An extended ending to Episode 5: The Morning After

The image of Brandon's hurt face after she kissed Wyatt wouldn't leave Callie's head. Deep in her thoughts, she absentmindedly turned a corner in the school hallway and ran into none other than her favorite foster brother. Brandon managed a tight smile and knelt down to help Callie pick up the contents of her school bag, which were now strewn across the hallway floor.

"Thanks," Callie muttered, unable to look him in the eyes after kissing Wyatt only minutes earlier.

"Just be careful." His voice was soft but his words had an edge to them. It didn't take a genius to realize that Brandon wasn't just warning her about running into people. Callie sighed. The fact that Brandon continued to look out for her even though he had seen her kiss Wyatt made Callie's guilt even worse. Who was he to warn her about Wyatt, anyway? She had to admit that the date was a nightmare, but the guy was only trying to impress her, wasn't he? There was another reason for Callie's distracted state. It was a question that kept her up the night before: If she really liked Wyatt as much as she told herself she did, why couldn't she get Brandon Foster out of her head? Why did her heart need to skip a beat when he confessed his true feelings to her, and why did his mere gaze do more to tie her stomach in knots than than any of Wyatt's kisses did?

Callie went out of her way to avoid Brandon, choosing to walk home without the others under the pretense of needing to talk to her English teacher after school. Upon reaching the Foster residence, she noticed that everyone was getting ready to leave for Garrett's poetry slam. Feeling guilty at the last minute for not joining the family, Callie decided to join Jude and the Fosters to the poetry slam, after all. Callie ended up seated next to Brandon in the car. She averted his gaze whenever she could, which wasn't too hard since Brandon hadn't spoken a word to her since their encounter in the hallway at school that morning. She shifted in her seat as Brandon's fingertips brushed across her knee as he fidgeted, trying to find his seatbelt. She cursed herself for failing so miserably at ignoring the perhaps not-so-accidental, yet occasional, brushing of their arms and legs.

When the family finally returned home from the poetry slam, the foster siblings went to their respective bedrooms.

"Do you know what's up with Brandon?" Mariana asked Callie as she began getting dressed for bed.

Callie looked at Mariana questioningly. "No, why would I?"

Mariana threw two hands up in the air, signaling to Callie that she shouldn't get so defensive.

"Chill, I was just wondering. He's just seemed kind of down all day." At that, Mariana went toward the bathroom, presumably to check on her new nose piercing which had turned her cartilage quite tender. Callie huffed in frustration and rose from the bed. She was planning on continuing to avoid Brandon, but she couldn't distract herself from the guilt she felt.

"Come in!" Brandon shouted after hearing the rapping at his bedroom door. He looked up from his keyboard to see Callie standing in his doorway.

Brandon motioned for Callie to come in and shut the bedroom door. "Did you need something?" he asked coolly, turning back to his music.

Callie let out the breath that she'd been holding since she'd worked up the nerve to stand outside his bedroom door. "Mariana mentioned that you've been upset all day."

"Did you want me to see you kiss Wyatt?" he asked his question without dancing around the elephant in the room. He sounded sullen but a tone of hurt was evident in his voice as well.

"I owe you an explanation." Callie stated softly. Brandon finally looked up at her, waiting for her next words. Callie grimaced uncomfortably. "Maybe I was hoping being with him would distract me from my true feelings." she admitted quietly. "And maybe I was hoping that being him would make this- this thing between us disappear."

"Do you want it to disappear?"

"I can't repeat what happened with Liam. I can't risk Jude's safety again. We've finally found a safe home again." She couldn't look Brandon in the eyes anymore. "Being with Wyatt helps me pretend that I don't get flustered around you. it distracts me from repeating the mistakes I made in the past."

Mistakes. Callie's word choice echoed in Brandon's head. It stung.

"Why do you need to be distracted? He hurt you, but what makes you think I'll do the same, Callie? Look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't think I truly care about you. I'm nothing like that guy from your past." Brandon reasoned, frustratedly.

"I need you to understand that I wasn't rejecting you last night. I know you care. I just need to think about Jude. I wouldn't risk his safety for anything." Callie closed her eyes and cringed at the memory of Liam and the debacle that had gotten herself and Jude kicked out of a decent foster home and into a series of abusive homes with drunk fathers and violent mothers. Brandon stared blankly.

Callie continued talking. "I don't want to ruin anything for you, either. You're so talented, intelligent, and compassionate. You could have anyone. You don't want to be involved with the trashy foster girl." Her voice broke with the last few words.

Brandon winced at Callie's self-deprecating words and his expression softened.

"Callie. You're worth so much more than you think. Is it so hard to believe that someone cares about you? God, I care so much that it's almost painful." He paused, then added, "I think you're scared about more than Jude's safety."

"What?"

"I mean, I know there's probably some element of you being terrified for your brother, but I think you're scared of something else."

"Oh really, now? What else could I possibly be scared of?" Callie felt the heat rush to her cheeks as she felt Brandon fix his gaze on her.

He stepped closer, gingerly cupped Callie's cheek in his palm, and angled her face up at his own. "You've been hurt so much that now you're just scared to let yourself really trust anyone."

Callie's silence was enough to confirm Brandon's hypothesis. "I'm just a broken girl." She whispered. "Why do you even want me?"

"Maybe I just want to fix you." He whispered back, his face just mere inches from hers.

After a few moments of pure silence, Callie turned toward the door but was stopped by Brandon reaching for her hand. She let her palm rest in his, feeling the heat from his hand spread to her cold and calloused fingers. He pressed her fingertips to his lips. She lingered only for a second. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I-I can't do this Brandon. I can already see this unraveling." She hastily shook off his hold and scrambled out of the room.

Brandon had the sudden desire to chase after her, but thought better of it. He groaned in exasperation. How was he to prove to her that he was nothing like that villain of a foster brother from her past? Maybe the way to earn her trust was by staying away, by being patient and continuing to love her even if she didn't reciprocate with much fervor right away. If she needed Wyatt as a distraction, so be it. Brandon could wait if it meant that Callie would eventually come around. He could wait if it meant she would let herself love again.

This is a slight rework of a work I posted yesterday (now deleted). I hope you enjoyed!

Reviews are always appreciated! :)