A/N: You guys are out of this solar system! How's that for switching it up? Getting better? Thanks again for all the reviews, y'all got me to 100! It's the best feeling in the world to see triple digits. So I wrote this whole chapter yesterday. My week has been so busy. it took me forever to write this and it's only 4,500 words :( Sorry again for the short chapter, but I will deliver on Episode 20! Wanna know why? Because Episode 20 is going to be like a finale of sorts (only there will be no hiatus) and there'll be a lot of OMG moments (including a character death, soweez :[ but nobody you're in love with, I promise!) I always wished this show would be a little more dramatic, raw, you know? So I'm throwing in a little degrassi twist. I promise Brallie is endgame! The first Brallie A-HA moment will be in Episode 20, I swear! But that's all the hints I can give you (for now ;]). Lastly, I know you guys are going to hate the new character I have cause I hate her too, so no worries, you're supposed to! Keep reviewing, stay classy, stay beautiful, stay extra-terrestrial.

Episode 17

Callie lets him be, for the most part.

Not that she wants him to start talking to her again, though the absence of his voice in her life is becoming quite strange. She's not used to the feeling of not being used to something- seeing as he had somewhat become her constant in the short time she's come to stay with the Fosters- he's always been there for her, unchanging. But now she hardly sees him, and when she does it's briefly as he's exiting or entering his room. He's made it his cave, his hideaway, and it seems to be doing its job.

It's easier to see him at school, but it seems he's avoiding her, because now he goes out of his way to take longer, different routes to class. He never once told her she still couldn't ride in the car with him, but she's been walking to school now. The air is less heavy outside, and it's clear he needs some space. She doesn't take it personally, he's been shutting everyone out. And she understands.

In fact, it's probably better for her. When Stef and Lena aren't discussing more serious matters, like Stef's impending first-day-back-at-work, they'll talk about the adoption, just to make sure they both still want to go through with it. As much as she hates pretending to be as eager as Jude, she knows it's what's best.

She knows she should initiate conversation with him some time, though. He needs to know someone is there for him. She's been through this. Friendship is not off the table, but timing is everything. Leap too fast and he'll think it's one of faith.

The day is oppressively hot. She trudges through this heat, her heart and mind racing, the combination producing excessive sweat. She wishes she could handle awkward situations better, then she could get a ride home, but Brandon doesn't just stay mute, he sends out that vibe that makes you want to grow a shell and slowly sink into it. So this is better for him, for her, for everyone. Other than this walk she doesn't get much exercise in, anyway.

Something compels her to walk down Talya's street. She wouldn't know where she lives hadn't it been for the time she decided to walk this way once and Talya was just pulling up in her driveway. It was, for lack of a better word, awkward, so she's not quite sure why she takes this way again, but she does.

As she nears her house, she sees that same blue prius pull up into the driveway, and she thinks about turning back, just to avoid any unnecessary, forced socializing. But Talya's house is far into a long stretch of block that would require much more energy to turn back on and change routes than to keep going straight. So the only remaining option is to cross over to the other side of the street, but the second her foot steps off the curb, Talya's parents are crawling out of the car, and her curiosity gets the best of her.

Talya isn't with them, and they don't know who she is (or if they do, they don't know what she looks like), so she should be safe as she continues along the sidewalk, pushing Mariana's earbuds further into her ears. Mariana is different now, a little nicer, especially to Callie, but not the same. She was never completely innocent when Callie arrived, but now her skin is thicker and she's seen things and heard things she probably shouldn't have, and she's different.

However, her taste in music still leaves much to be desired and Callie pauses the device in her pocket as she approaches the couple. They're walking up their pathway, completely oblivious of the brunette on the sidewalk that keeps sneaking peeks at them, and Talya's mom says, "Well, Talya sure will be happy to hear that was your last treatment."

She knows this is wrong, to eavesdrop like this, but she can't help it. Talya's always had this mischievous air around her, even though Callie tried hard to fully forgive her for her snooping, and Callie just needs the truth. She's not going to get another chance like this.

