I open my eyes and start to get confused by my surroundings. I am on my bed but someone is holding me. I take a peak upwards and see Stef sound asleep. At first I am surprised, but then remember what happened last night. I try to sit up but feel so emotionally exhausted I give up and go back into Stef's embrace. I am honestly a little shocked that it is Stef. I assumed that Lena was the one holding me because she has been the one I have been seeking comfort from the most. I also am surprised Stef stayed with me the entire night.

I look over and see Mariana's bed empty. She must be with Lena. The clock says 6:30am. Stef is usually up by six. Should I wake her up? I feel her stir and stay very still trying to calm my breathing. I was hoping to leave before she woke up, so I pretend to be asleep. I didn't want any awkward interactions. No one has cared enough to spend the entire night holding me. I suddenly remember that they want to adopt me and can't help but smile and feel loved. Not only was I going to legally belong to them, they care enough to hold me while I sleep.

"Good morning love. That smile is one of the best sights I have ever seen."

"Morning," I say blushing.

"We better get up and get moving so we are not late. Thank God it is Friday." I wonder if this is going to be awkward or not. I sit up as Stef stands up. She kisses my head and says, "I love you." I want to say it back, but I start to feel nervous and can't muster up the courage to do so.

She smiles sweetly and walks out the door. I lay back down looking at the ceiling and my mind starts running wild. I am not sure what to think. Maybe I should just tell them how I am feeling. They have to care a great deal if they want to adopt me. But they would be so disappointed to know I was hurting myself. I can't let them see that. If they find out about Liam they may kick me out. They will think I am disgusting. These types of thoughts continue to pour into my brain. I think I become overwhelmed because I slowly feel my body shutting down and begging for sleep. I have no choice but to comply.

I hear a voice saying my name but keep my eyes shut. I don't want to wake up. I don't want to go to school. I know Lena saw my wrist. I know they will confront me with it and they could change their minds.

"Callie honey, wake up. We have to leave in thirty minutes." I stay still.

"Callie, come on."

I groan and open my eyes. I am staring directly at Lena's face.

"Morning sleepy head. How are you doing? You must be exhausted."

"I am fine, sorry I must have fallen back asleep."

"That's fine, you don't need to shower anyways because did last night." I feel my mouth start to dry.

"Yeah," I croaked. Great, my voice gave me away.

"Are you alright?"

"Yup, sorry I must have a dry throat. I will get changed and then go get some water."

"Mom should be done with breakfast so hurry down before it gets cold."

"Alright, " I say. Really I plan to stay up here as long as I can so I don't have to eat anything. Food is the last thing I want right now.

I stand up to assure Lena I won't fall back asleep again. She gives me a warm smile and starts to walk out. I hadn't noticed she stopped because I was too lost in thought. I walk over to my dresser and pull out some clothes. Jean shorts and a long sleeve shirt. The AC in the school broke and they can't fix it until this weekend. Well, this is going to be a long hot day. I should have felt eyes watching me carefully but I was running through my head to come up with an excuse as to why I have a long sleeve shirt on. I pull my shirt off and go to put my other one on. I assume I am alone so don't worry about trying to cover up my wrists. After my shirt is on I go to change into my shorts.

I hear the door click and quickly look behind me to see my door completely shut. Huh, that was strange. Was someone watching me? I begin to panic as I realize I never waited to hear Lena shut the door as she left the room before I started changing.

I stall for about fifteen minutes and finally come down. Now I know for a fact Lena has seen my wrist. All of it. She knows that it is more than a simple scrape. I walk down quietly so I can spy into the kitchen and figure out what I am walking into. I know they will try and get me to eat so I want to see what kind of situation it will be. I sneak down the steps and stop when I hear whispers in the living room.

I quietly tip toe closer, staying hidden behind the wall.

"Stef, I saw a line of Band-Aids on her wrist. She said it was just a scrape but she had a short sleeve on until she got into the shower. We were outside the bathroom the whole time. That is the only time she could have gotten those. She wouldn't have done anything with Mariana in the same room with her either."

"My heart is breaking Lena, I can't stand to see any of my kids in pain. I can't believe she would hurt herself like this. I know it can be a common coping mechanism among teens her age, but it just feels so different and real when it is your own child. Are you sure that it was self-harm? Maybe she tripped and fell in the shower or something. "

"Then why wouldn't she say something? I know it is hard babe, but I am pretty sure we both know that she cut herself." Stef must have flinched because Lena pauses and says, "Sorry, I am just used to talking about this, you would be surprised how many students I have had who have dealt with this. But it hurt me ten times more to say that about our own daughter. There has to be something deeper going on. We need to get her to talk about how she feels so we can discover the root of the problem." I am a little surprised to hear Stef acting more emotionally than Lena, I think sometimes I always think Stef is the strong one because she is a cop. Lately I have noticed that they are strong for each other when they need to be. It dawned on me that Lena has a degree in child psychology and also had time to process that my cuts may actually be self-harm since last night.

"Well should we wait until after school? That way she will be home with us for the weekend. It might upset her that we know and if we confront her before the weekend we have a few days to keep a complete eye on her." Suddenly it clicked in my head. Maybe this is why Stef stayed with me. I bet Lena told Stef I should be supervised. I start to feel uneasy.

