"He dropped the charges?" Callie blurted excitedly. Naomi sent a quizzical look her way. Callie let herself calm down quickly. She still wasn't ready to share her problems with anyone, except family.

Aunt Georgia's response was just as ecstatic. "Damn straight, he did. How did you do it?"

Callie admitted. "It ended on a completely bad note and I was sure he was pissed at me. I'm just as surprised as you are."

"Well, we need to celebrate. I was hoping to send him a fruit basket to show our thanks."

Callie blurted the words out. "Let me do it." For a second, she wished she could take it all back, especially when she remembered how little the rich kid could stand her.  Still, Callie had a niggling feeling in her head telling her that she owed him a little bit of thanks for doing this.

Callie could detect the questioning tone in Aunt Georgia's voice, considering how high it went. "You want to send the fruit basket?"

"Yes. I was a little rude to him and I wish I wasn't. I want to apologize in person. I really didn't expect him to do any of that." It baffled the hell out of her that he changed his mind. What if he had an ulterior motive? She remembered the dark hues of his glittering, green eyes rimmed with flecks of light that seemed unflinched to her pleas. He looked hell bent on not changing his mind but this actually had her questioning his intentions.

Callie groaned. She was already sounding like dad. Doubting every action of a person. He was really rubbing off on her, more than she thought.

"Well, I'll send him another basket later on. It's good you're trying to make up for your actions." Aunt Georgia commented softly.

Callie said her goodbyes then hung up. Naomi raised an eyebrow. "I could ask what's wrong but I know you won't tell me, so don't bother."

While Callie couldn't completely deny it, she felt a pang of hurt buried in her. She protested. "Naomi, it's—"

"Come on, we'll miss first period. The alarm bell just rang and we'll be screwed if we get late for French." Callie could only sigh, as she followed her friend to class.

****
Edgar Callum frowned deeply. "We heard you dropped the charges."

Larkin's jaw ticked. "News travels fast."

Light blue eyes narrowed underneath his thick rimmed glasses. "As your lawyer and family confidant, I was hoping you'd inform me first, rather than hearing it from naysayers."

"I knew you'd oppose to it. I apologize if I skipped any of that. It was just something that had to be done."

Edgar Callum leaned into the brown leather sofa. His grey suit creased against its padded form, making it give a small squeak. "What made you change your mind? You were determined to remain on the good graces of the board."

Larkin pressed his lips together in a grim line, when he remembered the pleading look in her eyes that looked like sweet caramel plopped around white chocolate. He'd have to be crazy to tell his lawyer that he did it for a girl. Callum would go crazy.

Callum had been in the family for almost three decades. His once taffy brown hair had greyed into patches of tweed grey bristles entwined into it, and he had also managed to lose a lot of pounds on his once stocky body. Besides his little physical changes within the past decade, Callum's attitude never actually changed. He remained so stoic and wore his no-nonsense attitude as an accessory like the suede shoes on his feet. He certainly wouldn't approve of his reason. Hell, Larkin couldn't think of a more convincing reason for what he did. It was impulsive and reckless. Something Larkin hadn't let himself feel in a long while.

"I don't think he did it. It's too convenient that the culprit turned out to a mentally ill man with a long record of past misdemeanors, standing against him." Larkin chose as his defence. It was easier saying that than letting him know about Callista.

Edgar Callum glowered. "So now you're a detective too?"

Larkin shot him a look. He wasn't in the best of mood to handle Callum's testy remarks. "Now's not the time, sir."

"I'm serious, Larkin. I understand you're taking this so carelessly because you haven't heard what they've said behind your back, but I have. And none of them are pretty. They're seeing your actions as incompetence, instead of self righteous. They're doubting your abilities and I worry about the outcome. You haven't come for any board meeting, since the accident and they aren't thrilled that I'm handling the finances since I'm just your family's attorney and not a board member."

Larkin dipped his head lower. "I can't just go. Look at my face. It's a mess."

"You know what else is a mess? The company. If you don't rise up from your self loath, you'd end up crumbling down a company that has existed for more than seven decades, all on your own." Edgar Callum's beady eyes hardened.

