I hope you guys enjoy the first real chapter! Please read and review :)
Three Months Earlier
"Cal and B, you guys have any more thoughts about your senior project?" Lena asked as the family was gathered around the kitchen table for dinner.
Callie simply shook her head no, while Brandon responded enthusiastically. "Yeah, actually."
His mama smiled, eager to hear of her son's idea.
"How do you feel about musical theatre?"
"I hadn't pegged you as much of an actor."
He laughed. "Oh, I'm not acting. I'm composing,and directing, and producing…and designing…and casting." The way he put it sounded impossible.
"It's ambitious," Lena considered his proposition, "but I like it. You're definitely going to need backup, though. You can't do this yourself."
"I'll help." Callie chimed in, unexpectedly.
"Cal, you don't have to, really," Brandon tried to tell her, but she interrupted him.
"No, I want to," she grinned widely, "I could help with the producing, and like, advertising. I'll come to rehearsal and take pictures and put up flyers and stuff. It's no big deal."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, it'll be fun! Plus, I need a senior project anyway."
"Oh, so you really just wanted to mooch off my senior project, huh?" He rolled his eyes at her, mock-annoyed.
"Don't you mean our senior project?" She stuck her tongue out at him and everyone laughed.
"I can't wait to hear all the brother-sister bickering that comes with working on the same project, but what the hell. Go ahead." Brandon and Callie both internally cringed when Lena referred to them as brother and sister, but they supposed they better get used to it now.
"Awesome," Callie said at Lena's approval and stuck out her hand for Brandon to shake, "Mr. Foster, officially consider us business partners."
He accepted the handshake. "Glad to welcome you to the team, Ms Jac-" he corrected himself, "Adams Foster."
"So, what show are we doing, anyway?" Callie asked the question that everyone was wondering about.
Hesitantly, he responded, "Romeo and Juliet."
The rest of the family got excited, while Callie went pale. Trying to regain her composure and doing her best not to sound positively furious, she feigned interest and said, "Oh, yeah? Where did you get that idea from?"
"I was inspired when Jude was reading it at breakfast the other day." He directed his attention toward his youngest brother, and ruffled his hair. "I guess I could say you were my muse, buddy."
Callie closed her eyes and shook her head, subtly. "May I please be excused?"
Once dinner was over and everyone was back to their own business, Callie knew she could find Brandon practicing out in the garage. Opening the door abruptly, she walked into the practice space.
"What the fuck."
He widened his eyes and held up his hands as if to say 'I'm innocent!'
"Romeo and Juliet? Are you kidding me? Do you want to out us to the whole school?"
"It isn't about us," he said, unconvincingly.
"Bull-fucking-shit, Brandon. How the hell do you expect me to move on and try to be your sister when you're practically writing Brandon and Callie the musical?"
Brandon pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. "This is why I didn't want you to get involved."
"Yeah, and then what? I'm supposed to go watch two people act out our love story and pretend not to feel anything?" She was trying to keep her angry face up, but she was starting to crack as tears formed in her eyes. "I don't suppose you wrote Outlaws into this production."
Embarrassed, Brandon tried to hide the sheet music left out on his keyboard. "You can quit, you know, Callie. I told you, I can handle this."
"Do you know how bad that would look? Brandon, if I quit your show, not only do I have to find another project but I risk moms finding out about our history. I was excited an hour ago and suddenly I don't want to do the show anymore? Yeah, no."
Upon seeing Brandon's pained expression, Callie softened. "Look, B, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have blown up at you, it's just been really tough these last few weeks. Adjusting to being your sister."
He gave her a broken smile. "Believe me, I know. And for the record, it's not so easy on my end either. Why do you think I'm writing this show? You know me, Cal. And you know that music has always been my catharsis."
Her heart broke, for herself and for him, and she reached her hand out to his in comfort. She pulled away, however, when she felt the familiar sparks and the erratic beating of her heart. Brandon put his head down, hurt.
"B," Callie whispered, looking into his eyes, "as much as this hurts, I don't regret loving you. It was worth the risk."
With that, she quickly got up, closed the door and headed back to the house, leaving Brandon still sitting at his keyboard, more confused than ever.
ANGSTY BRALLIE IS MY FAVORITE BRALLIE