Katlyn opened the door and gasped at the sight. Justin was leaning over Jennifer on the couch. His shirt was off and he was unbuttoning hers. He leaned down and kissed her hard. Katlyn felt the tears pouring down her cheeks.
“Justin...” Katlyn breathed.
Justin looked up and smiled evilly.
Jennifer ran her hands over his chest and tilted her head back to stare at Katlyn. “It’s your own fault...you were to blind to see what was going on.”
Justin kissed her neck and looked up at Katlyn. “Don’t take this personally...” He laughed evilly and continued kissing Jennifer.
Katlyn tried to move, but her feet wouldn’t budge. She couldn’t close or cover her eyes either. She stood watching...
Katlyn sat straight up in the bed breathing heavily. She started crying again, covering her already tear stained face.
JC came running in when he heard a soft cry. He wrapped his arms around her and rocked her.
“Do you want some coffee?” JC asked after she calmed down.
Katlyn nodded. “Yeah...coffee would be nice.”
They walked down to the kitchen. Minutes later, Katlyn sat quietly sipping her coffee.
“So, how are you feeling?”
Katlyn sighed. “I’ve been better.”
“I’m not going to lie and tell you everything will be ok...it’s going to hurt for awhile.”
Katlyn nodded. “I had a feeling.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes.
“I can’t go on tour with you guys again.” Katlyn said softly.
“Why not? You’re doing our clothes...you have to come!”
“Jackie will be there...and so will Jennifer.” Katlyn whispered the last name.
“But we need you!”
“I’ll finish helping design the clothes, but after that, you can work with Jackie.”
JC nodded his head. He figured he had two months to convince her to come. “So what time does your class start?”
Katlyn groaned looking at the clock. “In an hour....I have to go get some clothes.”
“Bobbie left some clothes here...you can go pick something, and throw them out afterwards if you want.” JC offered.
Katlyn nodded and followed JC. He showed her the couple items that were left. She picked out a pair of studded jeans, a blue tank top and a black hooded sweatshirt. She took a quick shower and dressed in the borrowed clothes and then put on her shoes.
“Thanks JC.” She said giving him a hug on the way out.
“You can stay here longer if you want.”
Katlyn shook her head. “He’ll probably know soon that I was here.”
“So will you be at WEG studios later?” JC asked as she got in her car.
“I don’t know. I might just go somewhere else with Jackie to work on the sketches.” Katlyn waved to JC and drove away.
She picked up her phone and called Jackie.
“Hello?” Jackie answered.
“Hi...Can you bring my bag to class?” Katlyn asked, she had dropped it when she saw Justin and Jennifer.
“Of course. Are you going to tell me what happened?”
“Later.”
“Ok...I’ll see you there.”
“Bye.” She hung up the phone and put on her sunglasses.
She parked her car and met Jackie in front of the class. She dug through her bag for her makeup bag and pulled it out. They took their seats in the back of the room, and Katlyn quickly started applying her makeup, to cover her baggy eyes.
“Can you tell me yet?” Jackie whispered.
“Not now...at lunch.”
After Katlyn told Jackie the story, they both decided it would be best not to go to the studio. They couldn’t go to the dorm, so they went to this little park a couple blocks away.
Jackie took out the sketches she had. “They should be going over the set list today, so we can have a better idea of what kind of clothes they should be wearing.”
Katlyn nodded.
They sat there for hours going over different things that the guys could wear.
Katlyn’s phone started to ring. She picked it up hesitantly. “Hello?”
“Hey Kate. It’s me.” She could tell that it was JC.
“Oh, hey. What’s up?”
“We just went over the seat list. Johnny and Chris wanted me to call you and let you know.”
“Ok...hold on.” She pulled out some paper and a pen. “Start.”
“Well first this is going to be the 2001 ‘Can’t bring us down’ tour. The set list is ‘Pop’...‘It’s gonna be me’...’No strings attached’...‘Space Cowboys’...‘The two of us’...’Tearin’ up me heart’...’I want you back’...’Girlfriend’...’I’ll be good for you’...’Something like you’...’Gone’...’See right through you’...’Up against the wall’...’Bye bye bye’...’Selfish’...’This I promise you’...’Celebrity’...and ‘Game Over’.”
