Note: I haven't given up on this story. Don't worry! I've just been busier than usual, but I promise, there are more chapters coming!

Chapter 32.

Callie

"Can I please have some juice?" Sophia asked, trying to raise her voice above the breakfast table chaos.

"Nope," Brandon teased, sliding the bottle closer to himself. "Sorry."

"Seriously, give it to me," my sister laughed, reaching for it. "Brandon!"

"Brandon, just give it to her!" Mariana said, rolling her eyes and taking the juice bottle from her brother. "Here, Soph."

"Thanks," she smiled, pouring herself a glass. I could tell she was happy. More and more, Jesus, Brandon, and Mariana were starting to feel like our real siblings. The teasing was worth it, just to feel like we belonged.

"Can you guys please quiet down a bit?" Stef asked, coming into the kitchen. "Mama's on the phone in the next room."

"Sorry," I apologized, even though I hadn't really done anything.

"Thanks, Bill," Lena said into the phone, as she wandered into the kitchen. She balanced the phone against her ear as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "I understand."

Sophia turned to me with a scared look on her face. I couldn't wait for the day when she didn't have to be afraid of bad news from a social worker anymore. Hopefully, someday soon, we would never have to worry about that kind of thing again. All we had to do was get over this hurdle with our father. Then we'd be free.

I gave my little sister a nod, silently telling her not to worry.

"Yes, I'll ask them," Lena said. "Thanks again. You have a good day, too. Bye." She turned the phone off, then came to the table. "Callie, Soph, that was Bill," she told us, as if we didn't already know. "He had some news about your dad."

"What's up?" I asked.

Lena turned to Stef. "Why don't we go into the living room and talk."

Stef nodded, and we followed them into the living room. Once we were seated on the couch, she smiled. " Bill has spoken to your father about the possibility of visiting with you two."

"What did he say?" Sophia asked. Her anxiety was already replaced with excitement.

"Well," she replied. "He wants to see you girls. Bill wanted to know how you feel about seeing him this Friday, after school."

Friday? "But today's Wednesday," I piped up. "I didn't think it would be so soon."

"We could reschedule for another day if you're really not ready, honey," Lena assured me. "It's up to you."

"Please, Callie," Sophia pleaded. She wasn't doing it on purpose, but she was giving me the sad puppy dog eyes. How could I say no to her when she was looking at me like that?

I chewed my lip thoughtfully. I guess, if I had to see him, I was as ready as I'd ever be. "Friday's fine. I'd rather just get it over with. I mean, the sooner we see him, the sooner he can sign the papers and we can get adopted, right?"

"Thanks," Sophia smiled. I patted her leg reassuringly.

"Okay," Lena said. "I'll let Bill know. In the meantime, we'd better get going. We don't want to be late for school."

"Cal?" Stef called, as I got up to follow my sister and Lena.

I stopped. "Yeah?"

She reached out to squeeze my shoulder. "I know you're not thrilled about seeing your dad, love," she said quietly. "I just want you to know that I'm proud of you, for doing this for Sophia. You're a good big sister."

"Thanks," I said softly, looking into her eyes. It felt good, knowing that someone was proud of me. That was something that didn't happen very often. It meant even more, hearing it from her.

Stef winked and held her arms out for a hug. "You have a good day, baby," she said. "Study hard and try not to stress too much."

"I won't," I promised. "Thanks, mom."

She planted a kiss on my cheek before she let me go. "I love you, Callie."

"I love you too," I told her, grabbing my backpack and slinging it over my shoulder. I turned, following the rest of my family to the car.

I tried not to stress. I really did. But when Friday came, I awoke with a knot in my stomach, after a restless sleep. It stayed with me while I dressed and brushed my teeth, slowly, trying to make the morning go by slowly as possible. It stayed with me when I finally made my way downstairs to the table. The day of our father's visit had come. there was no more stalling.

"Are you okay?" Brandon asked me, as I sat down next to him, and poured myself a bowl of cereal.

"Yeah," I said, stirring my breakfast into a mushy mess. "I'm just not very hungry."

"Today's the day you see your dad," he said. "Are you nervous?"

"Yeah, a little," I admitted. "It's just weird, seeing him after all this time."

