She nodded and led him up the stairs and to her bedroom, staring at the floor. She heard Nick burst out laughing and see looked at him nervously. "You think that is funny?" she asked with a small smile, pointing to the walls that were plastered with Backstreet Boys posters, mostly of Nick,he nodded, "Then look at this," she said as she walked over to her door and shut it, revealing a huge picture of Nick on the other side, making him laugh even louder, falling on her bed. "I love it," he said through his giggles. "Nick...I have to ask you a question," she began, worrying about what his answer would be. "What is it?" he asked hoping that she wouldn't ask what he thought she was going to ask. "Katie means a lot to me, and she has been hurt a lot, I don't want it to happen again. Brian has a girlfriend, doesn't he?" Nick looked down at the floor and nodded, "Yeah, they have been going out for awhile, she has practically moved into our apartment. Honestly, I hate her. She is stuck up and the only reason that she is with Brian is because she likes to tell her friends that she goes out him. I think she is cheating on him too....but I don't want to break the news to him, he is my best friend and I don't want to hurt him." "I understand, but why in the world is he still at the hospital with Katie if he has a girlfriend back home?" "I don't know....I think he feels responsible and I also think that he knows deep down inside that Annabelle doesn't care about HIM, just his fame, maybe he is ready to move on." He said and Lauren hoped he was right.
As Nick and Lauren became friends, Brian sat in an uncomfortable chair by Katie's hospital bed. He looked at her long brown hair that was falling down her shoulders and he thought about Annabelle. "I don't love her," he said to himself and nodded as if to reassure himself and he picked up the hospital phone and dialed the number for his girlfriend, he knew that she was at the boys apartment. It rang a couple of times and then she finally picked up, sounding breathless, "Hello?" "Annabelle, it is Brian." "Oh...oh....hi." she said nervously and off in the distance he could hear the deep voice of another man, "What is the matter honey?" He asked and Annabelle put her hand over the phone, but Brian could still hear her when she said "Nothing." "Who is that Annabelle?" Brian asked, the panic already in his voice. Katie was waking up, but Brian didn't know it, she heard everything. "Are you sleeping with someone!?!," he screamed in disbelief, "In our bed, actually in MY bed! Get out! Now! I want you and that slim ball out of MY house now!" He screamed and hung up the phone, putting his hands on his face and crying.
Katie sat up, she knew how to handle this, this is the one thing that she had gotten used to in the many years of foster homes that she had lived in. She sat up, ignoring the pain in her stomach, and put her hands on Brian's head. "Shh," she soothed him, "Everything will be alright Brian, there are times in our lives when youthink you just want to end it, but you got to remember to 'Roll With It'," she said smiling as Brian looked up, the tears still fresh on his handsome face. He leaned over to kiss her, but she backed up, so that he couldn't get to close. She had been hurt many times, she lived the life of a prisoner who had never committed any crimes, and the only way to prevent the hurt was to not let anyone in. The only person she let in was Lauren, she had been the only 'family' that Katie had, even if it wasn't by blood.
"How would you know?? You are still a child! You have probably never been in love before and you have never been hurt before!" He screamed at her, and Katie nodded, he was hurt and he was letting it out, she understood that. The things he said didn't hurt her, she had heard it all before, and she no longer really had any compassion or love or hate in her veins any longer, she was like a rock, nothing could bring her down, she couldn't get any lower than she already was.
"I know Brian, I know. You have been hurt, trust me, I understand that, with the whole of my soul. You don't know this, but some people who are younger than you have experienced the life of an 80 year old, and that includes me. So get out, think things over and wait for the next girl to come, she will be lucky and hopefully you will be, too. Just don't give up!" She yelled and Brian left, more tears running down his face.
Nick and Lauren talked for a long time, and Nick decided that it was about time to get going and that hopefully he would see her again. "I will call you," Nick said as he excepted the piece of paper that Lauren had handed him with her number on it. She nodded and thought to herself that was what they all say. "Lauren...." he said sadly, and put his finger on her chin and lifted her face up so that she was looking up at him, "Trust me..." he said and kissed her gently on the lips. She nodded, still surprised by the sweet taste of his lips on hers. He left her standing in her bedroom, still shocked that her idol had been in her bedroom, and for once it wasn't a dream.
Nick sat in his limo, the driver bringing him back to the hotel. All he could think about was Lauren and how wonderful she was. She was so nice, understanding and he felt like he could tell her anything that was on his mind. He stared at her number and knew that he was going to call her, and once she was out of school, maybe she could go on tour with them. "We're here Mr. Carter!" The driver yelled back and him and Nick nodded and quickly ran up to the hotel, fortunately there was no one there, so he didn't have to worry about being attacked by fans. He ran up to his room, which he shared with Brian, and put his key in the lock. He opened it and told Brian that he was home.
"Frick?? Frick where are you?" Nick screamed for him, wondering where he went. He looked all over and then found that Brian was sitting in the tub, fully clothed, crying his eyes out. "Oh my god, what is the matter?" Nick asked carefully. "It's Annabelle..." Brian started and began to cry, as he looked up at his friend, not knowing what else to say. He had been sitting in the tub all day, crying, trying to figure out what Katie meant when she had yelled at him. He knew that his relationship with Annabelle would eventually end, but Katie had surprised him. "It is over isn't it?" Nick asked, and Brian nodded, "I knew it, she was no good." "The problem is, that isn't it. Katie said something that really surprised me. She is different then other girls..." "I know, Lauren told me something that really surprised me about her. You need to talk to her, tomorrow is going to be a very bad day for her." "What do you mean?" Brian asked. "Just talk to her, the doctor said she could go home tomorrow."
Brian nodded, got cleaned up and decided to go to the hospital. It was 10 at night, but hopefully they would let him in. He put on a pair of khakis and a black shirt, he washed his tear stained face and went to the hospital with his driver.