The Secret Life of "Prince Charming"

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I ran faster than I had ever run before and got to Katie a good five seconds before the other two.

        "What happened to you?" I said looking into her tear filled eyes. Her cheeks were wet with blood and tears. I tried to clean some of it off with my shirt, but apparently it hurt her because she winced.

        "Mom was really mad this time" she said through her sobbing and shaking. It looked like it hurt to talk. I lifted her shirt up and saw that her rib cage was entirely bruised, black and blue. I heard Jen gasp behind me and Tray looked down and shook his head. For once he seemed to be at a loss for words.

        "Your mom did this to you?" I asked in a disgusted voice. How could a mother do this to her daughter, especially one as nice as Katie?

        She nodded her head, clutching her chest. Then it hit me, I was so mad at everything. No wonder she didn't get birthday parties. Her mom didn't care about her enough not to beat her, let alone throw her a birthday party.

        "What do we do?" asked Jen anxiously.

        "Well she can't go back to her house. I'll call my dad. Maybe she can stay at my house" I said taking out my blackberry and dialing speed dial number 3. It rang twice and someone with a familiar Italian accent picked up.

        "Mr. St. George?" I asked. Why would Veronica's dad pick up on my dad's cell phone?

        "Yes, what do you want, boy?" he asked in a rolling, slurred voice.

        "Well you know that girl that I told you and Dad about?" I asked bracing myself.

        "I told you to forget about her" he told me in a slightly angry voice.

        "I know, but I can't. Anyway, well she is here with me, and her mom beat her. Well, I was wondering if she could stay with us" I asked waiting for the bomb to go off.

        "Are you kidding?! You cannot bring her here! You have a fiancé!" he shouted so loud that everyone could here it. Katie looked up startled by the news. She glanced at me and turned around and limped away.

        "Wait, Katie! Don't go!" I said hanging up on Mr. St. George mid-rant.

        "Why shouldn't I? You already have a girlfriend! Oh wait, she's your fiancée!" she yelled in my face. It must have hurt really badly to yell like that because she collapsed on the ground gasping. I knelt beside her putting my arms around her, but she cringed away holding her hand to her bruised rib cage.

        "Katie listen to me! My parents arranged for us to get married! I had no say in it, at all!" I said trying desperately to convince her of the truth.

        "It's true!" Tray called over my shoulder supporting what I said. Katie just sat there sobbing and not looking at anything in particular. "Do you believe me?" I asked anxiously looked into her teary green eyes. A moment of silence passed before she nodded, and I gave a sigh of relief.

        "Alright now that that is settled, what are we going to do?" asked Tray.

        "Well, she can't go back to her house, obviously. She can't stay at my house because my dad and the St. Georges would have a fit" I said stating the obvious.

        "And we can't go back to my house cause that's the first place that they are going to look" said Tray. I knew he was right. Once my dad finds out I'm with Katie he'll come looking for me to tell me off for not thinking about the welfare of the family.