Chapter
8
When Brian had
signed the last girl's CD, he got up and looked around the room for the other
guys, who were mingling with all the fans.
He saw Nick
surrounded by giggly little girls in one corner. Howie was posing with two
teenagers for a picture. Kevin was talking to a woman and her little girl. And
AJ was standing right next to Jennie and Katelyn, chatting with them. Brian
watched for a minute as AJ put his arm around Jennie, and Katelyn stepped back to
take a picture of them with her camera.
Just then, two
little girls tugged on Brian's shirt.
"Can we
please get out picture taken with you?" they asked eagerly.
"Sure,"
Brian said, smiling down at them. He knelt down to their height, and, putting
an arm around each of them, smiled for the camera.
After that, he
got his picture taken a few more times with different girls.
By then, there
was only about ten minutes left of the meet and greet. Brian looked around the
room and noticed Katelyn and Jennie standing by themselves. He decided it was
the perfect time to approach them.
"Hello
ladies," he said, casually strolling up to them.
"Hi!"
they both said eagerly.
They both
talked to them for a few minutes. Then Jennie glanced down at her watch and
said, "I haven't gotten a picture taken with Nick yet. Be right
back." She headed towards the group surrounding Nick, turning back once
and winking at Katelyn. Brian knew that only Katelyn was supposed to see her wink,
but he had caught it too. Katelyn noticed this and blushed.
"Do you
want a picture with me?" Brian asked her.
"Sure!"
she said. She pulled her camera out of her purse. Brian turned and tapped a
woman on the shoulder.
"Excuse
me, miss, could you please take a picture of us?" he asked her.
"Why,
sure!" she said. Brian handed her Katelyn's camera. Then he put his arm
around her waist and grinned as the camera flashed.
"Thanks!"
Katelyn said, as the woman handed her back her camera. Then she turned to
Brian.
"Brian, I
just want you to know that you are a true inspiration to me," she said
sincerely. "This is the best day of my life, and it's all because of
you."
Brian smiled
at her, touched by her comment. "Thanks, Katelyn," he said.
"That really means a lot to me." He reached out and put his arms
around her. But he let go of her when he felt her flinch and recoil from his
hug. "What's wrong?" he asked, surprised by her reaction. No girl had
ever pulled away from him like that before. Then he noticed the pain in her deep
green eyes. "Did I hurt you?" he asked.
Katelyn's face
turned red. "I…I…no…no, I'm fine," she stammered, refusing to look
him in the eye. Brian knew then that something was terribly wrong.
He rested his
hand lightly on her shoulder. "Tell me what's wrong," he urged
gently.
Katelyn's
normal reaction would have been to make an excuse, a lie, to get out of having
to tell the truth. But when she looked into Brian's kind blue eyes, she knew
she could never lie to him.
"Listen,
I really don't think I should bother you with my problems," she said,
softly.
"You're
not bothering me at all," Brian insisted. "Please tell me what's
wrong."
Katelyn took a
deep breath. "I…" she started, then stopped. She turned so that her
back was towards him and lifted her shirt partway in the back. Brian gasped
when he saw huge bruises on her back.
"Who did
this to you?" he asked, still shocked.
Katelyn's eyes
filled with tears. She couldn't keep this to herself anymore.
***