“Ok. Is that it?” Katlyn finished writing down the list and handed it to Jackie.
“Justin’s been acting weird all day.”
“Not my problem...”
“I know it’s not...I just wanted you to know. No one has been able to talk to him.” Katlyn was silent. “So I’ll talk to you later.”
“Ok. Bye.” She hung up. “I guess we have some work to do.”
Jackie and Katlyn started working again.
(1 week later, September 28)
Katlyn was dreading this day. She would have to face Justin.
Jackie and Katlyn had sketched out a rough outline of what their outfits would look like and they had to show them to Johnny and Chris for approval before they went any further.
Katlyn drove up and parked. She saw Justin’s car already there. She also saw JC’s and Chris’. Jackie had the drawings, and she still wasn’t there; meaning she would have to sit around until she got there.
Katlyn put her purse around her shoulder and walked up to the door. She took a deep breath before opening it. She was surprised to find that no one was in the living room. She quietly walked down the hall. Suddenly a door opened and Justin came walking out. He looked up and his eyes opened wide.
“Katlyn, we need to talk.” He said firmly.
Katlyn quickly walked passed him and continued down the hall.
“Katlyn, please...we need to talk.” He followed her down the hall.
“There’s nothing to talk about.” She said softly.
Katlyn walked up the stairs and looked at JC, who was working out at the top. JC stopped and watched Justin chase her up the stairs. She quickly walked to the office, opened the door and closed it behind her.
Justin sighed when the door closed in his face. He turned around and ran a hand over his face. “Why won’t she listen to me?”
JC turned back around and continued his workout. “You screwed up.”
Jackie came up minutes later. JC pointed to the office. “She’s already in there.”
Justin walked passed him. “You’re not helping in any of this.”
JC stopped and sat up again. “I don’t want to get involved.” He got up and grabbed a towel.
“You don’t want to get involved? You’re the only one she’s talking to!”
“I don’t want to get involved with this fight...I just listen when she needs to talk.” JC explained.
“And then you won’t tell me what she said!”
“It’s private. She doesn’t want you to know. What kind of friend would I be if I tell you?”
“A good one.”
“A good one to you, not to her.”
“She’s my girlfriend! I should be the one she’s talking to...not you!”
“Justin, you screwed up, you hurt her...she doesn’t want to talk to you right now.”
“And you’re not helping with that. If you would stop talking to her so much, she may have been talking to me by now!”
JC shook his head. “I doubt it.”
“You’re trying to steal her from me, aren’t you?” Justin stood up and walked in front of JC.
“What are you talking about?”
“You are trying to look like the nice guy and steal her from me!”
Lance walked up and looked between the two. “Is everything ok?”
Justin turned to Lance. “JC is trying to take Katlyn away from me.”
Lance turned to JC raising his eyebrow.
“I’m not trying to steal Katlyn!” JC defended.
“Yes you are! You’re trying to make things worse for us!” Justin took another step forwards towards JC.
JC backed away. “Justin, you have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Justin pushed him. “I think I do.”
“Justin, you’re acting like a little kid. Stop it.”
Justin pushed him again. “Make me.”
JC turned and started to walk away but Justin pushed him again and he fell to the floor. He looked up at Justin standing over him and jumped up, knocking Justin to the floor.
The office door opened and Johnny, Chris, Katlyn, and Jackie all excited. Katlyn and Jackie watched as Justin and JC wrestled around on the floor, while Lance, Johnny, and Chris tried to pull them apart.
“What is going on here?” Johnny asked holding Justin back.
Justin held on to his jaw. “Ask him.”
JC tried to break away from Chris and Lance but they held firmly. “He went crazy!”
Katlyn looked Justin in the eye. She knew they were having a fight about her. She turned away and quickly walked down the stairs.
“Katlyn, wait!” Justin broke away from Johnny and tried to run after her, but Jackie stepped in front of him.
“Leave her alone, Justin.” Jackie whispered.
“Get out of my way.” Justin pushed passed Jackie and ran after Katlyn.
Katlyn was already in her car and driving away.
“Katlyn! Please...Don’t leave!” Justin yelled.
Katlyn continued driving, not looking back.