Callie's dragging out every step before she passes the house. Talya's dad agrees with his wife as she pulls out the house keys. "Yeah, but I don't want her getting the impression that it wasn't a trying experience. Skin cancer should not be taken lightly, I want her to-"

"I know, I've already got a bottle of Water Babies, you don't have to yell at me about it-"

"I'm not yelling, I'm just-"

"You're grouching."

Callie scurries along the rest of the way so she's completely out of sight, but they disappear into their house, still bickering. It's definitely not an attitude of someone who's terminally ill, and Callie finds herself rolling over everything until she reaches the house. Skin cancer? There's no doubting that that is the truth, seeing as it came straight from the horse's mouth, so that isn't the question.

The question is, what's Talya's truth?

She tries to be quiet as she closes the door, but the wind pulls it out from her fingers and it rattles the walls around her, awakening even the deepest inhabitants of the house. The rest of the walk was not just physically tiring but mentally; the usual internal debate took place over whether she should tell Brandon what she heard or not. It isn't her place to meddle, and what difference does it make to anyone? Talya obviously still feels threatened by her, and it would be wrong to use that weakness against her. But then Brandon's going through his own shit, and he's spending extra time and stress on a girl that is lying to him and doesn't exactly deserve it.

But who is she to say who does and doesn't deserve his time? She's certainly wasted enough of it.

So she thinks she'll just let it be, things will work out in the end, they have to. There'll be justice one way or another.

But then Brandon's slipping down the stairs, he's emerged from his cave, probably for his scheduled food break, which just so happens to be the moment she arrives, and they're forced to make eye contact. The wind has whipped her hair around her head, hiding her usual part line, and her face must look like she's just seen a ghost or something because he speaks to her, he actually opens his mouth and talks. "You okay?"

She just stares at him, dumbstruck, and now he's waiting at the bottom of the staircase, and she's wasting more of his time, and all she keeps hearing in her head is tell him tell him tell him but instead she says, "I'm fine."

And he's not convinced, obviously, but he walks away, and the internal debate enters rounds two.

"Hey, Callie?"

Callie looks up from her book, still gnawing on the end of her pencil as she looks to Lena in the doorway. She doesn't say anything, but Lena doesn't ask if she can come in, they're past that point of formality now. She waltzes in with a smile and Callie shifts on her bed so that Lena can take the end of it, and when she does, she picks up the book and admires it. "SAT, huh? Brandon let you borrow his book?"

"Yeah," Callie replies quietly, for fear of him hearing them, but one quick glance at his door determines that it's closed, and they're safe, "well, before he, you know..."

"I know," she nods, melancholy smile, "but he'll come around. He's just stressed out right now, he's got a lot on his plate. We all do. Which is why I wanted to talk to you, see if it was okay if we put off the adoption for a little while, just until Stef gets back into the groove of things at work, and everything with Brandon's dad clears up."

"Yeah, don't worry about it." she waves, relief washing over her. She knows she shouldn't feel glad that they're postponing it, but something about not being Brandon's actual sister for a little while longer is appealing. Her face scrunches up suddenly. "Does Brandon know about his dad? Because...well, because he was asking me about it the other day and I think he might be upset with me because I didn't tell him."

Lena sighs. "No, he doesn't. Stef wants to tell him tomorrow after school, so he has the weekend to cool down a little. We don't want it to distract him in class. Sorry if that's the case, but we appreciate it that you left it to us, Callie."

She doesn't realize that she's been nervously clicking her pencil this whole time, and when she catches herself, her hand stills and she forces a smile. "Yeah, sure."

Lena leans over the book between them and wraps Callie in a hug, and she's warm and smells like amber and vanilla and Callie doesn't care how sappy this is, she doesn't care how torn she feels about everything right now, she indulges and squeezes back. "We can't wait for you two to be officially part of the family, thank you for understanding."

When they pull away, there's the undeniable burn of somebody's eyes in her head and Callie's eyes float to the hallway outside her room, where Brandon stands, eyes hooded as he watches them interact. Lena's eyes follow and when she spots him she stands and says, "Hey, Brandon, you hungry for dinner?"

