Chapter Seven; Fascinating New Thing

Tabitha waited outside one of the toilet cubicles, arms crossed, her foot tapping impatiently.

'What's the problem?' She yelled through the door, 'I only want you to talk to him about the good times you spent together.'

The toilet flushed and Michelle came out looking uncomfortable, 'I'm just not sure about this, I mean it was ages ago and it didn't exactly end well.'

'Look Michelle, you do this for me or I'll air your dirty laundry on my next morning broadcast,' Tabitha's voice remained calm, but she gripped Michelle's shoulders so tightly she winced.

Michelle looked up to argue, but on seeing Tabitha's expression, she changed her mind.

'I just don't see why you hate her so much?' Michelle responded.

'She's trying to control everything and have everything. Now, I may not be able to stop him liking her, but I can make her feel as rejected as I feel.' Tabitha paused, thinking through her plan again.

'I want her left with nothing.' She continued, 'besides do you think that air brained sister of hers would have been able to organise that cheerleading idea on her own, she was the brains of the operation. It must have been humiliating for you to change the rules that have upheld the cheerleading constitution for years? Don't you want to see her suffer?'

'I guess, when you put it like that,' Michelle looked unsure, 'but she scares me.'


As Kat sat outside at lunch, she was trying to avoid seeing Patrick. Patrick however, was making this difficult, as he sat down opposite her.

'So are you speaking to me yet, or are you still being childish?' He asked.

Kat looked up at him in disbelief, 'me being childish, you're the one playing idiotic mind games, playing best buddies with dad and not telling me why.'

Patrick just smiled at her.

'Why have you got that inane grin on you face?' Kat asked frustrated.

'I got you talking to me,' Patrick said satisfied.

Kat responded by returning to her book, while Patrick rolled his eyes and decided to change the subject, 'so this guy I know is playing a gig tonight, I was wondering if you wanted to go?'

'I can't, I promised I'd help Blank run this poetry reading he's organised,' Kat replied without looking up from her book.

'Since when do you help Blank?'

'Since he allowed Bianca to set up her cheerleading squad,' Kat began packing her books away.

'But she didn't in the end,' Patrick asked confused.

'No, but I'd already promised and I keep my word,' she said pointedly as she got up to leave.

'Want to hang out tomorrow then?' He called after her.

'Fine,' she said trying to hide her smile.


Meanwhile, Bianca, fully dressed in her cheerleading outfit, was busting with excitement as she sat down next to Joey, placing a magazine in front of him.

Joey, oblivious to this, simply pushed it out the way, 'not now Bianca, I've got to learn these plays before Friday's game, or coach will kill me.'

Bianca was undeterred so pushed the magazine back towards him. 'Joey, they're having an audition for up and coming models for their magazine over the summer, isn't that great.'

Joey slowly surveyed the ad Bianca was referring too, but then quickly stood up, 'I can't, coach is trying to get me a place on a football camp, so I won't have time to waste on things like this, I've got to go.' Bianca's enthusiasm drained away as she watched him leave, she was sure as soon as another opportunity came along he'd jump at the chance to get his modelling dream back on track.


Kat had to give it Blank; the evening was a hit. She never would have thought so many people in their town would want to spend the night at a poetry reading, let alone that some would even be quite good when it came to open mike time.

There were even a few feminist poets as well, which, if Blank wasn't so egotistical, she'd think it was for her benefit. The only down side of the evening was Tabitha Cook constantly glaring in Kat's direction whenever she went near Kat.

Her train of thought was interrupted as a tall, elegant women approached her, 'are you the one who helped William organize this? I wanted to congratulate you. I've had a wonderful evening.'

'Thank you,' Kat replied, not sure what to say, as the women was looking at her with a strange expression.

'You look so familiar,' the women said eventually, still studying Kat's features, 'have we met before? I'm Catherine Blankenship.'

The women spoke with an American accent, which threw Kat, but as soon as she said her name, the similarities with her son became obvious.

