2.2 Like home
x-o- Lena -x-o
I drove us to Girl's United and saw Rita who was the head of the house. "Hey Rita." I whispered to Rita as she was gardening out the front with a few girls. "Could I grab Annie May please?"
"Sure, Lena." Rita said with a smile as she stood up then looked at my face and her face turned worried. "Is everything okay?" She asked as we walked up the stairs as Stef waited in the car and walked inside.
"Well, once we have spoken to Annie May I hope things will be." I answered without giving Rita the important facts. Rita called Annie and she came out from the kitchen with a worried face.
"I will leave you to it." We both nodded then Rita walked back outside and Annie turned back slowly as I looked at her with more of a compassion look then anything out.
"Let's take a seat.." I whispered softly as I pointed to the chair at the table and we both sat down. She looked guilty, maybe they sent her the DNA results.
"I got the two DNA tests in the mail.." Annie finally whispered as I was about to say the same thing. "I am so sorry." She looked at me with tearful eyes and I frowned at how vulnerable she looked. She was just fourteen years old, still a baby. I was hard on her from the start but I don't think I realize that she was just a little kid struggling with having a dying mother and to have no one else to fall back into. "Is she mad?" I looked back at her as I swallowed my own tears back.
"She is more hurt then anything." I whispered gently to her as I slowly grabbed her shaky hands and she nodded. "Oh Annie, I know you must be struggling so much too though." Tears fell down her eyes so fast as she nodded. I then embraced her as if she was my daughter.
"I lied to my sister." She kept repeating that as she sobbed into my brown curls and I rubbed her back. There was more to that statement that I wanted to know. I wanted answers to this little girl's life and reasoning. I wanted to help Stef's sister even if Stef isn't prepared to. I know she can't live with us but we can still do everything possible for Annie.
-x-o- Annie -x-o
I finally calmed down and got out of the hug. I saw the soft, kind look that Lena was giving me and it gave me chills. "I don't deserve this."
"Annie, never say that." Lena whispered softly as she grabbed me a few tissues and handed it to me. "Okay, you made a mistake and you thought you were doing what you thought was best. You never intended to hurt Stef and she will understand that with time, she will."
"Lena, Mama wanted to hurt Stef when she made that plan." I whispered softly and I looked away as the guilt worsen. "I had no idea until recently.. I had no choice anymore either way. I thought this was the only way."
"Wait, why did Sharon want to hurt Stef?"
"I guess because she was hurt too." I replied softly as I wiped the corners of my eyes with the tissue calming down. "And Daddy was mad. Stef left the family and they thought it was a selfish move. But they were never understanding of why Stef had to leave. Mama told me thought once Frank died, she never wanted to go through with it but I found the fake DNA test and she had no choice but to play the game."
"My god." Lena whispered under her breath and grabbed my hand again gently. "This doesn't matter anymore though, okay? Stef will-"
"Stef will what?" We both looked towards the door where Stef stood with her hands in her pockets. She walked in but stopped after a few stops. "Why did you lie to us?"
"Stef-"
"It's okay Lena, I owe her this." I interrupted as I stood up to look at my big sister's eyes. "I didn't know until recently, Mama lied to me too."
"Okay so you decide to lie too?" Stef questioned in a very annoyed way. "God, Annie I can't believe you would play their game."
"It wasn't a game to me, Stef." I answered back trying to be calm and mature which is usually who I am. "I needed to know if I would have a family." Lena looked at Stef whose face was stone cold. I looked at Lena who offered a warm smile to me.
"Stef, she is just fourteen years old." Lena whispered but Stef's face stayed the same. "She was scared and alone. She thought she was just doing what she thought was best."
"Yes, fourteen years old." Stef whispered as she looked straight into my blue eyes with her blue eyes. "Old enough to know that lying is unacceptable and old enough to make the right decisions. I would understand if you were a lot younger, Annie May but you are fourteen years old. You have your own mind and you don't have to do everything that dear Mother wanted you to do."
"Come on Stef, you can't judge her if you aren't in her shoes."
"Yes I can, Lena!" Stef looked at Lena then looked right back at me with anger filled eyes. "Because I had been in her shoes when Frank and Sharon wanted me to lie. That is why I ran away because I had my own mind and I was only fourteen when I was raped the first time!" Everybody's eyes widen but Stef's. "By the same boy who raped me at 18 years old and gave me Callie."
"Mike.." Lena croaked out and Stef's eyes looked down with a nod. I stayed quiet and sighed. Stef looked at me.
"You had a choice, Annie." Stef went over to me finally but she was still angry. "I had a choice. We all had difficult choices in different circumstances. Yes I am so pissed you decided to choose to lie to me and my whole family. But I will still never give up on family."
"I know you are hurt-"
"I am hurt that you thought you had to lie." Stef whispered to me then carefully took my hand into hers. "But I guess you never knew me and you knew what they told you." I nodded.
"Can we just.. Forget my lies?" I whispered softly with a desperate plea. "I know, yes I know I hurt you and your whole family by lying and faking my DNA test."
"I have forgiven you but it will take time to build trust up again." Stef answered and I nodded with a sad smile. She then brought me into a gentle hug. "It is already hard enough on you because Sharon passed away.. You are hurting and I don't want to hurt you either."
"I love you sis." I whispered as I just settled into her arms feeling like home again.
"And I love you too, my newfound sister."
-x-o- Stef -x-o
Once we left Girl's United and Annie, I let Lena drive me to the police station to sort out the Mike situation. I walked in with Lena to the front desk and the lady looked at me. "Where's Mike?"
"Mike?" She questioned softly as she looked down at her notes and looked back up at me with a questioning look. "There is no Mike in holding."
"No, Mike as in Mike Foster." Her face suddenly looked like she knew me.
"You must be Stefanie Foster?" She questioned and I nodded. "Are you okay?"
"No, I am not actually." I replied with a normal tone with a sad smile. "Mike is alive and well.. I spend ten years falsely accused and now I actually spent it for no reason at all."
"You-"
"Constable Jordan, it is okay." Mike came out slowly from the office next to the desk and he looked at me. "Hi." I was too shock to reply and looked at Lena who was also pale in the face. "I was a bit harsh on you yesterday and for that, I am sorry."
"You threatened to get me arrested, Michael." I whispered saying his full name showing him how angry I was at him for everything including the two rapes. I walked over to him and he sighed.
"Let's take this into the office okay?" I walked into the office with him and Lena followed. "I have so much to explain and so much to say sorry for." I folded my arms as Lena took hold of my arm.
"This.. This changes everything." Lena whispered after a short silence because I hadn't replied to Mike. Mike nodded as I looked at him. "Stef never took a gun to you, are you aware of that?"
"Yes, very." Mike nodded quickly and looked at me with guilt. "Is Callie okay?"
"Oh my god." I whispered in annoyance and looked away from him. "No, Mike!" I looked back at him and pointed at him. "We are talking about you though.. So start explaining before I take my fists to your face!"