Disclaimer: I do not own 10 Things, nor do I own the song by Paramore that inspired the title. If I did own 10 Things, there would be at least one more season to wrap up the madness!
Chapter Two: The Only Exception
Kat Stratford was rational and responsible. She did not act like a hormonally-charged, mindless teenager with no care for the future. So why was she sneaking out of her house at 11:45 on a school night? The note she had shoved in Patrick's back pocket before leaving school had been impulsive. the careful planning since she returned home had not been. 'Meet me at the beach at midnight' the note had said. She didn't know what she had been thinking. At 12:05, Kat considered going back home. Maybe Patrick's plan to sneak out hadn't gone so well this time. Or maybe he didn't want to meet her. Why was Kat Stratford always waiting for Patrick Verona? The rumble of a motorcycle made her heart skip a beat. Patrick greeted her with a kiss and all thoughts disappeared. Oh yeah, that's why. Several minutes later, she found herself breathless and grinning like a mute idiot.
"So, did you bring me out here to study by the moonlight?" Patrick questioned with a smirk, gesturing toward her backpack.
"I guess we could call it that" she replied with a seductive grin as she pulled out a king size blanket and laid it out across the sand, "This should keep us sand-free. Care to join me?"
"Where did you get this and how long did it take you to get it in that bag?" Patrick laughed, taking care not to get sand on the blanket as he sat.
"Well, my dad downsized when we moved here, but he couldn't stand to get rid of my mom's favorite blanket" Kat explained.
"You stole your mom's favorite blanket?" Patrick asked with surprise.
"No, I stole my favorite blanket. My dad couldn't remember which one was actually my mom's favorite, so he just kept all of them."
"Yeah, that sounds like something he would do. Has he made you talk about the night again yet? I'm surprised he hasn't told the school guidance counselors and made us go in for counseling."
"Well, Ms. Tharp knows, but that's only because he's dating her. I'm pretty sure that's why she hasn't talked to us about it. She wouldn't be able to be objective about it. Or lie to my father about it. He actually won't really talk to me at all. He just sighs and shakes his head when he looks at me. Bianca said she tried talking to him, but I don't think it went over well."
"Did Bianca work things out with her guy?"
"More or less I think. Once they played the next episode of his show and she saw how he pulled away and yelled at the girl for kissing him, she kind of melted. Now she wants to bitch slap the girl and gets mad that he still has to be civil toward her."
"Too much drama for me."
"Me too. Now, do you have any more questions? Because I have to sneak back in before sunrise and I'd rather not spend all of our time alone talking about blankets and my crazy family" she teased.
That last comment got the desired results. Patrick practically pounced on her and all pretense of talk vanished. They were basking in each other's afterglow when Kat's cell phone alarm went off. She simultaneously thanked herself and cursed herself for setting that alarm. She knew she needed to get home because she couldn't afford more trouble, but she was so comfortable in Patrick's arms. It had been too long since she had been alone with him and her dad still wouldn't let up with his punishments. With a sigh, she finally got up, and made him get up too, so she could carefully fold up the blanket small enough to fit in her backpack. Patrick watched her in silence, mesmerized by her quick but deliberate movements.
"Kat, I…" Patrick began, breaking the quiet, "I can't believe you did this. I'm glad you did, we should do it more often. I like it when you're rebellious. It's hot."
"Yeah, hot now. Not so much once I get to school. I'm going to look like a zombie after being up so late. And not a cute zombie either. It was worth it though, huh?"
"Definitely. Now I guess we better get going so you can get a little sleep tonight. We don't want you scaring all the idiots at our school into carrying garlic around with them" Patrick teased.
"That would be vampires, not zombies. Nice try" Kat corrected.
Patrick shook his head and kissed her again before handing her his helmet. He made sure to drop her off far enough away from her house that his bike wouldn't wake Walter up. After successfully sneaking back in, Kat put on her pajamas and climbed in bed. But she didn't sleep. Instead, she lay awake, staring at her ceiling and thinking about the events of the night. Kat Stratford was in way over her head but was loving every minute of it.
