Author's Note: I'm a total Brandon/Callie shipper, but I can't help it. I love Talya. I think she's a wonderfully complicated and insecure character and there's more to her than we see. I really hope they don't just make her an antagonist for the show. I want to see some heart to her, and I think we're beginning to... But I wanted to write it, too.

This takes place somewhere between after Quinceanera and before Clean - before Brandon and Talya start talking again. Hope you enjoy it. xx

Brandon used to care about her.

He used to go out of his way to make sure their every day together was the Best Day Ever.

Talya appreciated the simple things – the way he'd always know if something was bothering her, the way he'd send her cute text messages that were so unlike him every evening to make sure she had sweet dreams, the way he'd act so like himself around her. Like there was nothing she didn't know about him, and nothing he didn't know about her.

For months, they remained inseparable. They were a group deal - Brandon and Talya. That's how people knew them. They went to all her family gatherings, and her to his. Stef and Lena welcomed her like their own, and made her feel totally at home every time she stepped into their house.

And then, once she arrived, it all started going downhill.

Brandon started becoming intrigued with the crazy foster girl. He was always looking at her, worrying about her, and often times, he and Talya's topic of conversation would trail to ponderings of her.

"But, I wonder what her story's like," he'd tell her in a hushed tone. "She has this tough exterior, right? But I think there's something more. Something greater than what we see."

"Right," she'd reply, pretending to be just as interested as he was.

Everything stopped being about her, and started becoming about Callie.

Talya didn't even know how he trusted this girl. It was ridiculous! Someone straight out of juvie moves into his house, insults his mothers, keeps secrets, causes trouble between the family that seemed to be able to handle anything thrown at them – and yet, he still didn't mind her being around.

His family didn't even kick her out when she became the center of their problems, even though she was supposed to be temporary. The arrangement wasn't permanent. She was supposed to leave. So, why was it so hard to get rid of her?

He didn't have to walk her home everyday. He didn't have to make sure she had a place at lunch. He didn't have to cancel plans with Talya and lie, when he was just hanging out with Callie. It was evident that they spent a lot of time together. Everyday, they were more comfortable each other. Callie wasn't as tense all the time, and Brandon stopped wondering about her aloud - he didn't have to. He knew enough about her now that they spoke all the time.

Then, when Brandon chose not to move in with his father, Talya couldn't help but think his decision had something to do with Callie. He probably didn't want to leave her.

No matter what Talya tried to do, she couldn't help it: the closer he and Callie grew, the more a wall seemed to be shoved between her and Brandon.

And then she just had to be an idiot and tell him that she read Callie's journal. Something in her thought that maybe – just maybe – he'd believe her, the girl he'd been dating for almost a year. He'd realize that Callie truly was not a good person. But that didn't happen.

In fact, the complete opposite happened.

He left her.

Everything Talya tried to do was for naught. Karma wasn't in her favor, and it was obvious.

The worst part was Callie wasn't even that bad. Talya didn't even realize it until her and Brandon ended, and she was able to step back and look at Callie in a different light. The girl she once thought was a bit psychotic was actually kind of nice. She cared about her brother more than anyone, and didn't snitch to Brandon about the journal thing. Callie avoided trouble, but trouble didn't avoid her. Karma wasn't in her favor, either. At least they had that one thing in common.

Nothing worked out the way Talya expected it to.

She'd wait for him to approach her when she was frowning, or send her an evening text message, or vent to her about how frustrated he was with his newest piece of music. But none of that happened anymore.

Brandon used to care about her.

And then, one day, he stopped.