'No we haven't met, but I'm Kat Stratford. I go to school, with Bl-William,' she corrected.

'Stratford,' Catherine continued to stare, 'I knew a Stratford, well I knew her as Tyler, but when she married she became Stratford.'

'Olivia Tyler,' Kat said suddenly clicking.

'Yes,' Catherine said, still none the wiser.

'That was my mother,' Kat said excitedly, 'how did you know her?'

'Oh we were at Brown together, she was my RA, we lost touch after college, but I heard about her passing away. I am sorry.'

Kat took a moment to recover.

'It's my dream to go to Brown, just like her.'

Catherine laughed, 'you sound just like my son.'

It all the excitement of finding someone who knew her mother Kat hadn't thought anymore about Blank's connection.

'It's such a small world,' Catherine continued, 'you know I think I've got some old pictures of your mother, why don't you come round for coffee tomorrow after school and I'll try and dig them out?'

Kat glanced over to where Blank was holding court with several of the poets. She really didn't want to spend an afternoon at his house, and Patrick would not like it, but she couldn't pass up the opportunity to find out about what her mom was like at college.

'I'd love to,' she said confidently turning back to Catherine.


'You're going round his house?' Patrick asked in dismay.

'To see his mom, not him,' Kat argued. She hadn't expected Patrick to take it well, but he looked genuinely angry as they wandered into school the next morning.

'But he'll be there?'

'Maybe,' shrugged Kat. 'What's the problem?'

'The guy's a jerk, you can't go spend the afternoon with him,' Patrick said pointedly as they came to a stop.

'I can't?' Kat asked in disbelief, 'you're ordering me not to?'

'I've seen the way he looks at you; he's getting you round his house just so he can try it on.'

'First, I'm going to see his mom, not him, and secondly, YOU should trust me.' She stormed off before Patrick could reply.

As she disappeared through the school, Patrick kicked the nearest locker in frustration. His temper wasn't helped by Cameron and Dawn engaged in the longest make-out session, in what Patrick could only assume was part of a contest to become the world's most sickening couple.

Eventually they broke apart. 'Cameron if you don't want me working on the science project with Max I won't, he's in the past, and I only have eyes for my stilts,' Dawn cooed.

'I don't mind,' Cameron nuzzled Dawn's neck, 'I trust you'.

'Great, then I better go, miss you already.' She kissed him once more before running off. Patrick had been unable to look away, it was like a car crash you couldn't help but stare at.

'Hey spoink,' he called over to Cameron.

'Um it's Cameron actually,' Cameron wasn't sure whether to run while he had the chance.

'Whatever,' Patrick shook his head as he wandered over to him, 'I need your advice.'

'About what?' Cameron asked warily.

'Kat.'

'Patrick Verona needs advice from me about a girl. The master becomes the apprentice,' Cameron laughed, before doing his best Yoda impression.

There was only so much Patrick could take, so grabbing hold of Cameron's arm he said, 'if you tell anyone about this, I'll make sure it's the last thing you do.'

'If you say stuff like that to her, I can see why you need my advice.'

Patrick reluctantly let him go.

'See, she's got the impression that I don't trust her, and I couldn't help overhearing your conversation just now.'

'Well, I once wrote Dawn a sonnet about the times of day, which ended with dawn being my favorite,' Cameron grinned.

Patrick looked dumbfounded; this guy was a moron he thought.

'Maybe you could write one about animals and how much you love cats?' Cameron continued wide-eyed with hope.

'Yeah, I'm not going to do that,' Patrick said impassively. He couldn't believe it had come to asking advice from his guy. But, given the only other people he spoke to were the guys in auto shop, whose basic knowledge of women centered round those pinned up on the wall, and Keith, who had probably never spoken to a girl without being stoned, his only option was Cameron.

'O-Kay,' Cameron continued undeterred by Patrick's uncooperative manner, 'maybe you should just go round and tell her you trust her?'

'Just tell her?' Patrick looked skeptical.

