Chapter 6.

There were no cars in the Foster's driveway. No one was home. But that didn't stop Callie from walking up the steps and ringing the doorbell, just in case. As she expected, no one answered.

She wasn't quite ready to leave, though. Sighing, she pressed her face to the living room window, and looked inside. Everything was as she remembered; the family photos, the comfy clutter. Hanging on the wall was a framed family photo, taken at Stef and Lena's wedding. Back when she was happy. Her eyes blurred with tears. She blew the photo a kiss, then left the porch, and wandered out back. It felt right, just to be there.

As she passed by, she brushed her hand over the seat of the black bench. So much had happened there; moments that defined her. It was where Stef held her, the day of Frank's funeral, when she finally realized just how much she was loved. And it was where she and Brandon said they loved each other one last time before they broke up.

She looked around the empty yard, and up at her old bedroom window, and quickly decided to wait a little while, just in case someone came home. She headed to the back porch, stopping to smell Lena's flowers. Plucking one, she sat sat down on the porch swing. It creaked as she rocked back and forth.

One at a time, she pulled the petals off her flower, and dropped them by her feet, thinking of the past few days. She'd held Sophia's hand at their grandmother's funeral, just as she'd promised. She remembered watching Robert as he gave the eulogy, tears running down his cheeks. She felt a pang of sympathy for him, then. She knew what it was like to lose a mother.

But she couldn't bring herself to cry for Violet. In fact, seeing her silent in her coffin, an enormous weight seemed to lift from Callie's shoulders; the critical, bitter old woman, who showed neither her or her mother any kind of love or acceptance, could no longer hurt her. She was gone.

Violet left Callie nothing in her will. On the day of the reading, she sat stiffly between Robert and Sophia as her grandmother's final wishes were read by her lawyer. Violet divided her estate between Robert and Jill, and Robert's younger brother. Sophia received Violet's antique locket and a ruby ring. Callie was glad her little sister had something to remember her grandmother by. But it was humiliating, sitting there expectantly and never hearing mention of her name. Especially when she saw the smug look on Jill's face. It was as if, to Robert's mother, she'd never existed.

On the way out of the law office, Sophia took her hand. "You can have the ring, Callie."

Callie shook her head, setting her hand on the young girl's shoulder. "Thanks, sweetheart. But I can't take it. It's your birthstone."

"It's your birthstone, too," Sophia pointed out. "And it's not fair that you didn't get anything."

"I don't need anything," Callie told her. "I don't want anything from her."

"Are you sure?" her little sister asked. She looked as if she might cry.

She nodded. "I'm sure. She wanted you to have the ring, Soph. If she wanted me to have it, she would have left it to me." The last thing she needed was Violet Quinn's ghost haunting her for the rest of her life.

She managed a smile, for Sophia's sake. "But thanks for offering, kiddo."

When she was left holding just a stem, Callie decided she'd waited long enough. she considered leaving Stef and Lena a note to tell them she'd been there. But she thought the better of it, thinking they might be sad if they knew they'd missed her; she knew she would be. She dropped the stem on the ground, and went to her car.

On impulse, Callie took a left when she was supposed to go right. The next thing she knew, she found herself in the parking lot of Brandon's building; it was as if they were drawn together by a magnet. She had to see him. If anyone could cheer her up, it was him. It would be easy to forget her troubles once she was in his bed, underneath him, with him inside her.

She went to his floor, and rang his doorbell.

"Oh. Hey, Callie," he said, letting her in. "I didn't know you were back in town."

"I just got in," she explained. "I haven't even been home yet." She hugged him around the neck and pecked him on the lips. His lips were so beautiful; plump and pink, soft and kissable.

"Well, I'm glad you came." He gave her a more forceful kiss. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," she admitted, running her fingers through the wavy hair that fell over the back of his neck. She held him tighter, resting her cheek against his chest.

"So, how did it go?" he asked. He traced his fingers up and down her spine, sending a delicious chill through her.

She sighed. "It basically sucked."

"Well, do you want to talk about it?"

She nodded. "Sure. Why not relive the experience?"

Brandon chuckled. "We don't have to if you don't want to."

Callie looked into his deep, sincere eyes. "No. It's fine. I want to tell you about it."

