Trumped-Ten
Things I hate about you, Patrick/Kat, Rated T for language and
suggestive content
by Peregrine
Note: These characters belong to ABC Family. I am only playing in their sandbox for a few moments.
7
"You're a chickenshit." Jess rounds the corner of the vintage Camaro I am restoring and hands me a bag of Chinese take-out. I am working late to make up for the time I spent in auto shop over the past week.
"About?" I know damn well what he is referring to, but I am not about to cop to it. I toss the bag to one side and continue working.
"You know exactly what." He pretends to box at me and I clip him under the ear with my knuckle.
"I don't want to discuss it." I finish up on a section of fender and wipe my brow.
"Of course you don't. Because that would mean you'd have to admit what a king-sized asshole you are being to this chick. If you were a man about it, you wouldn't care what those dipshits in auto shop think."
Jess was right, but I am getting a bit steamed at having my guilt handed to me on a silver platter. "You know what? I'm sorry I told you."
He pisses me off even further when he starts laughing. "Man, you are so 18."
Jess is in his last year of college. "Go ahead, rub it in."
He is still laughing at me. "You need to grow a set and get with the program, or you're going to lose your dream girl."
"OK, whatever. Can we talk about something else already?" I grab the bag and we head across the parking lot to my house, which shares the property with the family business. "Unless you want Aunt Rachel to weigh in, and you know how she is about this kind of thing."
Jess smirks and pretends to leer, "If I were 20 years older…"
"You'd still be a pig," I counter as we skitter up the steps to dive into our ribs.
************
Keeping my distance really bites. The week goes by and we barely acknowledge each other. Why I keep falling for his hot and cold routine not only goes against my grain, it is beyond belief. So I start thinking maybe I will cast my net into a different pond, such as the sexy, older guy at the record store. He isn't so old that my Dad will freak out, but he seems well beyond the juvenile shit that goes on in high school. And even if nothing much happens, I might just gain a cool friend, and God knows I can use one of those right now.
Friday night comes around again, and I decide to visit the music shop, only my stupid sister with her impeccable timing insists on borrowing the car. She's only just gotten her license and can only stay out until 10, so I tell her to drop me in the vicinity of the store, and that she better get her hiney back her no later than 9. She tells me to chill, and that she will call me if anything comes up.
That should satisfy me, until I see that I have no cell phone signal in this vicinity. "Crap," is all I mutter, as I stroll into the store and frown when I see that only a girl my own age is manning the counter. "Is Jess around?"
She rolls her eyes and I feel heat rise to my cheeks. "He's out on break. Should be back in ten. Want to leave a message?"
"Nope. I'll come back." I step out onto the sidewalk and nearly lose it when I see Jess walking along with Patrick Verona. Before they can see me, I duck into a nearby coffee shop and dive behind a stack of books when I hear them enter the shop behind me. I pick up a massive book and find a corner to hide in, but my luck continues to blow. Turns out the graphic novels are right next to the couch where I'm slumped behind the King James version of the Bible. Shit and double shit! I hear them joking about some Japanese editions that just arrive and that is when it gets interesting.
"So, you plan on taking my advice or what?" Jess asks lightly.
"Jesus, are we back to that again?" Patrick's voice falls to that deep timbre he uses when he's supremely annoyed.
"Look, either do something about her, or move on."
I hear him turn the page with a loud snap. "Drop it."
His friend laughs, clearly used to Patrick's little fits of temper. "OK, but don't get mad if I ask her out."
I dig right back into Proverbs as they walk by me. "You wouldn't."
They pause at the literary section behind me and Jess finishes with, "Oh, but I would. Your girl isn't immune. You do recall that text I sent a few weeks back?"
"I thought you were joking," Patrick says stonily.
"She was definitely primed." I am not sure I like Jess's silky tone, and I am really annoyed that they are discussing me like I am a piece of meat.
"Not for you."
"Oh, really? She was primping her hair before she came to the counter. If you got your head out of your ass, you'd notice these things."
That is when I slam the book closed with a murderous thump, causing them both to jump. When they spot me sitting there, they both start blushing on cue. I shove the book at Patrick and glare at Jess. "Just for the record," I hiss, "I can't stand either one of you."
Their mouths are hanging open as I tear down the aisle, out of the store, and into the torrential downpour that is well met by my fury. One of them opens the door and it's Verona, starting toward me with a guilty expression that does nothing to abate my rage. "I am so done with you," I roar, and then run off into the night, ignoring his cries and running until I am completely out of breath.
***********
I still can't believe she was here, or that she said what she did. It cuts deep, and I know she meant every word. Jess joins me under the awning and we walk silently to the record store, our earlier tiff all but forgotten. My head swivels around and I say, "Have you seen her car?"
