When Kat Came Back

Chapter 37

Ashlynn had managed to get into something of a routine.  School, homework, usually Patrick called almost every day, or Ashlynn went over after school. She was starting to like her sort of sister-in-law now that she'd started to actually get to know her.

She hadn't considered any extracurricular a because she was sure she would be back in California. At least by September.

Jonah was really sweet and Mason turned out not to be such a creep after all. He still spent no most lunches with the rest of the football players, but he'd join Ashlynn and her friends sometimes, too. Ashlynn was confused. She was making friends but she planned on leaving for California as soon as she could.

She'd finally gotten around to texting Lexi. They'd texted for hours catching up on what was happening in LA.

"Everyone at school was shocked!" Lexi said. "I mean, really what are the odds that you were Patrick Stump's missing baby sister? You rocketed up the coolness ratings."

"Great," Ashlynn said. Now she was popular at her school? When she wasn't actually there and for what? Being kidnapped as a baby and finding out her brother is a rockstar?

"Even Marci is impressed. She keeps bugging me to give her your phone number. Which obviously I won't."

"Thanks," Ashlynn said.

"Ash, why didn't you tell me what your mom was doing?"

"Not my mom," Ashlynn said. "Obviously."

"You know what I mean," Lexi replied.

Ashlynn sighed. How was she supposed to answer that. Why would she have told anyone what Karen had been doing to her? How Brian never intervened? Who would have believed her? Karen was highly respected. Brian was respected at the university. Probably the only place he was respected.

Lexi was going on about things at school and around town, the gossip at school (still mostly about Ashlynn) until Ashlynn had had enough.

"Lex, I gotta go," she typed. "I've got a ton of homework, and my mom's calling."

"Your mom. How cool is that?"

Ashlynn sent a shrugging emoji and turned off her phone. She lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. It wasn't fair. She wasn't anyone special. Why did this have to happen to her?  Patrick kept talking about tv shows and magazines that wanted interviews with Ashlynn. Local and national news programs kept calling and writing and asking for Ashlynn to come on their shows. Or let them do a story on her. The press she had hoped would forget about her ... hadn't. And they were getting more and more aggressive with their requests.

Fall Out Boy's publicist was trying to help navigate these requests, but constant requests for privacy while Ashlynn acclimatized, when she had now been home a couple of months, were being pushed back against.

Occasionally, press would camp out near Patricia's house. Especially around significant events. Thanksgiving, for one. And with Christmas coming, they were back. The headlines were cringeworthy.

"Baby Kat's First Christmas Home,"

"Where is Baby Kat?"

"Why Won't Kat Speak?"

Everyone, it seemed wanted a piece of her and they were going to tell whatever story they wanted until Ashlynn agreed to talk.

The publicist kept explaining to Patrick and Patricia and Ashlynn that this story wasn't going to just go away.

"Ash," Carrie, the publicist Fall Out Boy's manager had hired for her was saying during yet another meeting on an afternoon after school. "I know you want your privacy, and of course you deserve it. The thing is, you're not as anonymous as you'd like to be. Even if Patrick wasn't your brother, you'd be in a similar position. In fact, you're lucky that Patrick is your brother because we're able to help you out. If you were not in this particular dynamic, this would be so much harder for you to navigate on your own. Now, that doesn't mean you owe anyone anything. I don't want you to think that. Part of the interest is because of your brother and his fans but of course there's the celebrity aspect and let's be real, a baby, kidnapped at 6 months old, reunited with her family 15 years later? It's an incredible story."

Ashlynn sat back with her arms folded across her chest while Patrick and Patricia sat on either side of her. David sat in a chair behind Ashlynn and kept his hand on her shoulder.

"Ash?" Patrick said. "I know you hate the idea, but this won't go away probably until we address it."

Ashlynn still didn't answer. She didn't want to address this. She wanted to be left alone. She wanted to just get used to being in Chicago for now. The more she'd talked to Lexi, she wasn't sure she wanted to be back in California. It sounded like things would just be worse there.

"Why don't you leave us with the requests," David said to Carrie. "And we'll talk as a family and come up with what we all feel is fair and appropriate for our daughter. I know you're doing your job, Carrie. Please don't think we've lost site of that. And I know we've said this before. Things have settled down a lot since the last time we tried to discuss this and while I know Ash doesn't want this, I think you're right that in order to get this all to calm down it'll require a bit of a sacrifice on her part."

Ashlynn frowned. Why was everyone making decisions for her, as if she wasn't literally sitting right there?

"Alright," Carrie said, looking at Ashlynn. For all intents and purposes, Ashlynn was her client. But as a minor, her parents had to be a part of this too. "I'll leave the updated list and the projected dates with you. I'll touch base in a couple of days and see where we're at, okay?"

"Thank you, Carrie," Patricia said, taking Ashlynn's hand.

Patrick and David walked Carrie to the door and came back into the living room.

Patricia was talking quietly to Ashlynn. Ashlynn did not look happy.