Stef

I'm racing through the halls at an alarmingly fast rate. Students milling about their lockers shoot me strange looks. It could be due to my fast pace, or the fact that I'm decked out in full uniform. Still, I don't slow down. I make a beeline for the principal's office. I don't even bother knocking; I just open the door.

"What happened?" I ask, not wasting time with a greeting.

Karina Sanchez gives me a weary look and sighs. If had to describe her, I would say 'done.' I look to Lena for an answer, who is standing beside Sanchez. If I had to describe her I would say shocked, confused.

Scared.

"Lena?" Sanchez says quietly, obviously indicating that she should speak. Lena looks up at me with disconsolate eyes and simply shakes her head.

I run a hand down my face impatiently, "Well, where is she?"

"My office," Lena answers quietly, speaking for the first time since I've gotten here, "There's a security guard with her."

I pinch the bridge of my nose, "I just…what happened? What did she say?"

"Nothing," Sanchez answers, "All we have right now is what Bradley told us and based on that, I'm sorry but we have to suspend her."

I scoff, "And this boy? Bradley? What happens to him?"

Sanchez shifts, "We can't punish him for being a victim—"

"A victim?" I repeat incredulously, "I know my daughter. She would not hurt a soul unless she felt threatened. Obliviously, he did something to her."

"And that may be the case," Sanchez says apologetically, "But your daughter isn't speaking to anyone. She needs to tell us what happened or we can't help her."

This is a nightmare. I share a look with Lena who gets up and follows me out into the hall. She pulls the door shut behind her and crosses her arms.

"She hasn't said anything at all?" I ask.

Lena shakes her head, "I tried, Stef. It's like she's in shock or something. I just…being suspended is one thing but…they might take her from us. She violated her parole."

"I know," I say in a whisper, and I do know. It was all I could think about on the drive over here, "Let me talk to her."

Lena leads me to her office. She carefully opens the door and we step inside. There's a woman in there, a security guard. I smile weakly and nod at her, indicating that she can leave. As soon as she does, I turn my attention to my daughter, my baby girl. Her dark brown eyes are wide, as if she's seen something terrifying. Her scraped up hands are clutching the arms of her chair for dear life. I kneel down in front of her and take her hands in mine.

They're shaking.

"Hi, pretty girl," I greet lightly, putting a hand on her cheek. Still, her eyes refuse to meet mine; they continue to stare at something that isn't there. I look at Lena helplessly before turning my attention back to the frightened child in front of me.

"Callie, can you hear me?"

She gives no indication that she's heard me. At this point, I'm not even sure she knows we're in the room. I squeeze her hand and still, she remains unmoving.

Lena sighs, "Stef, this isn't good."

I nod, acknowledging her, before turning back to Callie, "Love, do you want to go home?"

A moment passes but slowly—although she doesn't make eye contact—Callie tilts her head in my general direction, "Home?" she repeats in a whisper, as though it were a foreign word.

"Yes," I say nodding, "Home."

"With you?" she asks, voice rising in something I could only describe as surprise mixed with hope.

I squeeze her hand again, "Of course, my love. Home with me and Mama." I stand up and bring Callie with me. She's unsteady on her feet. She sways a bit before finding her footing. I wrap my arms around her shoulders as support.

"You bring her to the car," Lena tells me, "I'm going to grab my stuff and hers. I'll be out in five minutes."

"Okay."

I lead Callie out of the office and down the hall towards the parking lot. Class must be in session now because there aren't any students in the hallway. I'm thankful for this. We get to the car relatively fast. I open the door to the back seat and guide Callie inside. I get in next to her and pull the door shut behind me.

It's so quiet.

She still has that frightened, far away look in her eyes. I put my hands on her shoulders, "Callie, hey. Whatever happened, Mama and I are going to fix it. Okay? It's all going to be okay." I kiss her forehead and bring her into my arms. She doesn't hug me back, but she doesn't fight me either. She just holds herself still and stares off into space. Still, I keep assuring her; talking enough for the both of us.

"I've got you, baby. Mommy's got you."

It's short because it's a start. I'm not 100% sure where this will go, but I have an idea. If you're confused, don't worry. It's supposed to be confusing. Let me know what you think.

-Liv