Maybe this is where I belong...

Chapter 15.

Hi my amazing readers! It has been a REALLLYY long time and I am so sorry! Senior year is super tough but I have finally finished this chapter and I promise I'm going to set time for myself to write! Thank you so so much for reading and I hope you're loving the story! I have lots planned so get ready :)

AMELIA'S POV:

I ran past Lena who stopped me in my tracks on my way to my room.
"Hey hey, what's wrong?" She asked me with concerned eyes.
I thought about telling her how I knew Callie but every memory of seeing Callie outside, dancing in her backyard with her dance studio embroidered on her sweatshirt that I would see her wearing just about every day while I was hidden in the basement flooded my mind and it was too overwhelming.
"Nothing's wrong."
"Ami."
"Lena I'm serious nothing is wrong."
"Honey you can talk to me you know that right?" I didn't answer for a while because I was trying to think if I was making all of this up, or if it's all true.
"What street does Callie live on?"
"Uh.. Why do you ask, love?"
"I just--" My voice trembled, "I know her from somewhere, that's all."
"You do?" Lena walks me over to sit down in the living room with her and she sits next to me with her arm around me.
"I just need to know what street she lives on."
"Okay..Let me think."
My hands got clammy and I started to feel dizzy as the flashbacks kept running through my mind. I would be in the smelly, old, and dark basement with only one window while Callie would be living the life as a normal kid, dancing and not worrying about what house she's going to live in next.
"She lives on Willow Drive I think honey."
I took a deep breath and tried to get myself to stop trembling.
"Amelia why does this matter sweetheart?" My voice was shaky and I took a deep breath.
"Because she was my next door neighbor when I was living with Patrick."
I quickly wiped the tears coming down my face with my arm.
"Baby are you sure?" Lena, now looking very concerned, asked me.
"Yes, I'm so sure. There were times when I would be locked in the basement and only have one window to look out through, and I would see Callie dancing and playing outside. Sometimes when I was there alone, right after he would..." I didn't want to say it, it hurt too much, "She would come up to the basement window and we would make eye contact, and wave to each other most of the times. I finally realized how I know her today though, she just said that she used to dance at Center Stage Dance Center when we were all outside together just now, and it brought me back to a certain day a long time ago, when she wore a sweatshirt with the exact same name on it. I have always remembered it because it was pink and sparkly. I've always felt that she looked familiar, but now everything makes sense." I struggled to get the words out.
She sighed and rose from the couch to find Stef. I sat there with my head in my hands, regretting the choice of telling Lena about me and Callie's past. Callie never knew me. She never had a friendship with me until now. A vivid memory came to me as I was sitting there. It was after one of the many times he had raped me. He left me in the basement while he was upstairs, and through the one window I had visible to me, Callie crept her way towards that one window and waved to me, she had looked confused. Probably wondering why I was stuck down there and not able to come outside. That happened about a dozen times after that. We waved and smiled at each other before he would come down and take me upstairs, away from the only person I had contact with other than him.

Stef and Lena came back into the living room where I was still in the same spot. My life was a constant nightmare.
"Hey, lovebug." Stef came over and knelt down in front of me.
"Hi." I tried to sound okay, but it clearly was not working because Stef gave me a look that basically read "you're not fooling me."
"Do you want Callie to come in here and talk to you?"
"No! No, Stef. No. That will only make it worse."
"Baby it might help your case." Lena took a seat next to me. "If Callie can say that she has seen you in that basement by yourself all alone, it might greatly improve the case against Patrick."
"If Callie is going to know about any of this, it is going to come from me. And I do not want her to know right now." I got up to go back outside with Mariana and Callie and tried to forget about the fact that Callie had seen me in my most vulnerable state. I sat back down with the girls while they had conversations, and I sat in silence. It was long until Mariana noticed I was quiet as a mouse.
"Ames, are you alright?"
"Oh-oh yeah i'm fine. Just super tired from being at the lawyer's office all day. Very exhausting." I let out a light chuckle to ease the tension in the room. I could tell Callie was staring at me, like she was trying to remember how I looked familiar to her.
"I'm going to get some lemonade in the kitchen, anyone thirsty?" Mariana said with a smile as she rose from her chair.
"I'd love some! Thanks." Callie raised her hand like she was in school.
"I'll get some for you, too." Mariana winked at me and rubbed my arm in a comforting way. She went into the kitchen to get drinks which meant me and Callie were alone outside on the patio.
"So you got up pretty fast after I told you and Mariana the dance studio I used to dance at." Callie broke the silence and took me by total surprise.
"Oh. Oh no I-I just had to use the bathroom." I laughed, trying to come up with another excuse if needed.
"Amelia, we both know that isn't why." She took my hand that was rested on the table and held it, attempting to make eye contact with me.
"We're not talking about this."
"Ami. I saw you in that basement. Alone, abused, and afraid. I can help you. Please let me."
"Callie. Please, can we never talk about this again? This will all blow up in my face if you interfere." I choked back tears. Before Callie could respond, Mariana came back with our drinks.
"Here we are!" She said with unnecessary excitement. The two of them sipped on their lemonades, chatting away and sharing funny things they saw on their phones. I kept thinking about what could happen if Patrick found out that Callie knows what he did to me. Only negative outcomes came to my mind, so I quickly put that in the back of my head.
"Ami, we need to think of a name for our new dance team, any ideas?" Mariana tapped the table to grab my attention. I pondered for a minute, "How about Dance Elite? It kind of shows that we are pretty good."
"Oh, I love it! Super cute," Mariana responded with a smile,  "what do you think, Cal?"
"Awesome name. I'm so excited to try out." She answered, meeting eyes with me, trying to form a friendship that I clearly wanted no part of. The three of us spent some time making flyers and copying them to hand out and post around school for tomorrow. The sky turned dark and we were still outside, hanging out with surprisingly less tension than I had anticipated. My anxiety was still through the roof about my situation with Callie, no doubt.

"Hi girls," Stef came out to the patio and sat on the arm of the chair that I was sitting on. "Ami and Miss Thing, it's time for dinner, why don't you get washed up and I'll walk Callie back to her car, Jesus already told Jude it's time to go." Mariana and I went inside as Stef followed with Callie.

STEF'S POV:
"Alright my friends get home safe, yes?" I said to Callie and Jude before they got into the car.
"You got it Ms. Foster!" Jude responded as he climbed in the front seat.
"Stef?" Callie said, with worrisome eyes.
"Yeah? Everything okay Callie?"
"I have something I need to tell you and Lena."