Brandon led her to the sofa, and they sat down. He took her hand, holding it in his lap.

Saying she wanted to talk about it and actually doing it were two different things, she quickly realized. She tried to open her mouth, but her tongue stuck. She didn't know where to begin. Finally, she just blurted out the first thing that popped into her head. "I wasn't sad."

"What?" His face showed no sign of judgement. He laced his fingers through hers.

"I wasn't sad... that she died," Callie slowly admitted. "I didn't cry at her funeral. I didn't feel anything. Just relief."

She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying not to cry now. "I sound like a monster, don't I? What kind of person doesn't cry at their grandmother's funeral? Maybe I'm a bad seed?"

"You're not a bad seed, Cal," Brandon laughed, resting his hand on her back. "She didn't sound like a very...warm... person."

"She was horrible to me," Callie confided. "Always. Just because she hated my mother."

Despite her resolve not to cry, her eyes stung. "She didn't remember me in her will, either. She gave Sophia some jewelry, but she didn't even mention me."

She ran her finger along the rim of her eye, stopping her tears before they fell. "I mean, it's not like there was anything I wanted from her, but it's the principle, you know? Technically, I was her oldest grandchild."

Brandon nodded, a sad look in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Callie." He leaned in and gave her a hug.

"I stopped by your house on the way home," she told him. "I was kind of hoping to see your moms and Jude, but no one was home. I guess I should've called first."

"That's okay," said Brandon. "If you want to spend time with them, maybe the two of us can spend a few days up there?"

Callie looked at him hopefully. "I'd love that. When?"

"I'm going home for Spring break," he told her. "You can come with me."

"Really?" she asked. "You don't think they'll mind an extra guest?"

Brandon snorted. "Callie, they'll probably be happier to see you than me."

Callie smiled, throwing her arms around his neck. "You're amazing, Brandon." She hugged him again. "Oh my gosh, I love you." Her cheeks blushed, and she looked at him apologetically. "You know what I mean."

He guided her into his lap and kissed her, masking his disappointment. "It's nothing, really." He paused, stroking her hair. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"I guess so," she answered. "But I can't promise an answer."

"What's stopping you from seeing moms and Jude?" Brandon asked quietly. "Did Robert say you can't? Because, you are over eighteen, you know? You can do whatever you want."

Callie looked down into her lap. She felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. How could she explain that the wall between her and the Fosters was, for the most part, built by her, herself? "No, he didn't say that. I mean, he didn't outright forbid it or anything."

"Then what is it?"

"Brandon, sometimes having to say goodbye over and over is more painful than being apart."

"I don't understand..." he said, his voice drifting.

She shook her head, sliding off his lap. "I didn't expect you to. I have to go now."

When Callie entered her dorm room, Caitlin was there to greet her. "I missed you!" she cried.
"I missed you too," Callie nodded. She looked around the living room. It was a mess, without her there to clean up. It even looked as if Caitlin might have had a party while she was away.

"So?" her friend asked. "How was the old witch's funeral?"

Callie sighed. "I'll tell you all about it later. But first, I want to unpack and take a shower."

"Cool," Caitlin replied, oblivious to Callie's bad mood. "I'll order a pizza."

"Sounds good," she replied.

She carried her suitcase into her room, tossing it on her bed, and sat down heavily on the mattress. For a few minutes, she just stared into space, not moving and barely breathing. Caitlin's words from the week before came back to her; I think you want to be miserable, because you hate your life.

Desperate for a distraction, she unzipped her suitcase and began taking out her neatly folded clothes, separating them into small piles. She was almost finished, when something shiny in the bottom of the bag caught her eye. She picked it up, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, because in her hand, she held Violet's ruby ring.

To Be Continued

Author's Note: In response to Brian1972's comment, I feel the need to clarify something to my readers... a lot of what Callie is going through in this story is internal. Robert's actions were definitely misguided, but he isn't necessarily mean or controlling. However, the trauma of being taken from the Foster's undid a lot of what Callie learned at Girl's United. You'll see, as the story goes on, how Callie's depression and the instinct to run from her troubles has held her back, even carrying over to her relationship with Brandon.

Thanks for the amazing response to this story so far... keep reading!