But even as she speaks to him, his eyes stay on Callie. It's like he's trying to say something; they're flashing with disinclination. Callie shrinks into her pillows.

Lena stops in the doorway. "Well, dinner should be done soon."

He nods curtly at his mom before disappearing back into his room, and Callie can't help but feel angry. Angry that he acts as if this is something she can control. As if there's another way for everything. She tried, the stars just won't align for them.

"Maybe you should just wait until Monday."

Stef sighs, but it quickly morphs into a smile as she rolls once again to face her wife, who's head is creased with incessant worry. "Lena, we've gone over this. There's no better way to ease into it than to start on a Friday. Then it's already the weekend!"

"But you could use a few more days-"

"Oh, God, a few more days and I'll surely be crazy," she pauses when she catches Lena's face, which is stone-like and not humored, but she practically whines, "Come on, Lena, I can only take so much of The Golden Girls."

"Nobody told you to watch that."

She can't help the goofy grin at the sight of Lena on her back, arms crossed in defiance and eyes on the ceiling, in perfect child-like manner. "Oh, now you're just being a baby."

She snaps out of the charade and bolts upright, eyes narrow slits. "No, you're just taking this too lightly! With everything that's going on right now I can't fathom how you-"

"Just because I can joke, doesn't mean I'm not worried about anything." Stef says as she joins her in a sitting position, and her voice is a little lower, less prone to joking, "I'm just as scared as you."

"Gee, that helps."

"I don't mean about work." she soothes quickly, taking Lena's skinny hand in her own. "I've been assigned a new partner, someone that'll have my back this time. I'm just worried about Mike. Telling Brandon. I'm still a little worried about Jesus, too." Lena's hard exterior fades and she softens, scooting closer to Stef in the bed. "But we can't let it eat away at us, Lena, it's all going to work out."

"We can't be sure of that."

"I can be, as long as I have you."

Lena's eyes narrow, but they're twinkling with humor now. "Stephanie Foster, don't go sweet-talking me."

"When have I been known to sweet talk?" she hums, her voice laced with sarcasm, and they're both grinning as they lean in to kiss each other, firm and sweet and sleepy goodnight kiss. When they lay down again, in each others arms, they don't roll over, not once.

It's safe to say that punk won't be sitting near him again, but Jesus stills finds himself dreading going back to that class, and he's white knuckling his math book as he makes his way down the hallway, company-less. Mariana would've walked with him, hadn't Kelsey stopped at her locker to tell her what Julie did on Wednesday, and what Samantha is wearing to school today, and why Mark has been gone for a week.

Mariana got after her for telling the whole school about Callie, but she couldn't bring herself to give up their friendship. She's one of the last friends she has, and Jesus will just have to let that one slide.

"Mr. Foster, good to see you back. It's safe to assume you've completed all the math homework for the past two days, correct?" his teacher greets him as he enters, and he already knows this is going to be one hell of a period. Without a word he slips his work out from his binder and places it on his desk. The late bell hasn't rung yet, so the class is only half-full, but the eyes that do occupy the room are on him as he takes his seat in the front.

He hadn't even noticed the girl behind him until she leans over her desk and speaks to him. "We're glad you did what you did, dude's a dick."

"Excuse me?" Her voice nearly made him jump and this is all he can manage as he swivels to face her, eyebrows nearly touching. "I was suspended for two days because of it, wasn't cool."

She tosses her ebony hair out of her eyes using just a jerk of her head, and she laughs. "You serious? Two days without school? Would've done it myself if I hadn't already gotten suspended this year, don't want to get expelled."

He slides the beanie back out of his face a little, just to get a better look at her. He doesn't remember ever seeing her in this class, let alone around the school. She's got on heavy eyeliner and she's rolling a skateboard underneath her feet absently, raising an eyebrow at him as he just stares. Finally, he says, "This is a really nice school, what are you doing here?"

"Ouch," she chuckles, hardly offended. "But if that was a serious question and not just a jab, I'm here for the usual shitty reason, parents want me to get a better education."

The late bell rings loudly, so he takes this time to roll his eyes, adding sarcastically before he has to turn to face the teacher, "The nerve of some people."

