Rocky Road-K+, Patrick/Cameron, a little Patrick/Kat

Summary: Patrick and Cameron are both in the dog house. How will they manage to get out?

Ever done anything you regret?

Yeah, giving you advice because you keep coming back.

Cameron now thought Patrick was his new best friend, and followed him around like a lost puppy.

Monday mornings were hard enough, but finding Cameron James pasted to his locker did not bode well.

"What now?" Patrick said by way of greeting.

"Bianca hates me."

"What did you do?" Patrick motioned for Cameron to move so he could get his books.

Cameron started rambling on about hotel rooms and stealing cell phones. "And now she won't talk to me."

Patrick chuckled and clapped Cameron on the back. "Join the club. I got arrested last night, and Kat won't give me the time of day."

Cameron's mouth opened and closed. "Arrested for what?"

"Espionage." For a second, it looked like Cameron actually believed him. "Actually, it was for drug smuggling, but let's keep that between us."

******

Patrick blocked Kat's Volvo with his motorcycle and waited only a few minutes. She made a face at him and said, "Better move it, or I'll run you over."

"Aha, so you are talking to me." He moved close enough to make her visibly uncomfortable, but Kat held her ground with crossed arms.

"Really? Is that what we're calling it?"

"We can do this here, or we can wrestle in my wolf's den. It's your call," Patrick said dryly.

A ghost of a smile crossed her face. "Save it. I know the whole story."

"Ah, which version is that? The one where I ate the livers of three freshmen, or the one where I sucked out Miss Holland's soul?" Patrick quipped.

Kat's lips twitched. "None of the above."

Patrick knew she was making this as difficult as possible. "OK, let me think, could it be I was implicated for something I didn't do?"

"Ooh, big words from the guy who scrambles his brain cells with pot."

"Is that why they arrested me, or was it guilt by association?" He decided to let her stew on that one for a bit.

Kat lowered her eyes and was saved from answering by the arrival of her sister.
******

Cameron caught up to Patrick before morning bell. "Hey, there's something you gotta see."

Patrick rolled his eyes. "Another brush fire?"

"No, no---nothing like that." Cameron beckoned him to follow to a nearby wall.

"What am I looking for?" There were tons of school posters plastered everywhere.

"This." Cameron pointed to a black and white flyer with an ice cream cone emblazoned on it.

Patrick said impatiently, "Enlighten me."

"Look who's co-chairing the event."

The Stratford sisters were at the top of the list. "So what?"

"This is our ticket out of the dog house".

"You think you can eat your way back into her affections?" Patrick said with a grin.

"I can do better than that. I can volunteer to be Bianca's right hand man, and you can do the same for Kat."

Patrick snorted, "Dude, I use my right hand for one thing only, and it ain't scooping ice cream."
******

Cameron would do anything to get back in Bianca's good graces. "Tell me what you need. I'm here for you."

Bianca surprised him by saying, "Seems like I've heard that line before."

"I'm serious, Bianca. I shouldn't have stolen Beau's phone like I did."

"No, you shouldn't have."

"I was trying to protect you," Cameron replied.

Kat circled behind him to finish putting up decorations. "Oh, please, do you think you can buy my sister's affections by volunteering?"

Cameron stammered, "I d-don't think that. Not at all."

"But I do." Patrick strolled through the door of the cafeteria with a winning smile in Kat's direction.
******

Patrick was amazed by the size of the crowd. "People will actually pay ten dollars to eat a lousy bowl of ice cream?"

Kat shoved a container of vanilla at him with unnecessary force. She pointed at a scoop and then pointed at the container. "Scoop, bowl. Think you can handle that?"

"Of course. Any other abuse you want to heap on me?" He looked at the flavor she was working with and started laughing.

"Don't tempt me." Her eyes narrowed at his continued merriment.

"Oh, I think we're way beyond that." Patrick reached into her container with his scoop and plopped some ice cream into a bowl. "Here, have some."

"I'm not here to eat."

"But I insist." Patrick dug into the mound of ice cream and spooned up a generous helping of Rocky Road. She looked a little outraged when he shoved the spoon at her face, but she slurped it into her mouth and finished by licking her lips.

"Hmm, not bad." A reluctant smile appeared on Kat's face. "But I need more convincing."

"Haven't we traveled enough rocky road, Stratford?" Patrick located yet another flavor that was far more in keeping with the direction of this thoughts. "Try some Heavenly Hash."

"You sure you haven't spiked it with some of those drugs you smuggled in?" Kat offered with a straight face.

"Scout's honor." Patrick held up his fingers in a salute and smiled when she piled another towering scoop on top of the other one.
******

Cameron and Patrick were charged with folding up the tables and putting away the chairs. Muffled laughter erupted from the other side of the room as the two sisters bagged up trash.

"This was a good idea," Patrick offered.

"Thanks. Bianca is talking to me again."

"So, Rocket Boy, are you back to her GBF, or have you earned some new status?"

Cameron cringed at the name and whispered, "Don't call me that. If anyone finds out I have model rockets, then I'm doomed."

Patrick stifled a smile. "You're hanging out with me. That makes you an automatic serial killer."

"Cool. Maybe if I effect that dangerous Helter Skelter vibe, Bianca will go out with me."

He clapped Cameron on the shoulder on his way out. "Try being yourself. She'll come around."

Patrick got to the door before Kat caught up with him. "Sure you don't want some ice cream? We have a ton of Rocky Road left, and a little bit of Heavenly Hash."

He envisioned the road ahead of them and finished with, "Sounds good to me."

The End