Better Off Alone (Adopted by Brendon and Sarah Urie)

77. Callie

I hate Melanie! I hate her, I hate her, I hate her!

Mom and Dad promised she wouldn't be in any of my classes and she was in three!  She kept smirking at me and signing at me. She kept calling me a killer and a psycho. She pushed me into the lockers and laughed at me. At lunch she took my tray and threw it all out.

Then she told me the worst thing. She said Mom and Dad only adopted me as a publicity stunt and everyone knew it. She said they'd get rid of me as soon as I stopped being a trick. And she showed me an article.

"Keep it," she said when I tried to give it back. "One day you'll look at it and say 'shit, Melanie was actually right.'" 

I stuffed the paper in my pocket and ran to the bathroom to cry. I looked in the mirror at myself. Why else would they have adopted me. The Deaf kid. Why else but to be some gimmick. And Melanie was still in my classes. They hadn't fixed anything!  They made everything worse!

When school ended and I went out to the car, just before I went outside, Melanie pushed me and told me to remember what she'd said and given me. And it just pissed me off more!

I saw Mom and Dad's car and I dragged myself and my bag out because I had to. I threw my bag into the car and climbed in pulling the door as hard as I could and putting on my seatbelt. Dad tried to ask how my day was and was nauseatingly happy looking. I turned my eyes away and out the window and crossed my arms. Like they didn't know.

Mom kept trying to talk to me, but I kept looking out the window. I didn't want to talk to them right now. Dad didn't even try to say anything.

When we got home I got out of the car as fast as I could, slammed the door and went to the front door as fast as I could. Except I don't have a key. Mom and Dad came and unlocked the door and I pushed my way inside, intending to go to my room and avoid them.

Dad grabbed my arm and signed:

Uh uh," he said. "Something has obviously upset you and we want to know what. Tell us."

I frowned deeply at him and shook my head.

"Callie," Mom said. "Sweetheart. We need to know what happened so maybe we can fix it."

"You can't fix ANYTHING!"

I pulled my arm away from Dad and crutched up the stairs as fast as I could. And banged my crutches as much as I could.

I wanted to throw things and break things, but I also didn't want to make them mad and get rid of me faster. So I flopped on my bed and punched my pillows.

I don't know how long I did that before I felt tired. I curled up on my side, away from the door, and closed my eyes.

I don't actually know if I fell asleep, but I was woken up by someone gently shaking my shoulder. I turned around and saw Dad sitting beside me and Mom at the foot of the bed. I turned away from them and buried my face in a pillow.

They weren't having it and started tugging on my pillows to get them away from my face. I scrunched my eyes closed but they were being insistent and pushing and pulling me and wouldn't leave me alone. I sat up and glared at them.

"WHAT?!" I demanded. Dad looked at me and frowned.

"There's no need for that, Callie. We came to find out what has you so upset."

"Why? You won't care!" I signed at them, then turned and flopped back down on my bed and crossed my arms.

Dad tapped my shoulder but I refused to turn back. Sadly, Dad is pretty strong and he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me up. I tried to pull away from him but he was holding me too tight.

Mom tapped my leg and I frowned at her.

"Callie, honey, what's the matter? We can't help if you don't tell us," she said.

"You ruined everything!" I signed.

"What do you mean?" Dad asked.

"You promised Melanie wouldn't be in any of my classes and she was in three! And then there's this!" I pulled the article out of my pocket.

Dad took it, read it, covered his eyes and handed it to Mom. She read it and I saw her frown and roll her eyes.

"Callie," she said.

"Don't bother!" I said angrily. "Now I know the truth!"

"No you don't," Dad said. "That magazine sells lies. They take a story and make up their own version. We did not adopt you as a gimmick. We adopted you because we fell in love with you when we met you. And we do, we really do love you, sweetheart."

I frowned at them.

"I don't believe you!" I said.

"I don't really know how to show you that we adopted you because we love you. I can only point out that if we were using you as a gimmick, wouldn't we have you on TV and at any industry event we could possibly bring you to? Wouldn't we be showing you off everywhere that wasn't with just friends and family?  Wouldn't we have made a bigger deal about what happened on the first day? Think about it, Callie, we've been careful about how we introduce you to the people in our lives," Dad said. "Where did you get this?"

He held up the article.

"Melanie," I said.

Dad frowned. He looked angry.

"She wasn't supposed to be able to get anywhere near you."

"She's in three of my classes!" I exclaimed. "And she was pushing me into lockers all day! And she threw out my lunch! You didn't fix anything! You made everything worse!"

"I'm going to talk to the school right now. If they can't fix this they'll be providing a tutor until they can," he said.

I twisted away from him and flopped back down on my bed and turned away from them again. I felt them get off my bed and kept my back to the door.

Dad made sense. But so did Melanie.