Page 51 of Love on Tour
“Yeah. It’s not just his hands that are big,” another voice said, laughing.
Laughing? They find this funny?Christine thought.
Bryan reached around and grabbed her ass, then snaked his hand under her butt, his fingers pushing at her vagina. She knew in that moment that she was a step away from being forced into his van and raped.
Anger kicked in and adrenaline soared through her body. She lifted her knee as hard as she could, rammed it into his groin, and dropped him to his knees.
“Fucking bitch,” he said, grabbing his privates.
“Oh, shit,” one of his friends said, chuckling into his hand.
“Back the hell off or you’re next,” Christine said, spinning around, looking at each of them.
They all retreated and let her through their circle. She ran to her car, locked the doors, and sped home.
After that, her nickname was Chrissy the Sissy. Nobody confused her and Pretty Christine again.
“You okay?” Austin said. “I lost you for a minute.”
Christine looked up to see him staring at her, his brow quizzical.
“Um, yeah.” She shook her head, forcing herself back to the present.
“How’d they do it? Differentiate you from the other Christine?”
“They nicknamed her Tina,” she lied.
Christine looked Austin in the eyes. She had worked hard to bury Chrissy and become Christine again. And then Austin started using that awful nickname. He was slowly making the pain of it go away, like waves gently washing away tar from the sand. But the memories remained vivid.
“You’re not in high school anymore. You’re a grown woman with a beautiful body and a smile that warms people. And honestly, you’ve got a great rack.”
Christine nearly spilled her wine. “Thank you. But I’ve seen your type. A lot.” He had the decency to look embarrassed. “And I’m not it.”
“You’re so sure of that, are you?” he said. Before she could respond, he kept going. “So how did you get through those tough years?”
“My church youth group. My family went to a church in the next town, so I didn’t go to school with any of those kids. The youth group was made up of a melting pot of people: brains, jocks, nerds, and even a pothead or two. But there was something equalizing about doing our confirmation class together, going bowling, or having a sleepover movie night. We didn’t pay much attention to what each other did or didn’t do in high school. At my lowest moments, I had them. And they got me through.”
Austin sighed. “Geez, girl. I’d like to tear apart the people who made you feel this way about yourself. High school was a long time ago, y’know?”
“Do we ever get past those formative years when we’re defined by our peers?”
“If we choose to. You need to choose it. Why do I hang out with you? Because I like you. I enjoy your company. When you do what I do for a living, you find very few people who don’t want something from you. You can’t tell reality from fantasy. Would people be my friend if I wasn’t a singer? You don’t pull punches with me. You don’t swoon when I walk in the room. You treat me like a person. I believe you’d be my friend no matter what. And that means something to me.”
This was why she wouldn’t push him to record a song. Everyone wanted something from him. She couldn’t be just one more. Christine closed her eyes. She wanted to open them and not be sitting across from Austin Garrett. She didn’t want to make the decision to extricate herself from his life. She also didn’t want to be afraid forherlife. She opened her eyes. He was still staring at her.
“I would be your friend, no matter what. I like you, too. I care about you. You’ve been a fun, crazy addition to my life and have catapulted my career, but—”
“No but. Don’t say it.”
“But I can’t live in fear. I need a break. And you need to respect that.”
Neither said a word. Their silence overtook the room. Christine heard the ticking of her clock’s second hand. She knew she’d give in if she spoke first, so she stayed silent. A minute went by.
Then, Austin stood. “Fine. We take a break. But damn it, it’s not going to be too long. I don’t plan on giving you up over some maniac.”
“You may not have a choice.”
“And professionally?”