'Sure,' Cameron nodded, 'I mean if she doesn't know you trust her, the best thing to do is tell her, and then she will.'

Patrick considered this for a moment. Honesty had never been a strong point for him. He'd had a therapist on and off for ten years now and he still complained about Patrick's inability to just say what he was thinking.

'Not a bad idea,' he said to Cameron eventually, 'cheers,' he wandered off leaving a rather confused looking Cameron.

'Hey Cameron,' Bianca said suddenly appearing.

'You ok B?' Cameron couldn't help noticing her unusually sullen demeanor.

'Yeah, it's just Joey, I mean things are great,' she said hurriedly, 'he's the perfect boyfriend. He calls when he says he'll call, he's paying far more attention to what I'm interested in, but he's lost some of that sparkle since The Biggest Poser.'

Cameron gave her a hug, 'all relationships go through a rough patch. Look at me and Dawn, but now we're stronger than ever.'

Bianca felt herself relax into his arms, before suddenly feeling uncomfortable, she broke away, and making an excuse, she hurried to class.


After spending hours looking at pictures, and listen to Catherine stories about her mom, Kat felt happy and relaxed. Catherine had left for a dinner engagement so it was just her and Blank.

'Your Mom doesn't speak with a British accent?' Kat asked as she was leaving.

'That would be because she's American. My Dad is English, but he did a year abroad, and that's how he met my mum. He decided to finish studying over here as they couldn't bear to be apart. Just like Romeo and Juliet, without all the daggers and poison. They moved back to London soon after I was born, but then last year he transferred his job back here.'

Kat nodded, trying to ignore the irony that she now knew more about Blank and his family, than she did about Patrick.

Blank seem to hesitate as he opened the front door, before suddenly slamming it shut again.

'Alright Kat, cards on the table, I like you. I really like you,' Blank said blocking her path to the door.

'Stop it. I'm with Patrick.' She tried to step round him but he moved in front of her again.

'Does he tell you how amazing you are? How beautiful you are?'

'Yes,' Kat shifted nervously while Blank just looked skeptically at her.

'It's not what you say, it's how you show it, and I don't need some guy declaring passionate love for me just to legitimize my existent.'

'I'm sure, but you must want to know he likes you as much as you say you like him?' He gently brushed his fingers through her hair, 'If you were my girlfriend I'd never let you doubt how much you mean to me. Let's just say, if HE wasn't part of the picture, then would you consider going out with me again? Just think what a great team we'd make, my political shrewdness and intelligence, and your moral conscious and pigheaded stubbornness. We get on well, when you're not trying to accuse me of sabotage.'

'When you're not deliberately getting in my way,' Kat interrupted.

Kat shoved him out the way, not saying anything else as she stormed up the drive. She'd be lying to if she said she hadn't thought about what a perfect match Blank was for her, they shared so many interests and ambitions. She didn't need candy and flowers, or crappy poems handed to her in class, but she wanted to know someone cared about her. She considered Blank's declaration and Kat gave a wry smile. It was too late to go see Patrick, besides her Dad would kill her if he found out, so instead she drove home, lost in her thoughts. While life with Patrick was illogical and complicated; and it was what she wanted. There was just the small matter of finding out what he wanted.

As she got home, Walter was watching TV with Darlene.

'Hi honey, did you have good day?' Walter smiled.

'Yeah it fine. I'm going to bed, goodnight.' She ran upstairs quickly; keen to avoid any further inquisition.

As pushed her door opened she nearly screamed as Patrick lay sprawled on her bed.

'How long have you been here?'

'A while,' he said sitting up.

'Does Dad know?' she said going to sit beside him.

'Of course not, I don't think we'll ever get on well enough for him to allow me to lie in wait for you on your bed,' Patrick laughed, 'how was chez douche?'

'Don't say that, it was nice having to someone to talk to about my mom. I hardly saw Blank. So why are you here?'

Patrick studied her, 'I didn't want you to think I didn't trust you, I just overreacted. I guess it's just because I care about you.'

Kat smiled at least it was a start.