gentle with her words. It had been a long week already, and it was barely started.
"No! Not until Mariana leaves! It is not my fault she is a selfish ass! It is not my fault she doesn't know anything about me other than what Jude tells her about things because it isn't any of her business and she doesn't think to just ask me instead of accusing me of shit! It isn't my fault she just doesn't want me to talk about her stupid belly button piercing! It wasn't my fault that she is an idiot and doesn't think about what she says to people!" Callie screamed, not even thinking about what she was saying.
Mariana stared up into the tree.
"Damnit, Callie! You said you wouldn't snitch on me!" Mariana yelled up to the tree where she thought Callie was, but never did see her, no matter how much she looked through the tree for her.
Stef and Lena looked at one another. Mariana had her belly button pierced? How in the hell had they missed that?
Callie stared down at Mariana and mentally kicked herself, though. She hadn't meant to say that. Not at all. But right now she was too worked up to really care.
"Callie, love, I really need you to carefully come down, okay?" Stef said, watching the 12 year old closely. She could tell Callie was getting worked up and being twenty or more feet in the air was not the ideal place for that to happen.
"Make Mariana leave and I will think about coming down! I am not coming down if she is down there!" Callie yelled back, tears starting to fall down her cheeks. She knew she was going to be in trouble and it wasn't fair. Mariana had said horrible things to her. Mariana had made all this happen and it was her fault!
Callie climbed down a few feet, but was still hidden. The only one who could see her was Stef, and she was okay with that. She didn't want anyone else to see her right now.
"Callie, you are being such a brat!" Mariana screamed, frustrated that this had gotten so out of control. She was really trying to be calm, but the younger girl was really pushing her feelings right now.
"Mariana, come here. Now," Lena said, wanting to deescalate the entire situation before the neighbors called the police.
"Mariana, you are being a colossal bitch! Why don't you listen to the moms for once in your life? You did this! You said I was selfish! You said I got me and Jude kicked out of all our other foster homes! You are a bitch because I am not selfish! I did a good job by Jude! So fuck you!" Callie screamed as she started to climb further down the tree.
Several things happened at once then. Lena walked over to Mariana, shocked at what she had just heard Callie say — and for once didn't think a single thing about either girls' language at the moment. She knew she needed to separate Callie and Mariana to get them both calmed down. She needed to talk to Mariana and find out what possessed her to say something like that to Callie — to her little sister who she knew, without a doubt, had had a hard time before coming to live with them.
Stef looked at Mariana and then up at Callie and noticed she was coming down the tree faster than she could manage, finally hitting a branch that was thin enough to snap, causing the child to lose her grip and fall the last five or six feet to the ground. Stef, while fast, was not fast enough to catch Callie when she fell, Stef knew immediately that she would not come from this without being hurt.
Callie crumbled to the ground, the breath knocked out of her. But she quickly stood up, despite being light headed, and looked at Stef.
"I am good," Callie said quietly, before she passed out.
Luckily, Stef was close enough this time to catch her, keeping her from causing more damage than she already had — because it was apparent to Stef and Lena both that Callie had broken her wrist by the odd angle it was in.
After Mariana leaned over and threw up, mostly on Lena, it was apparent to the mothers that Mariana also knew Callie had a broken bone.
It was going to be a much, much longer night than they had thought.