"That's what I was thinking too but then I started to worry about infection. I think we should talk to her now. Have the kids walk to school and then I can bring her in with me later depending on her mood. That way we can check the cuts and make sure they are cleaned properly. I will keep a close eye on her at school without being too obvious if I think she is in an emotional state where she can go. I don't have many meetings going on, so I will make sure she is okay in-between classes. I know the kids are worried about her, that is why I think she should still go to school. I don't want them to ask her questions and start asking us, because I think the attention will cause Callie to be more resistant to opening up to us if she is getting concerned looks and pounded with questions by everyone in the house. I honestly think Callie would be more comfortable going so she doesn't have to worry about looking suspicious to everyone else, but we can talk to her about that. Whatever is best for Callie, we need to do."

"Alright my love, well I will go get the kids to finish up and tell them they need to walk, why don't you go get Callie for me. Maybe come down in five minutes and I will make sure the kids are gone. Then after school we can talk about why she did this and try to talk about ways to help her stop."

"Thanks, Stef. I just want Callie to be healthy and happy. I hope she will let us be here for her." I hear them start to walk away and I run to hide in the downstairs bathroom. I then hear the steps begin to creak and Stef talking to everyone in the kitchen. I sneak back out, grab my backpack, and start walking to school. I know Stef and Lena are going to be mad at me but I can't handle talking to them. I need to get out before they stop me.

I make sure I am about three houses down and pull out my phone. I send a text to Lena and Stef in a group message. As I am typing I start to shake. They are going to kill me. I broke rules. I didn't eat breakfast, which is a requirement in the Foster household, and I left the house without asking. I am pretty sure leaving the house without permission is their most sacred rule. Not to mention they are already worried about me. I am so grounded for a week at least.

I decide to send the text anyways.

To Stef and Lena: I decided to walk to school, I am almost there. See you guys later.

My phone almost immediately starts buzzing. I look down and see I have a phone call. It is Stef. I hit ignore. And there goes being grounded for two weeks. I then see a call coming in from Lena. Again, I hit ignore. Three weeks now. I feel my phone vibrate again, but this time it is a text. It is from Lena.

To Callie: You are to go directly to my office and not move until I get there. Understood?

Should I reply to that? Do you think Stef is coming to? I bet, Stef usually plays bad cop in these types of situations. I feel another vibration. This time it is Stef.

To Callie: I advise that you respond and listen to your Mama. It is for your own good.

There is the bad cop. I decide not to respond. I wait a while wanting to get there after Stef and Lena. I start walking towards Lena's office. I see Mariana walk over to me, guess they all rode to school together.

"What the heck did you do Callie, Mom's are pissed?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it."

"I advise you hurry, they are waiting for you."

I walk away and turn the corner. Stef and Lena are standing outside with the door open. They still haven't seen me. I see Stef in her uniform with her hands on her head, rubbing it like she has a headache. I can't study her face from here. I can almost make out that she is angry and looks extremely worried. I decide to bolt before even looking over to Lena. I turn around and run. I don't want to leave because then I will get in more trouble. I decide to go to class. You can't punish a kid for going to school can you?

I make it into class just as the bell rings. I sit down and take out my notes. I look calm and collected on the outside, but feel like I am about to start panicking on the inside. I start taking notes when I hear the loud speaker. It is Lena's voice.

"Callie Jacobs please report to the vice principals office, Callie Jacobs please report to the vice principals office. Thank you." I get looks from all of my classmates and I start sweating. Why is it so hot in here? Oh yeah, long sleeves. I stand up slowly, pack my things in my bag and head into the hallway. I shut the door quietly and turn around. Looking directly at me with her arms folded is Stef.

"Hello Sweets."

"Sweets?" Why the heck is she being nice to me.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Aren't you pissed off at me?"

"Do you want me to be?" I wasn't expecting that to come out. Do they realize I am trying to get them to push me away as well? I thought I was being secretive about that.

"I don't know." I mumble.

"You are stuck with us, kid. Let's go see Mama." I am so confused by this interaction I don't even know where to start processing. I shut my brain off and start to feel numb.

We arrive at Lena's office and Stef slowly opens the door. I look up to see Lena sitting behind her desk. I try to study her face but can't. She looks relieved, but also slightly angry. I am shocked when I finally look into her eyes and still see love in them.

"Take a seat Callie." I obey immediately, captivated by her eyes. Why the heck is she looking at me that way. Stef locks the door and sits next to me in the other empty chair in front of Lena's desk. She gently grabs my left arm. I try to pull away but her grip tightens.

"We just want you to know that we will always love you," Lena says with a warm smile.

"There is nothing that you could do that would stop us from wanting you. We can't wait for Monday when you and Jude complete our family. Stop thinking we aren't going to love you because we are here forever," Stef says as she looks into my eyes and pulls my left arm closer to her.

She kisses my wrist through my shirt and says, "I love you Callie. Mama and I both do. We have a lot to discuss today. But first, we need to take care of this."

I begin to panic as she rolls up my sleeve. I look over to Lena who has tears in her eyes and blows me a kiss. I look down on her desk and see a first aid kit wide open, knowing that its contents will be on my exposed arm very shortly.

Not to be annoying, but please let me know if you guys like this and if I should keep going.