Chapter One

"There's nothing going on with Callie and me"

He had promised his mother. And then he had meant it. Guitar lessons and a few conversations had remained innocent until a dance rehearsal.

Sure, before that he had found her interesting. She was damaged and closed off. But in a way the broken girl was beautiful. That simple fact was impossible to ignore.

Also, until a few hours previous he had a girlfriend. Now, he had a shoe. A shoe that resembled a wall of hers that he had torn through. Left shattered as Callie ran away to build it up again.

The rest of his family was cleaning up after the party but he had dropped off his father and gone home. Where he now found himself waiting for the return of the owner of the shoes.

A small thud, a kick against his foot made him look up. Callie's eyes bore back at him.

"Hey" he said shortly meeting her gaze. She instantly looked away, "where were you?" He questions.

His question went unanswered with a shake of Callie's head. Brandon stood to keep her there. The smell of beer like a punch reminded him of the reek his father had before.

"With Wyatt" she finally answered looking past him into the house. She wanted to get away. He could see the escape routes forming in her eyes. He shouldn't have said what he had.

"You should get inside. Do yourself a favor and don't let the moms smell you." Even with so much on his mind he looked out for her best interests.

"You should do yourself a favor, and stop pretending to care," she said shortly. After a few beers she realized the mistake of drinking one was, but it was too late and alcohol was in her system. She wasn't drunk. Just impaired.

She brushed past him and made her way to the house.

She heard the scariest worse from behind her, but she refused to stop.

"I do care Callie" and with that her pace up the stairs quickened.

It was too late to go back on it now, Callie thought to herself as she stood by the door. Wyatt was coming into to the Fosters home.

Mariana had told the moms about Callie's new boyfriend and now they just had to meet him.

"Best behavior? Or worst behavior?" Wyatt asked in his cool humor as he kissed her softly.

Kissing a guy like Wyatt wasn't anything new to Callie. She found it comforting in a strange way. The familiarity.

"Moms are waiting to meet him" Brandon shot from behind the couple standing at the door. The new harsh tone, well Brandon harsh, was a new thing. And it did not go unnoticed by Callie.

She did her best to ignore his burning gaze has they stepped around him to join the family in the kitchen.

Introductions were awkward, but slowly they were over. Then the night was coming to a close. By her surprise the Stef and Lena loved him. Jude thought he was nice, and that was all the mattered. So with a nod of her head Wyatt excused himself from the family, and Callie walked him out.

"You must be really good at acting," Callie complimented, as they made their way outside.

"Nah, just know what people want," Wyatt explained, when he noticed something over Callie's shoulder, behind the house. He almost smiled, but he didn't show that much emotion.

"And what do I want?" Callie teased. Neither showed that much emotion, their exchanges were dry at best, but that was okay. It was the way they communicated.

"This?" Wyatt questioned, backing Callie up against a tree, and kissing her lightly.

The kiss stayed light and pleasant, a hand danced into Wyatt's hair, and fingers found their way onto Callie's back. Their tongues mingled lightly, in a familiar dance. Familiarity, that's what Calllie liked. She didn't get it with the place she lived, but she could have it in a kiss.

Eventually Wyatt pulled back.

"You wanna go for a walk with me," he mumbled against the skin of her neck. His tone implied more than a walk, so Callie pushed him back lightly.

"I would, but, they'll be looking for me," Callie mumbled her excuse, and pressed a light kiss to Wyatt's lips.

"See you tomorrow?" he asks stepping away from the tree.

"Tomorrow," she agreed, before turning to walk towards the porch.

"Wyatt seems nice," Brandon said from his seat on the porch, he stood to meet Callie. Of course by that Brandon really meant, it would be real nice to punch Wyatt in the face.

He cared for Callie, that was it. But not really. He thought maybe there was more between them, neither would admit that though.

"And what does nice mean Brandon?" Callie asks arms crossover her chest in a move to protect herself.

"Nothing, nothing. Just that I thought you didn't want people to pretend to care about you. Because that's what he's doing," Brandon almost pouted with his words, he couldn't control them anymore, and he was upset.

Callie laughed. "That's just it Brandon. He doesn't pretend to care. He just plan out doesn't. Take a page out of his book, and stop. You don't get it," she replies shortly.

Now Brandon was slightly angry. His emotions had been lingering that way all night, but he couldn't take it. Why would you want to be with someone who doesn't care?

"What don't I get Callie?" he questioned reaching for her. She took a step back.

"If I have to explain it to you, you'll never get it," she said quietly turning on her heels and entering the house.

She had too much baggage to care anymore. She had almost let her guard down, when he said he didn't care about what was in her journal. But that was a lie, it had to be. People always cared. Where she came from, who she came from, what she had done. All those things, people cared about. But it also felt like if he didn't care to know that, he didn't care to know her.

Which she knew was wrong. He wanted to know her. But that's what made it confusing. She didn't like confusing, and new; she liked familiar touches with no meaning and lack of conversation.

Brandon was too deep to understand how shallow Callie was. He thought the reason she stayed away from him was something deep and meaningful, but in reality it was fear. Nothing lasted in Callie's world. And if she got close to Brandon or anyone, it was temporary. And Callie couldn't take anything else being temporary. That's what he would never get, because he eat, breathed and slept stability, temporary wasn't in his vocabulary.

Callie was weak, but he thought she was strong. Callie was the weakest of them all.