Fostered

Chapter Seven

I wake up with an overwhelming hangover. My head pounds and pain radiates all the way down to my neck. I groan as I sit up, feeling more exhausted than I've ever felt in my life. I wipe at the dried spit on the corner of my mouth and look around. Sissy lies on the ground in front of the bathroom door, staring intently in the direction of Calla's room. I look into the bathroom and see that Calla's door is closed. Sissy looks back at me and whimpers, so I open up the blinds on window beside my bed. TJ's car sits in the driveway and I scowl in disapproval. I venture downstairs and Sissy follows me.

I angrily fix myself a bowl of oatmeal and sit at the counter. Sissy sits on the floor and watches as I aggressively dump spoonfuls of oatmeal into my mouth. As I'm finishing my breakfast, I hear someone come downstairs. I turn around and my eyes instantly meet TJ's. His eyes get big and he hesitates for a moment before joining me in the kitchen. Sissy whines as if she can sense the tension. TJ opens the fridge and begins searching for something to eat. I get up and put my bowl and spoon in the dishwasher without saying a word to him. Unfortunately, he decides to speak up anyway.

"Look, I... I don't know what I did to make you hate me, but whatever it was, I'm really sorry." TJ says.

I look at him and scoff, "Whatever."

"I'm serious, Sloan. I know that you aren't here for very long but I want to be friends with you. And if we can't be friends, at least neutral..." He looks at the floor and then back at me.

"Okay," I shrug.

"What does that mean?" TJ asks.

"Oh-Kay. Which part of the word do you not understand?" I ask in a mocking tone.

"Why do you hate me? Can you at least explain that to me?" He says, clearly frustrated.

"I thought you left last night." I respond, dodging his question.

"Oh, yeah. After you screamed at me? I left, but Calla asked me to come back to make sure I was okay. I wanted to talk to you then, but you were asleep. Calla let me stay the night."

The thought of Calla and TJ sleeping in the same bed fills me with jealousy. I chew my lip thoughtfully as I try to think of another low blow to say next.

"Is this because you think I'm going to steal Calla away from you?" He mutters.

"What?" I growl.

"You and Calla are obviously close... You're scared that if Calla and I get together, you'll lose your sister... Right?"

I laugh loudly and shake my head, "You could not be more wrong."

TJ just stares at me, dumbfounded. He nervously twiddles his fingers and tries to think of something to say. I begin walking toward the stairs and I look over my shoulder at him.

"For the record, you and Calla will never get together. She doesn't like you like that." I smirk and walk up the stairs.

Moments later, I hear the front door open and then slam shut. Then, I hear the screeching of tires as TJ flees the property. I grin to myself and start getting dressed. I pull a grey t-shirt over my head and Calla comes walking sleepily through the bathroom door. Her eyes are red and puffy and her hair is wild. I close my dresser drawer and give her a funny look.

"Sleep well?" I ask.

She nods, "Where's TJ?"

"You just missed him. He left." I inform her, moving into the bathroom and beginning to brush my teeth.

"Did you say something to him?" Calla interrogates me, rubbing at her eyes.

"What would I have to say to him?"

"You certainly had a lot to say last night," She grumbles as she moves behind me and re-enters her bedroom.

She turns on some quiet music and begins picking up some dirty clothes off of the floor.

"Whatever I said, I was drunk. It doesn't count," I retort, rinsing my tooth brush under the faucet.

"I'm still kind of drunk," Calla sighs, "Anyways, I'm pretty sure it counts. I think it upset him."

"Ah, well I'm really, really sorry I upset your boyfriend. Also, nothing you say or do counts when you're drunk or high... With a few exceptions." I tell Calla as I sit down on her bed and ruffle my hair.

"He isn't my boyfriend." She rubs her temples, clearly frustrated.

Calla sits beside me and scoots up against the wall. She brings her knees to her chest and blows out a long breath. I move next to her and look at the ground. She rests her head on my shoulder and I put an arm around her.

"Sorry for giving you hell all the time." I murmur.

"You keep it interesting," She cracks a smile.

I laugh a little bit and we both fall silent again. The song switches to Midnight City by M83, one of my all time favorites. I breathe deep as Calla leans into me. I run my fingertips along her arm and look at the wall in front of me, consumed in thought.

"You know how you said that nothing counts when you're drunk or high?"

I look down at her, "Yeah. But there are exceptions, remember?"

She looks up at me, "Did that kiss count as an exception?"

I think for a minute and briefly look away.

"I think it depends."

"On?"

"Whether or not you'd do it again, intoxicated or sober." I explain.

"This is crazy." Calla says, sitting up to face me.

"What?"

"I can't stop thinking about it. I'm not supposed to feel this way... And you... You're so explosive and reckless. You don't think twice about anything you do, you just do it. It scares the hell out of me, but these past few weeks with you have made me feel more alive than I have ever felt in my entire life. This isn't supposed to happen. I'm not supposed to like you. I'm supposed to like a boy. I'm supposed to like TJ."

I look at her without saying a word. All I can do is look at her. I don't know what to say. I have chills all over my body and for the first time in my life, I don't know what move to make next. I hesitate and laugh awkwardly.

"What's the fun in doing what you're supposed to do?"

Calla looks down and thinks about it for a moment. Then, she looks back at me and grabs my face with both of her hands. I close my eyes just as her lips meet mine. She kisses me hard, pulling me closer to her. For a fraction of a second, all I can think is one thing...

Sloan: One. TJ: Zero.