Broken Piece

Enlightened Piece

"I'm so proud of my boys."

Callie glanced over her shoulder at Anna, who sat on her bed languidly with her legs crossed looking like everything Callie had always wanted to be. In her silky green gown, with her elegant up-do, Anna looked like someone who belonged at the charity event they would be arriving too in a matter of hours.

Anna was stunning. Callie looked at her reflection in the floor to ceiling mirror located in Anderson's bedroom where she had dressed. She wouldn't call herself stunning. The dress fit well enough, but honestly, its shape was a bit bulky on her, resembling a bag (a cloth one). It had looked much better on the computer and she wondered had Davison picked this dress because it would make her ridiculous.

She gently shook her head as her conspiracies. There was no way he would know how the dress would fit her body, he was no fashion expert or omniscient. Davison hated her, but she didn't think he would go this far.

Or...

Maybe he would.

Still, she was attending this event as his wife, why would he want to make her look bad by also making himself look bad?

She knew it was bad, because whenever Anna would look at her and she would scrunched up her perfectly made up face, but wouldn't say anything. Callie was thankful.

"Okay," Anna suddenly cried out springing to her feet, making Callie jump at the sudden action, "I've held it in long enough. What in the hell are you wearing?" Callie had no idea it was bothering her so much. The slightly concerned and disgusted look on the red head's face would have made Callie laugh if she wasn't the reason behind the expression. Callie didn't say anything as Anna circled her with a critical eye. "The color looks good on you, but it has no shape, Cals! It makes you look like you're wearing a bag."

Callie grimaced and looked down at the dress. "Thanks, Anna..."

"Oh, come on, don't try making me feel bad. That dress is horrible." The fairer skinned woman scoffed. "Why did you choose this one? Because if you knew it resembled something a beggar would wear in the olden days and still chose it, I'm going to have to rethink this friendship. I can't be friends with someone who murders fashion!" The woman said dramatically.

"It fits," Callie defended weakly, "yeah its not too flattering, but it not that bad."

"Not that bad..." Anna stared at her. Then she shook her head, "please tell me you have another dress!"

Callie shook her head, wishing she did. "I don't, not one that would fit the event."

Anna rolled her eyes. "I hardly believe this one fits the event." She snarked. She sighed. "Next time I'm gong shopping with you... this is going to embarrass Davison." She added thoughtlessly. 

And there it was, the true reason behind Anna's concern and it had nothing to do with her. Anna was Davison friend not hers, no matter what she said. She wasn't worried about Callie being humiliated in the dress, she was worried about it reflecting negatively on Davison.

"You're worried I'll embarrass him?" Callie questioned voice flat.

Anna frowned at her a little. "That honestly came out wrong," she responded, "its just the dress i-"

"I understand how you meant it." Callie interrupted voice slightly strained. She avoided looking at the woman. "I know exactly what it is you meant."

Anna ran a hand over her neck and winced. "No really, Callie, that's not how I meant it. Besides the dress, you're beautiful. Please don't take it the wrong way."

Callie went to the heels she had left next to the dresser and slipped them on her feet as Anna watched her with an apologetic expression. "Don't worry about it." She said mostly because Anna was still watching her and seemed to be waiting on something.

Before Anna could say more else Davison called them from the living room like he was a prairie mother calling in her spawn for supper. Callie sighed while Anna responded with a laugh and a 'coming momma!'

It was Callie who left the room first when Anna had turned back to her as if she was going to say something.

"There are our dates!" Peter had clearly just arrived considering he hadn't been there when Anna had first arrived. He looked handsome in his dark custom suit and gelled hair. "And they're beautiful," he clearly lied in Callie's opinion. But then again, he didn't give her much of a look, his eyes only for Anna.

He wasn't the only one who's gaze seemed fixated on Anna, Davison seemed quite mesmerized as well. Callie took the time they spent staring appreciatively at Anna to study Davison. He was handsome in his dark suit, one a shade lighter than Peter's, and his new haircut, but it was the soft smile on his face that stole the show.

Callie was positively mystified by it, she had no idea he could even make such an expression.

As the seconds ticked by with the men's attentions still on Anna, giving the red head compliments as she mockingly modeled for them (obviously another inside thing), Callie grew more and more tight chested. She didn't want to go, but now she really didn't want to go. She didn't even want to exist in that moment.

Finally, Davison's gaze let go of Anna and slid over her. His soft smile grew edges and points and became down right sinister and Callie knew in that moment that he had picked the dress she was currently suffering in for every wrong reason imaginable.