"I'm getting the vibe that you don't like me."

"I don't know you."

"If you did, you'd like me."

The teacher bellows loudly, going on about how they can't just keep writing random work down and expecting him not to notice, so he glances at the girl behind him and says, "I don't know what you want."

"It's no coincidence that I'm sitting behind you today, I asked if I could move here. I know that your girlfriend...or ex-girlfriend...is gone now and I've always thought you were cute. I think you could use some stress-free, no strings attached fun, you know?"

He looks away. "I'll pass."

She leans in again and whispers, since the teacher is now lecturing on the board, "Do you know what no strings attached means? It means no expectations, no titles, no worries. You need a friend, at least."

"Really? You expect me to believe all you want is a friend after that little speech?" he scoffs, trying to take notes, but he can't concentrate with the girl behind him breathing down his neck.

Finally, she sits back. "Fine, if you don't want to hang with some chill people, get away from that demanding little family of yours, that's on you. But we hang out in the parking lot after school, if you change your mind."

He doubts he will.

Teenagers crawl out of the school like thousands of ants, the school bursting at the seam, tee-shirts stuck in exploding briefcases. Jesus spots Callie making her way through the picnic benches to begin her walk home, and for a moment he considers joining her, but that could end two different ways and he doesn't really want to take a gamble. Callie will be his sister soon but until then, he's not going to force her into any unnecessary pre-sibling interaction.

Besides, his feet don't seem very interested in that idea, as he finds himself at the edge of the parking lot, looking out across it, trying to spot a skinny, raven-haired girl. It's impossible, though, as everybody seems to be leaving at once, swarming the lot to find their cars, but he takes off across it, anyway.

He doesn't know what's compelling him to do so but he's not very interested in returning home already. He just needs a break from it all, there's always something going on at home.

He makes it to the other side of the lot without spotting the girl once, and he's about to give up and just head home when he hears his name and a holler from inside an alley that makes up the backside of a strip of homes. There's a small circle of kids, and the raven-haired girl, waving him over. Something about the whole thing seems a little sketchy, but he's moving towards them again, coming to stand in their circle.

"I had a feeling you'd come around, you're not like all those other squares." she says as his feet stop, then adds, "everyone, this Jesus Foster, Jesus, this is everyone."

He doesn't know who everyone or anyone is, and he certainly doesn't know who she even is, but before he had even stepped foot in the alleyway he could smell the weed, that pungent, skunk-like odor, almost laced with lemon, and she's holding a blunt in her hands. "Are you guys smoking right next to the school? Really?"

"We've been doing it since freshman year, those fools never catch us." another beanie-donning stoner informs him, almost as if to reassure him, but he sounds so void of intelligence, Jesus takes it with a grain of salt.

Jesus merely shakes his head and turns around, but the girl catches his arm. "Just take a hit, it's free and you'll be glad you did."

"How generous."

"No, really," she insists, holding it up to him, "I know you could use it."

He rips away from her, ready to stomp off. "You don't know me!"

But she's angry that he's angry with her, and she growls, stopping him in his tracks, "I know that your mom just got shot and it may or may not be your fault, so you're probably blaming yourself for it right about now. Yeah," she says when his face falls, signaling that she's right or pretty close to it, "yeah, so trust me when I say you'll thank me for it."

He turns around and gets in her face, but he doesn't take the blunt from her. "I don't know what you want from me or why you're suddenly so interested in befriending me but I'm not, so leave me alone."

She lets him walk off this time. "Your loss, Jesus!"

Callie decides not to unravel the ipod in her pocket today, she's listened to almost every song on Mariana's ipod and isn't exactly impressed. She should probably return it to her now, she doesn't see herself getting much more use out of it, unless of course, Mariana allowed her to download some of her own music on it, but she's not sure she'd be so generous. And then she thinks, she's not sure she even has her "own music". She rarely listens to the radio.

Her eyes wander to the parking lot, where she glimpses Jesus before he's hidden behind a row of cars. She searches for Brandon's car, just to see if he hasn't left yet. He spoke to her yesterday, that has to count for something, maybe it wouldn't be so awkward to hitch a ride again. But when he stood in the hallway, looking so stoic, it may have thrown them off once more, balanced things out. She was wrong about the stars not aligning for them, the stars always align for them.

