Kaitlin certainly smiled for the camera when we approached the girls outside Mr. Chow, but looks can be deceiving. "Kaitlin definitely seems to be out of her element," says a source. "I'm worried that she's in over her head."

"I'm really upset about her. She's going to ruin her career if she is

Lauren and Ava are known for mischief and controversy, the kind that can get a respected star like Kaitlin in trouble. Kaitlin's already witnessed their dark side first hand--the group's night at Parc ended when Lauren and Ava started a fight with arch nemesis Blake Porter and got thrown out of the club. That's probably the first time Kaitlin, known as a sweet girl who always does what she's told, has been thrown out of any establishment. But when asked to comment on her new friendship, while shopping at Bleu, Kaitlin said, "I'm doing great!" That's what Lauren and Ava think too. "We adore Kaitlin," said Lauren. "She's such a great girl and we love hanging out with her."

But Kaitlin's friends at Family Affair hope the star is not courting disaster. "Kaitlin is a teen and she's allowed to be flighty," says a show source. "But hopefully these two don't influence her too much. I'd hate to see a promising career like Kaitlin's fall apart because she loses her head."

Kaitlin's certainly seen her share of less than glittering press the past few weeks--her night life, lack of a future project, and her mom's scathing interview in Fashionistas have caused some to worry about Kaitlin's post-FA career. "I'm really upset about her," sobbed former costar Alexis Holden, who claims she's seen this meltdown coming for a while. "She's going to ruin her career if she is not careful. I'm asking the public to pray that Kaitlin gets the help she needs before it's too late." *

Twelve: Kaitlin Isn't Sure of Anything Anymore

Austin slides into the backseat next to me and looks around the empty car. "Where is everyone?"

It's Saturday morning and Rodney and I have just picked up Austin on our way to my Sure photo shoot. Normally I'd have a huge entourage with me for this sort of thing, but Mom had a date with, um, a collagen injection (shhhh!), and Nadine had to fly to San Francisco to be a bridesmaid in her cousin's wedding. I've been so preoccupied with my social life that I forgot Nadine was even going out of town. I didn't realize she was gone till I got to my dressing room on Friday morning and I found a detailed itinerary for my shoot and my weekend plans. For once there was no personal note attached saying something like, Miss you! Have a great time! Nadine always leaves me notes. But that was before I lashed out at her the way I did.