"I kinda get what you're going through," he told me. "My dad didn't come around much after he and mom got divorced. It was hard. But I guess that's not really the same thing." He sighed. "You know we're all here for you, right?"

I smiled a little, glancing up. "I know. Thanks, Brandon."

Just then, Sophia wandered into the kitchen and served herself some cereal.

"Whoa. What happened to your hair, kid?" Jesus asked, jokingly.

I glanced over at her at my sister as she touched her fingers to her hair. She's styled it in something resembling a french braid, but it was crooked and uneven, with hairs pulling loose from it. Her cheeks reddened with embarrassment. "I just wanted to try something new."

"Leave her alone," Mariana said to her twin. She turned to Sophia. "I can fix it for you, Soph. I'm good at styling hair."

"Really?" she smiled. "You'd help me?"

"Sure," said Mariana, hopping out of her chair. "What are sisters for?"

"Thank you, Mariana," said Stef, looking up at her approvingly. "That's very nice of you."

Mariana waved her hand. "No problemo." She put her bowl in the sink. "Come on. You too, Callie."

Sophia hopped up from her chair. "Thanks, Mariana!"

When we got to the bathroom, Mariana held the door open, grandly. "Step into my office."

We did, and immediately, she began taking out my sister's tangled mess of a braid, and brushing out her chestnut waves. "I can do really good french braided pigtails," she said, as she worked. "Do you want me to do them in your hair?"

"Yes, please," Sophia smiled, practically bouncing on her heels.

I sat down on the edge of the bathtub, feeling a teeny pang of jealousy; Sophia was my sister, and I was used to her depending on me for everything. It felt weird seeing her bond with Mariana. But then, I remembered the cold welcome Mariana had given us when we first arrived at the Fosters' house, and I felt a lot better; at least she was trying to be sisterly now. If Mariana could learn to share her moms, I could share my sister.

"Today is a really important day," Sophia told us, as Mariana combed some hair gel through her hair. "I want my hair to look extra nice for daddy."

"Don't worry," our foster sister promised. "You'll look beautiful."

"Good," she breathed. Suddenly she cried out. "ouch!" She reached back to rub the back of her head.

"Sorry," Mariana apologized. "I didn't mean to pull. You had a tangle."

As Mariana parted and braided Sophia's hair, my sister stood still, studying her reflection. I watched Mariana work from behind, carefully grabbing thin, even pieces of hair and weaving them into the braids. I had to admit that they looked great, better than anything I could do.

"Done," Mariana finally announced, stepping back. "Do you like it?"

Sophia grinned broadly, taking a look at herself. Mariana held a mirror up behind her so she could see the back of her head. "I love it!" She threw her arms around our foster sister and hugged her. "Thanks!" She turned to me. "Do you like it, Callie?"

"Yeah," I said. "It looks great!"

"Do you think daddy will like it?" she asked.

I put my hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "I'm sure he will, if he comes."

"He'll come," she assured me.

"Soph, I just don't want you to..."

"I know, I know," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "Don't get my hopes up."

Her face fell a little, and my heart tugged with guilt. I looked up at Mariana, who was standing behind Sophia. She nodded to me, silently telling me that I was right. She knew about being disappointed by parents, maybe more than we did. "I just don't want you to be sad if this day doesn't go exactly the way you planned," I explained.

"I know," she said quietly.

"And whatever happens," I added, "just don't forget who's been there for us and loved us. Moms have stood by us through a lot. Okay?"

"Okay." she nodded.

Stef tapped on the bathroom door then, and peeked in. "Time to head out, my babies. Get a move on!"

"We're coming," said Mariana. Before we left the bathroom, she turned to me. "I really hope he shows up," she whispered.

I nodded. "Me too."

School seemed especially long and boring that morning, mostly because I couldn't focus on anything. Several times, a teacher had called me out for not paying attention. So, when the bell for lunch rang, I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, I could just be alone with my thoughts.