Just not the way they want them to.

"Hey!"

Callie freezes on the sidewalk, fingers curling around her backpack strap as her eyes meet Mike's. He pulls up to the curb but he doesn't get out of his car, just keeps his window rolled down as he says, "you're Callie, right? Do you know if Brandon has left school already?"

She steps back a little, glancing around. "Um...I don't...no, I don't know...I'm sorry."

"But you're the girl Brandon ran away for, how could you not know?"

She inches back a little more. She can tell he's not drunk but he may as well be, he's got thick stubble coating his face and his hair looks like it could use a good washing. From what she can see of his shirt, he could use a clean one, too. "I'm sorry, I really don't know."

"Callie,"

Brandon's marching up behind her, eyes like daggers, and Mike says, "Brandon! Just the guy I was looking for!" despite the obvious anger written over his face, and he grabs Callie by the arm when he reaches her, planting her behind him.

"What are you doing here?" he demands, and when he sees him reach for the door handle, he grinds out, "open that door and I'll walk away right now."

He doesn't seem to like the idea but he stays put. "I really think we should talk."

"You came to my house in the middle of the night, completely wasted, and broke my mom's china! You don't get to talk."

"Brandon-"

"And stay away from her," he adds, regarding Callie, "and my whole family. If and when we think you deserve our time, we'll find you."

"Brandon," Callie begins, but he grabs her by the arm again and starts tugging her away with him, and when she looks over her shoulder, Mike's watching them go in the side view mirror, looking completely and absolutely broken.

He walks behind her the whole way, ushering her in front of him, his hand lightly on her back, to the parking lot until he hears his dad's engine roar to life again and take off. When he pulls his hand away, he asks for the second time in just two days, "You okay? He didn't say anything...do anything?"

"No...he was fine, Brandon."

He looks at her, completely disbelieving, as they both climb into the car. "Fine? Are you kidding me? Did you even see him?"

"I meant that he wasn't drunk. That's a start, isn't it?"

"What are you trying to say, that I should've let him talk?"

She exhales softly, leaning against the passenger door. "I'm not saying anything. Where's Jude and Mariana?"

"They should be coming."

The car goes silent, and suddenly Callie's wishing she'd just torn free from him and walked home again, but it's extra hot today and her thighs still hurt from the detour she took yesterday, so she bears with it. She examines the dirt under her fingernails, avoiding any and all eye contact with the boy next to her. Where are Mariana and Jude?

"I just can't take this anymore."

Callie looks up slowly, afraid to meet his eyes, but when she looks at him he's running his hands over his face in distress. "What?"

"Everything. My dad, Talya," he removes his hands from his face and looks at her, "you."

Desperate to bring the attention away from her, and seeing it fit now that he knows the truth about Talya, just to take some of the load off of him, she says, "Brandon, there's something you should know. I should've told you yesterday but I didn't know if it was right."

He doesn't say anything, just waits for her to explain, his interest piqued. "Yesterday, I passed by Talya's house when I was walking home, and I overheard her parents talking. Talya's dad had skin cancer, Brandon, on his left ear. It was bandaged. His last treatment for it was two days ago."

"What?"

She looks out her window briefly, spotting Mariana and Jude approaching quickly, smiling as they chat. "What did Talya tell you?"

"She said he had lung cancer."

Before either can say more, the door flies open and Jesus shoots in, chucking his bag on the floor. "Hey, decided not to walk today." He eyes Callie in the front seat, obviously confused at the appearance, and says, "I see you're not either." He's looking between the two, trying to decipher what's going on, but then Mariana and Jude are sliding in, talking rapidly.

When Mariana finishes her story, she leans forward, having seen Callie in the front seat on the way over, and asks, "Everything good?"

But Brandon is the one to answer, as he looks over his shoulder and carefully pulls out of the space. "Peachy."

Next week on The Fosters:

Stef tells Brandon about his father

Brandon has to deal with Talya

and more

All new, Monday, September 23rd