The cruelness of the look actually made her stumble back, it was only her familiarity with heels that stopped her from falling.

"Ah!" Anna spoke up smiling weakly at Callie. "I was thinking we could stop at the little boutique down the street and see can we find Callie another dress... we don't think this one fits very well."

Callie glanced at the woman who she was sure thought she was helping. But she had no idea, this was all a part of Davison's grand scheme to make her miserable.

Peter expression was a little funny when he finally looked at her, removing all doubt that he actually hadn't spared her even a glance when he they had first entered the room. Davison on the other hand just shrugged.

"She's looks fine to me." He said. "Besides, we don't really have time for that." He claimed.

Anna looked annoyed and like she wanted to argue. Callie really didn't have the will or want to listen to it.

"Where's Anderson?" she questioned for a lack of anything else to say. It was a reasonable question consider the group of three always went around like some sort of pack.

Davison stepped closer to her. "Shouldn't I be the only man you're worried about?"

"You're such an alpha male," Anna said sarcastically.

Davison surprisingly ignored her as he grabbed Callie's hand and pulled her closer. "Why are you worried about where he is?"

Callie wanted to roll her eyes but instead settled on looking away. "I'm not worried, just asking." She couldn't understand this thing he did, this weird thing that resembled jealously but obviously couldn't be. "You guys are always together."

He let go of her hand and went to the nearby mirror and checked his reflection, running his hand over his trimmed beard. "Your boyfriend is meeting us there." He said dismissively.

"He's jealous," Anna staged whispered to her with a smile that faded when Callie didn't return it. "Come on, Cals..."

Callie ignored Anna's pleading look and hated herself for feeling bad about it. These people didn't care about her and only put up with her because of Davison. What was the point in being friendly with them?

Peter laughed, seemingly at Davison before he grabbed Anna. "Times a wasting, Dee, grab your wife and let's go impress the big pockets."

As Peter dragged Anna towards the door Davison turned to look at her, expression unreadable.

"Ready?" He finally asked and held out his arm.

Callie didn't answer or accept the offered arm as she followed after Anna and Peter.

(BP)

"You rich people will forever bewilder and disgust me." Anna said, her words directed at Peter and Davison. They were in the underground room of the venue that had been rented out for the charity event. Peter had wanted to show them the items that were going to be auctioned off for their charity the KINDness Foundation. "Why on earth would anyone want this thing, let alone pay money for it?" She said motioned to the Mongolian Artwork (a statue). "I made better artwork in fifth grade."

"Sometimes you're such a bumkin," Peter laughed. "This is a statue of a Mongolian warrior, this piece belongs in a museum somewhere. But Davison got it for us," he slapped the blonde's shoulder, "to go towards helping needy children and making us look good."

Anna rolled her eyes. "And how did do that, if its so special?" All of them turned to look at married man, who shrugged, his hands firmly in his pockets a crooked grin on his face.

Callie didn't think she wanted to know. Anna continued to look around at the auctioning items, grabbing Callie at one point to drag along and not allowing her to escape.

Callie allowed it, feeling defeat. She had did a good job at ignoring the redhead, but the woman was persistent. She constantly pulled her into awkward conversation on the car ride over.

"Look at this, Cals," she truly seemed amazed and Callie couldn't blame her. Anna had dragged her to a display case and inside was a sparkling diamond necklace. "Kind of boring it being diamonds but it's really beautiful, huh?"

"It is," Callie breathed.

Peter pushed his way between them, wrapping an arm over each of their shoulders. Callie flinched in surprise while Anna attempted to shrug him off, but he wouldn't budge. "I'll never recover from what I had to do to get that." He claimed dramatically with a shiver. "Crows feet are beautiful on some women...not all."

"You're disgusting." Anna declared.

"Anything for the children, Na."

"If you're done playing...I think its time we headed upstairs." Davison chimed, clearly agitated.

They all looked back at him and he raised an eyebrow expectantly in turn.

"What crawled up his butt?" Peter whispered to them, but clearly loud enough for Davison to hear. He let go of them, but grabbed Anna's hand, heading towards the door. He stopped next to Davison, "chill man, everything's going to be fine." He clapped his shoulder.

"Yeah, don't be an asshole." Anna said as Peter pulled her onwards. She gave Davison a narrowed eyed glare until she and Peter vanished.

Callie couldn't help but think Anna was a strange women.