I stepped out into sunshine and wandered around the side of the school. I could hear the ocean in the distance. Sometimes, I forgot that I lived so close to the beach, and went to school right on it. It was funny, because I loved the beach when I was little. I smiled, remembering how mom would take Sophia and I for picnics. We'd hold hands at the edge of the sand, and jump over the waves. I closed my eyes for a moment. I could almost see Sophia's chubby toddler legs, mom's long legs, and and my skinny ones, all lined up, the warm, foamy water lapping against us. I could almost hear us shrieking and laughing. Mostly, I remembered how tiny I'd feel, looking out at the water. I was hardly even a speck of sand compared to that hugeness.

I found a bench on a spot shaded by the school building, and I sat down and opened my lunch bag. Tucked inside was a note. I unfolded it, and read it to myself. "Have a good day, Callie. Love you, Mama." I pushed the note back into the paper bag and took out an apple, shined it on my shirt, then bit into it, sitting back to people-watch.

I could see Sophia in the distance. I recognized the french braided pigtails and Mariana's hand-me-down blue jacket. The sleeves were too long, and hung down past her hands. Sophia's science class sometimes met outside, and that's what they were doing today. They seemed to be working in pairs. Sophia and her friend Taylor sat together, their heads bowed down over their work.

"What'cha looking at?"

I practically jumped out of my skin, and turned to see Emma standing over me. "Oh. Hey."

"I didn't mean to scare you," she said, giggling. "I haven't see you in a while. Can I sit down?"

"Yeah," I said, moving over to make room for her.

Sitting beside me, Emma followed my gaze past the courtyard. After a long silence, she spoke up. "So, are we supposed to be looking at something specific?"

"I'm just watching my sister," I told her, pointing her out. "Over there, in the blue jacket."

Emma squinted, trying to see her better. "She's cute," she nodded. "Why are you watching her?"

I shrugged. "I'm just kinda worried about her. She- well, we-, kinda have a lot going on right now."

"Do you want to talk about anything?" she asked, turning back to me.

"Nah," I quickly answered, sorry I'd said too much. "I'm good."

"Nothing personal," she said. "But you just don't make it easy to get to know you. Don't you want to be friends?"

"Yes," I said, defensively. "I do want to be friends. I've just had a lot on my mind lately." I felt bad. I didn't mean to seem unfriendly to Emma, but I guess I had been distant lately. I couldn't remember the last time we'd talked. It had to be before the trial.

"Well, I'm here for you, if you ever want to talk," she told me. "That's what friends are for."

I'd never had a real friend before, other than my sister. We never stayed in one school long enough, and even then, my classmates tended to avoid the weird new girl. I realized then, that maybe I did need a friend. It would be nice to have someone to talk to who wasn't so close to the situation. But I just couldn't let myself open up. "It's just hard to talk about," I mumbled.

She put her hand on my shoulder for a second. "Well, whatever it is, you can trust me. I wouldn't tell anyone."

I looked down at the apple in my hand. Where I'd taken a bite from it, the flesh was turning brown, like a bruise. Sighing, I stuffed it back in my lunch bag. "I'm seeing my dad today. For the first time in six years."

"Are your parents divorced?" she asked quietly. "Mine are."

I shook my head. "My mom is dead. My dad's been in prison. He got out a while ago." I searched her pale blue eyes for any sign of judgement, but I didn't see it. And I was usually pretty good at reading people.

"That's tough," she said.

I nodded. "Yeah. But in some ways, his coming back into our lives is even harder."

"How so?" she asked.

I explained to her about the adoption, and the papers I desperately wanted him to sign, and Sophia's sky-high hopes for our reunion with him. "I'm just afraid she'll get hurt again," I told her. "She doesn't remember him like I do. She was so little when he left." I was old enough to remember the dance recitals he didn't show up to, the broken promises he'd made, and the things we had to go without because of his drinking. There was no doubt in my mind that he loved us, but he wasn't the perfect father my little sister remembered.

"I think all you can do is be there for her," Emma said at last. "You can't control what other people, like your dad, do. But at least, if he lets her down, she'll still have people who love her to fall back on."

"That's true," I said, as the bell for 6th period rang.

"Can we talk again sometime?" she asked me. "Maybe hang out after school?"

I nodded. "I'd like that."

Emma tossed her empty lunch bag in the garbage, then hurried into the school. Once she was gone, I turned back to look for Sophia. She was standing now, silhouetted against the ocean. She looked so damn small.

To Be Continued