Larkin's eyes snapped back. "I'm not going to let that happen."

"Try leaving the house first, then I'll believe you." He grimaced with disappointment lurking in his words. "And you need to do better concerning the Red Rosewood case. You can't just let him off the hook. It's going to give someone else a reason to steal another thing. You'd end up being taken for granted."

"You expect me to lock up a man who's ill without my conscience haunting me?" Larkin grunted, finally admitting his biggest concern.

Edgar Callum shrugged. "You could start by firing him. He can't come back to work. No one trusts him. For the sake of his sanity, you need to cut him loose."

Larkin frowned. He had thought of that. It had to be the only way to settle the scores, but it worried him if the man was truly innocent. It concerned him if he could get another working job, especially with the condition he has.

Edgar Callum watched him carefully. "What? You don't like the sound of that?"

"I'd have to think about it."

"Try not to sleep on it for too long. I don't think you have much time." Edgar added. Larkin knew Edgar Callum meant well. The lawyer had been protecting his family—including him for so long, that Larkin trusted his judgment. From a personal point of view, Larkin was sure Callum had his best interest but he wasn't going to ignore his conscience lingering over him, even if Callum didn't like it.

★★★

"Okay 3, 2, 1 action. Let's go over that last line." Callie's voice raised, pulling apart the huddled teenagers and drawing their attention back to her.

Doris dropped the script in her hand and called out. Ringlets of her brown hair bobbed as she acted out her lines. "Oh Micah, my love. How can we do this?"

Jacques snorted, glancing his eyes over the script in his hand, and shot Callie a look. "I can't say what's on this script. It's completely bogus. No one talks like this."

Callie was losing her patience. They've had this conversation repeatedly about how the script works. Then again, she wasn't surprised he was acting like an ass. He was a good looking chap. Brown short hair that usually spiked atop his head and his elliptical, coal black eyes danced around smugly. He was a junior, blessed with tall lanky legs which was helpful for him as a player in the school's basketball team. He was trying to act cool in front of the others, so that their "cute jock" image of him doesn't wash away. Not wanting them to see him as a thespian like them.

Gripping the clipboard in her hand tightly, Callie countered. "If you have a problem with it, the door is wide open. There are people who actually want this role. As the assistant director, I have every right to kick you out, but I'm going to give you the honor of leaving on your own terms."

He turned a telltale shade of red. Good, he was embarrassed. She knew he wouldn't leave the play, but she also had to put him in his place. Mr. Campbell had left her in charge for the day, that meant dealing with possible attempts of students acting out of place, like Jacques or anybody else that attempted to, and coping with drama queens like Maddie. Thankfully, Maddie was oddly quiet today and that meant a little bit of peace of mind.

Jacques pulled a face. "You promised that we'd actually enjoy reading this script. I should have known that a retelling of Hamlet, Shakespeare's greatest treasure, would be retold in the most boring possible way."

Shocked gasps resonated around the room. Callie wore a demur look. This was a script she worked on extensively with Mr. Campbell for weeks, and yet it took only one second for a person to crash down her hard efforts. "That's it. Goodbye. I never want to see you in this play again. You are no longer the lead. I'll find someone else."

Jacques' eyes bulged. "You can't do that. We've been practicing for weeks and almost half way done. I'm the lead. You can't replace me."

"Try me." Callie insisted, slowly.

Jacques scratched his bare jaw on his ashen white skin instinctively and huffed. "Fine. I'll go. Good luck finding someone who would learn my lines that fast. I bet you'll come begging me in a week."

Callie almost swore. She knew she should have picked an understudy for him. Dumb rookie mistake.

He dragged his feet angrily and swept himself out of the hall. Everyone turned their gazes back on Callie's. Maddie, with her frizzy blonde hair and almond shaped blue eyes, inquired. "What's going to happen now?"

"We'll be fine. Let's just pack up and go. I already have someone in mind." Callie lied through her teeth. She knew she messed up so bad. How the hell would she get a new lead actor now?

★★★
Let's see how Callie's going to weasel her way out of this.
Xoxo
Jasmine.