Pushed

Chapter 25

"How about Shrek?" Mariana asked. "We could get all four movies and have a marathon." "Whatever." Callie mumbled the same reply to every suggestion that Mariana made. "You got a suggestion?" Mariana asked. "What are you in the mood for." "I don't care." Callie said, walking down the isle away from Mariana. "Is something wrong?" Mariana asked, worried about her sister's attitude. She contemplated calling her mom's but decided to try and figure it out herself. "I'm fine." Callie snapped. "Just pick a damn movie so we can go home." Mariana stood, shocked as she watched Callie head for the door of the video store. "Wait!" Mariana called after her as she followed her. "What's the matter?" She asked, grabbing Callie's arm in an attempt to stop her. "Just leave me alone Mariana." Callie said, pulling her arm away. "I can't Callie." Mariana said sadly. "What?" Callie asked. "I promised mama that I'd stay with you and bring you right back home." Mariana answered honestly. "Great, so you're my babysitter." Callie said coldly. "And who's watching you huh? Who's making sure that you don't cause trouble?" "What are you talking about?" Mariana asked confused. "You told Jude that I was hurting myself." Callie finally let go of her anger. "You told him something that I've spent years and years trying to protect him from." Mariana looked miserable. She knew that her moms and Callie had spoken to Jude about it but she never imagined that Callie would be so mad at her for it. "I'm sorry." Mariana said softly. "He asked me to tell him the truth, I couldn't lie." "Why not?" Callie asked in anger. "You've had plenty of practice, selling Jesus' pills, lying about seeing your mom and what about nearly getting Stef killed? You had no trouble lying all those times." Mariana looked like she was about to cry. "I'm sorry." She said again. "He was so upset and he knew that something was wrong and that no one was giving him any straight answers." "There was a reason for that." Callie snapped at her. "We didn't give him the answers because we didn't want him to know." "Okay, I'm sorry." Mariana said for the third time, hoping that Callie would understand. "I made a mistake." "You had no right." Callie said, ignoring Mariana's apology. "Why not?" Mariana asked, getting tired of defending herself. "He's my brother." Callie looked at Mariana, her eyes cold and filled with rage. "Are you saying that he's no longer my brother because he got adopted and I didn't?" She asked in a low, deep voice. Mariana's eyes widened. "No Callie." She said, not realizing that Callie would ever think like that. "I just meant that he's my brother too." "Well we all see how you treat your brothers." Callie said. "You throw them under the bus." "What?" Mariana asked, knowing that Callie was about to bring up yet another mistake she made in her past. "You let Jesus take the fall for you selling his pills." Callie reminded her. "Now you're putting ideas into Jude's head that should never have crossed his mind." Mariana looked scared at Callie's statement. "Did he try to do something?" She asked worriedly. "Not yet." Callie said. "But who knows." "Callie I'm sorry." Mariana said again. "I wasn't trying to hurt anyone. I just wanted to help." "Well stop helping Mariana." Callie said. "It's really not that helpful." "I was trying to be his big sister." Mariana said. "Just like you." "He doesn't need another sister." Callie said. "He has me. He will always have me, even if I never get adopted." Callie turned around and walked away leaving Mariana standing on the sidewalk, tears in her eyes. It took a few minutes but once Mariana calmed down sufficiently she scanned the area looking for her sister. Whatever happened between them she was still worried about Callie and when she didn't see her anywhere she pulled out her phone and called her mom. "Hi love." Stef said sounding a little distracted. "You on your way home?" "Mom, Callie's gone." She answered in a soft voice. "What?" Stef said, her attention now completely on her daughter. "We sorta had a fight and she took off." Mariana explained. "She may be just heading home but I'm walking that way and can't see her anywhere." "Okay Love I'm coming to get you." Stef said. "I'll see if I can find her on the way." "What happened?" Lena asked when Stef hung up. She watched her wife buttoned up her shirt and grab her keys. "Mariana and Callie had a fight and Callie took off." Stef explained. "I'm going to get Mariana and see if I can find Callie." "I'm coming with you." Lena said as she began to get dressed herself. "No love." Stef said. "You stay here just in case she comes home. I don't want her coming to an empty house." Lena nodded, knowing that Stef was right. "Okay but please call me and let me know what's going on." "I will love." Stef promised before heading out the door. Stef drove the short distance towards the video store, keeping her eyes peeled for Callie and Mariana. She finally found her younger daughter walking towards the house and stopped to pick her up, but there was no sign of her older one. "I'm sorry mom." Mariana said as she climbed into the car, her eyes still filled with tears. "What happened?" Stef asked. "She got mad at me and took off." Mariana said. "I should have followed her but I was shocked for a minute and then I lost her." "What was she mad at you?" Stef asked "because I told Jude about what she was doing." Mariana answered. Stef turned to her daughter. "So that's how he found out." She stated. "Why would you tell him?" She asked. "I'm sorry." Mariana said, for what seemed like the hundredth time to her. "He came to me and asked me what was really wrong with Callie and begged me not to lie to him." Mariana said sadly. "I wish you had come to us." Stef said. "We could have helped you all out." "I'm sorry." Mariana said, yet again. "Will she be okay?" She asked sounding worried. "I've been trying to call her but she won't answer." "I've been trying too." Stef replied, still scanning the streets for her daughter. "I should have followed her immediately." Mariana chastised herself. "I was just so hurt." "Hurt?" Stef asked, scanning her daughter for any injuries. "She just said some stuff." Mariana explained. "She probably didn't mean it." She wasn't trying to get her sister into any more trouble than she was already going to be in. "What did she say?" Stef inquired. "It's not important really." Mariana said. "She was just angry, she didn't mean it." Stef sighed. "Enough with the secrets please Mariana." She said. "She said that Jude didn't need another sister and that he'd always have her no matter what happened to her and that I wasn't a good sister anyways because of all the bad things that I've done." Mariana answered as a fresh batch of tears trickled down her face. Stef reached her hand out and grabbed Mariana's. "Honey all that is in the past. It's over and done with and no one holds it against you." "But she's right." Mariana whispered. "You almost died because of me." Stef pulled the car over so she could concentrate on her daughter. "Honey, I'm your mom and no matter how many mistakes you make or how much trouble you cause I will always come for you and I will always, always love you." Stef said. "We all make mistakes and going into that house without the proper equipment and backup was my mistake not yours." Mariana looked at her mother wondering how she had ever gotten so lucky. "Honey, Callie is having a really hard time right now and she's struggling to get better but part of that struggle is making her push people away and she's trying to hurt them like she's hurting. You can't let that get to you baby." Stef said. "I'm not saying that she's right and she's definitely going to hear about it but you can't believe anything she said even for a second. You are a wonderful sister and daughter." Stef leaned over and pulled Mariana into a tight hug. "I love you so much baby and don't you ever forget that." "I love you too mom." Mariana said, hugging Stef back. Just as Stef was about to continue their search her phone began to ring. "Lena?" Stef said as she answered. "She came home." Lena said. "She's pretty angry though." "Okay we're on our way." Stef said as she nodded to Mariana, informing the girl that her sister was home. "Have you checked her?" "I'm waiting for you." Lena said. Stef could hear the desperation in Lena's voice. Ever since their fight Lena had been trying to be a more stern parent and carry some of the weight but it was obvious that this time she needed Stef to be the strong one. "That's fine love." Stef reassured her. "I'll be there soon."