The Sweetest Devotion (The Affair Series Book 2)

Lena (Part 1)

PRESENT TIME

LENA POV

"Ok yes. I still believe she has a chance. I really do." I said to Principal Sanchez as she shook her head at me for the tenth time this month. 

"Lena, Callie is a lost cause. She just is and I don't see any reason to hold her spot in this school. We are overcrowded as it is  and that girl is trouble and a lost cause."

"That's a reason to give up on her and throw her out of this school?"

"Yes. She was suspended, not to mention expelled for her behavior and poor performance in this school."

"Kids get expelled for much worse reasons here."

"Lena, I understand that and I have gotten rid of many of those kids with no plan on bringing any of them back and Callie Foster is no different. What your devotion is to this girl I am not sure but she can't be helped. She's troubled, she's in a group home now and one step away from juvenile hall. One step.

" I don't believe that. I just don't." 

"Well I'm sorry I'm not letting her back in. She can go to Erickson."

"Erickson? That school is, do you know how dangerous that school is?"

"Then she will fit right in because she is dangerous herself. Now if you will excuse me I have a meeting and phone calls to attend to."

Letting out a sigh I watched her exit my office as I was so frustrated I could hardly stand myself. I was pulling for Callie more than anyone in this school but it was out of my hands now for I had given the girl many chances despite her poor attitude towards me. Deep inside I knew she was a good kid but she was not showing one bit of it. Stef was beside herself and after her stint of running away with Grace along with Jude in addition to finding out Robert wasn't her father the girl had gone off the rails. She had been with Stef for only two days when she tried to bail again nearly getting herself arrested by her own mother.  Therapy didn't seem to make a dent in her and with the request of her social worker and Stef's case worker, Rita, Callie was put in a home for troubled teen girls. It cost a pretty penny and Stef was working overtime on top of overtime to cover the expenses. She was stretched thin I knew that and she had recently gotten full custody of Jude which added to her list of responsibilities. Was she happy to have him full time, yes, but I was hoping she wouldn't break considering there were so many things against her I didn't know how she kept afloat. One top of that she told me Callie was serious about getting emancipated or moving in with her ex, Diane.

Over the course of the last few weeks we had gotten into our fair share of arguments which I wasn't happy about. The last one was so bad she stormed off and I had not heard from her in three days. Was I worried yes, was I learning this was somewhat typical of her, yes, did I accept it and was I going to chase after her, no.  She had called me a few days after that wanting to talk and we did. We talked almost all night as I frustratingly watched her smoke cigarette after cigarette realizing it was one of many slip ups.

FLASHBACK

"How can we solve anything if you run every time we have a fight Stef?" I said to her as she had shown up at my apartment and took a seat at my kitchen table. Setting dinner in front of her she took a sip of water clearing her throat.

"I know. I needed to clear my head babe."

"Ok. Why can't you just tell me that. Why can't you just say you need to clear your head instead of storming off and I don't hear from you. Don't you think I deserve some kind of an explanation. I mean I'm not going to sit her waiting around for you or begging you to come back. I'm not Stef and that's not how I operate."