Alone with Davison, Callie grew nervous. She wondered briefly why he wasn't following the other two up, meaning she would as well. "Your friends are...something..." she finally said, the silence and staring too much for her.

"Don't say anything stupid when we get there, Cals." He started aggressively. "Better yet, don't even talk."

Callie frowned deeply. "It'll be weird if I don't talk at all." She said hesitantly. "Do you think I can somehow mess this up for you?"

He scoffed. "You know better." Those words were clearly a threat.

(BP)

A rock settled in Callie's stomach as soon as they reached the hall and didn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. It got worse as people began coming up to her, congratulating her on her marriage. Fake people, with their fake smiles and fake words.

She could see their true feelings in their eyes and it brought back so many bad memories.

She stayed close to Davison despite her feelings towards him. He was the devil she did know, she knew the taste of his poison, but these people with their judging eyes and whispers, it was too much. Always had been.

She saw people she knew, a couple who had even been there that day. She avoided them strategically, pulling others into conversation when she saw one coming or shoving her mouth full of finger food. Davison would always shoot her annoyed looks when she would do that one.

Despite Davison's words she spoke, she had too.

She also followed him around like stank, he didn't have to drag her around.

"Ah, Davison, this is your wife?" An older woman approached them, a Champaign flute in her hand. Callie recognized the woman as Georgina Blake, one of her father's ex mistresses. She had been married a couple of times and came from very old money. She was mean and sneaky and had given her mother hell.

Davison smiled easily at the woman, making Callie wonder had he known what the woman had did to their mother would he smile so easily at her. "Yes th-"

"David's little girl, right?" She interrupted. "Its been awhile, well congratulations to you both." Her dark eyes racked up and down Callie frame. "Beautiful dress, dear, you look simply lovely in it."

Callie forced a smile on her face. "Thank you," she responded to the woman's lie.

Georgina's gaze fell squarely on Davison, clearly dismissing Callie. "Your business is doing well, I hear."

"Very well, Mrs. Blake. I spoke with your nephew last week about that venture we spoke about a little while ago." He said politely. "He clearly listened to your advice on the matter."

Georgina leaned forward as if she was about to tell him the words biggest secret. "I have to steer him sometimes, the boy's not too bright." Callie rolled her eyes, that was no secret. Georgina and Davison both laughed as if it was the funniest thing in the world. "Speaking off...have you met my granddaughter, she's quite beautiful and I'm sure you two would have lots of things in common." She glanced at Callie.

The young woman frowned and cut her eyes to Davison, waiting for his response.

He didn't even spare her a glance. "Well, if you think so, set up a meeting...I'd love to meet her especially if she's as half as beautiful as you."

Callie felt sick, not because of the embarrassment climbing up her spine because his clear acceptance to her match making, but at the obvious brown nosing. Did he have no idea what this woman did to their mother?

"Well, with that I'll leave you. Its nice to see a young man working so hard." She left without even sparing Callie a glance.

"Go stand next to the food table." Davison's words pulled her from her dangerous thoughts. She looked up at him in surprise. He sneered down at her. "I'm tired of you follow me around like a puppy. I need space." His voice wasn't exactly a whisper.

Callie looked around noticing a few people were watching. Humiliated, she walked away without even looking back at the man.

Standing near the food, of course she ate. She looked around the room, not holding anyone's gaze for long. She felt vulnerable without Davison, oddly enough.

She caught sight of Peter and Anna on the other side of the room, laughing it up with some old men who seemed taken by Anna. She noticed the red head drew lots of attention, some of interest, some of longing, some (most) of jealousy. Anna seemed not to notice any of it. Callie wished she could be like that.

She ate one puff cake too many and her stomach pinched painfully. She stopped eating right there and rubbed her hands together to get rid of crumbs. She looked around for Davison again, not enjoying the judging looks she was receiving being next to the food.

She found him moments later, speaking intimately with a familiar blonde. She recognized Blaire Cod right away and something wiggled in the back of her mind, but it slipped away when she witnessed Davison tuck a strand of blonde hair behind Blair's ear.

Callie hadn't been the only one watching Davison, so his action got the whispers going and the looks cast in her direction. Callie wanted to slink away. She could see the smirks, hear the whispers, and feel every single look.

Damn.

People waited for a reaction. Would she burst into tears? Race from the room? Go over and drag her husband away from the other woman? This was so reminiscent to what her mother had gone through she felt sick.

What would she do? She was expected to do something.

She did nothing but turn her back and grab another puff cake.