"Oh, look," Kat said sarcastically to her sister as she pulled into the parking lot of Padua High. "It's Chastity!"

"She's my friend," Bianca said.

"Then clearly you have something she wants," Kat surmised. "I'm just saying, what an ill-fitting name."

"Judge not…" Bianca said, and then brightened as Kat got out of the car. "Verona alert!" she warned as Kat opened the back door to get her book bag out.

"What?" Kat asked as she stood up. Her head wasn't quite out of the car and she bumped it on the doorframe. "Owww," she said quietly, as she rubbed the spot on her head that had been hit and slammed the door with her free hand. She turned around and smack! Ran straight into Patrick Verona. "Verona!" she hissed to herself as she finally realized what her sister had said.

"Did you miss me?" he asked, falling into step beside her as she made her way to the school.

"Like the plague," she said dryly.

"Kat," he said.

She stopped suddenly and thrust her finger against his chest. "You don't call me for two weeks and now suddenly you want back in my good graces? Newsflash! I don't have good graces!" she snapped.

"Look, Kat—" he tried again.

"We have this…" she stopped herself before she said hot. Close call, she thought. "Mediocre…kiss I guess you'd call it," she said scathingly. "And then—

"Whoa," Patrick said clearly offended. "Mediocre? Babe, that was the best kiss you've ever experienced!"

"You have how no idea how many amazing kisses I've had!" she said.

"Wrong," he said triumphantly. "Yet another secret you divulged to me on the phone that night you called me wasted," he said.

"I don't believe you," she said.

"I have never had a girl sigh and whimper at the same time while my tongue is caressing hers," he said, stepping towards her and forcing her backwards. When she bumped against the tree behind her, he put his hands on either side of it, trapping her there.

"I was allergic to you," she said.

"Allergic to me?" he asked, amused.

"Well, to what you had eaten. Clearly you must have had shellfish. I went home, and puked my brains out." She put a finger to her chin and stared off into space thoughtfully. "Or was that from your kiss?"

"Wanna find out?" he asked with a grin.

"No!" she said, giving him a solid shove. She wasn't stupid; she knew she didn't have the strength to move him. He wouldn't have moved unless he'd wanted to. Luckily, he'd wanted to. "Stay away from me, Patrick," she said, walking away swiftly without a backward glance.

"Not on your life," he muttered as he watched her until she was out of sight.

---

"But Miss Perky! I got a letter from Brown saying they weren't going to accept me if this stayed on my permanent record!" Kat said urgently, following Miss Perky as she scuttled around her office. Leaving school in protest—especially with Patrick Verona—hadn't been one of her finer moments. She scowled at the thought. Her dad had been right. It wasn't quite worth the cost.

"Well, then I would guess you've learned your lesson," Miss Perky said, continuing her filing.

Kat closed her eyes and sighed with desperation. "Look, Miss Perky, I know you don't want me in your office. You know you don't want me in your office. But you know what?"

Miss Perky sat down in her seat and opened up her laptop as Kat put her palms on the desk and leaned forward. "What?" she asked dismissively.

"You. Me. Standing date for coffee every day. Third period. It's my study hall. What do you think?" she asked wiggling her eyebrows.

"I think I'll talk to the principal right now and see what we can come up with," Miss Perky said, practically shooting up from her chair.

Kat shrugged. "That's all I ask, Miss Perky," she said, straightening. "I'll be by after lunch to see what you've come up with." And with that, Katarina Stratford left her guidance counselors office.

---

He waited until Kat was out of sight before pouncing on Miss Perky. He smiled to himself as he thought of the terminology fluttering about his mind. "Hey, Miss P.," he said cheerfully as he walked into her office.

Miss Perky took her glasses off and raised her eyes to his. "Patrick Verona," she said dryly. "To what do I owe this…" she looked him up and down, searching for the right word. "Displeasure," she finished.

He gave her his most charming grin.

"Is there something on me?" she asked, making a show of looking her arms up and down.

Patrick frowned as he leaned in for a closer look. "I don't see anything," he said.

"Well, then," she said sarcastically. "It must be my skin crawling."

Patrick forced a chuckle. "Skin crawling." He pointed at her. "Good one, Miss Perky."

"Get to the point, Mr. Verona. If you have one."

"Oh, I have a point," he assured her. "And I have a reason for coming to see you. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with Kat "Killer" Stratford," he said.

"Mr. Verona. Any meeting I have in my office with other students is confidential," she reminded him.

He bit his tongue as "then you should probably close the door" fluttered through his mind. "My apologies," he said with fake sincerity. "Anyway, the damage is already done and I can't reverse it."

"You're wasting my time," she said, her eyes returning to her laptop.

"The theater department is looking for a Juliet," he said quickly.

Miss Perky's eyes flew up from the screen and to his face. "Continue," she said, sitting back in her chair as if getting comfortable.

He grinned at her. He'd seen the way she eyed the theater teacher in the mornings before making her way back to her own department and realized that this was his shot to use it to his advantage. He shrugged. "We've auditioned everyone in class, and no one seems to quite fit the part."

Miss Perky guffawed. "And you think Kat Stratford could be Juliet?" she asked doubtfully.

"Miss Perky," Patrick said. "I think that with the right motivation, Kat Stratford could be the frickin' president."

"You're thinking Brown," Miss Perky said.

He nodded. "I'm thinking Brown," he confirmed. "And I'm thinking that getting Kat out of your hair and getting on Mr. Cage's good side is like…two birds, one stone."

"Well, I like it. This may be the most creative moment of your high school career," she said appreciatively. "Now, scoot!" she said, her eyes once again falling on her laptop screen.

Patrick left the office sending up a silent prayer that this would work. Kat hadn't talked to him since he'd gotten back. How was he supposed to explain things to her if she wouldn't even talk to him? He hated that he had to trick her—oh, who was he kidding, he loved the chase!—into spending time with him. But as his grandad had always said: a Verona has to do what a Verona has to do!

In between third and fourth period, Patrick heard Miss Perky page Kat to her office. He grinned triumphantly as he made his way to his locker. Success!