"What's her ride look like?"
"Umm…" I am beside myself with worry, for I am not seeing her car and I know she would have parked someplace close if she had the car with her. Running away like she did at breakneck speed, she never would have had time to jump in a car and tear off. Nobody is that cool, and especially not her. "A crappy old, tan Volvo."
Jess nods like he remembers the car. "Yeah, I saw it a few weeks back, but not tonight."
"Shit." I kick at a crumpled beer can and want to hit something. "Kat doesn't know her way around, and this neighborhood? She could be in real trouble."
"She can probably call someone. Don't worry so much, man."
Kat uses the same cell provider as I do, and there is no signal around here. "I have to go."
"And do what?"
"Find her, and tell her how I feel."
"Good luck with that." Jess snickers and slaps my shoulder, but I shove his hand away as I head to my brother's truck, hoping I am not too late to fix the mess I have made.
*****
I am blocks from the record store and my phone's GPS has no service, so I can't look up anything on Google maps that would guide me back to the store. It is raining so hard that it's bouncing off the sidewalk, and there are no lights of any kind. Shadowy shapes lurk in the distance, and they solidify into something approaching human as I move closer. This can't be good. It doesn't take a genius to figure out this is a rough neighborhood, and a girl without adequate protection is pretty much dog meat. And a cell phone that has no signal? Yup, I am fodder for a pit bull.
My feet take me to the opposite side of the street and I curse as a large truck passes close enough to kiss my coat, washing me with a wall of water that completely engulfs me. My teeth are chattering like typewriter keys and I am cold to the bone. My courage, which has never failed me before, starts to waver as I see the shadows cross the street and form a phalanx that blots out the night, blacker than black and forcing my rising terror to a fever pitch when they start calling out degrading comments.
My fingers pull out a can of Mace and my other hand finds the Taser in my pocket. Never leave anything to chance. I stop short and assess the situation with what little rational thought I have left. I can take maybe two of them before the other three jump me. They can have my pocketbook, but I will fight them tooth and nail if they try to violate me. One of them steps forward and calls, "C'mon girlie, let's have a little fun."
I wait until he's within shooting distance and I nail him with the Mace. "Gotcha, asshole," I crow as he calls me a bitch and swings blindly at me. His second-in-command moves at a blur and I knock him down with the Taser. As he writhes in agony, the other three surround me. Two of them grab my arms while the third twists my face with his hands and starts kissing me. I bite down on his lip and knee him in the balls, which only inflames him further. "You'll pay for that, bitch," he snarls before backhanding me, his ring cutting into my cheek. I stifle my moan and pretend to go limp, making the other two think I am falling into a faint, when I am actually gearing up for another round. With a jab of my elbow, I plow it into the solar plexus of the thug on my left while kicking back and tripping the thug on the right. One of them howls and I almost escape the clutches of the second, until he sweeps out his leg and drives me to the ground. The guy who got kneed puts his foot on top of me and starts pushing down. "My face will be the last thing you ever see," he snaps, and that is when I hear the screech of brakes as a big, black truck stops at the curb. Someone jumps down and whips around the back of the truck, moving so swiftly that all I see is a dark blur launch themselves at my attacker. My eyes close and all I can feel is the cold rain pooling under me, sending me into sweet oblivion and then nothing more.
****
I use a grid pattern for my search, and I finally hit pay dirt on the tenth pass with my brother's Suburban. It's a big, heavy truck with a lot of horse power, armed with a shot gun and a baseball bat that I am all too ready to use on anyone who touches her. And I am almost too late when I spot the cluster of goons on 10th street. They can only be members of the Red Devils, the same gang that Pedro from auto shop belongs to. And if I catch his ass out here tonight, I will kill him.
They ignore my truck, figuring only a fool will take on five guys, even five guys who are partially maimed by Kat woman. I don't even think about how I will pull this off, only that I will succeed on extracting Kat and getting the fuck out of here.
My bat catches the guy by surprise, knocking him off Kat and clear into the barbed wire fence. When a brass knuckle kisses my ear, I automatically go into fighting stance, swinging my left leg in a Kung Fu move I mastered many years ago. It causes Goon Number 2 to collide with Goon Number Three and as they stagger like drunks, I slam their heads together and knock them unconscious. The leader comes back at me and I let him close enough to punch my shoulder, before I chop near his carotid, which only knocks him to the ground instead of killing him. The other two guys see my bat and decide I am not worth the trouble. I kneel down and swear when I see the blood dripping down her face.
I hear a siren coming in this direction and decide I don't want to be around when they show up. With a muffled curse, I pick up Kat and gently put her in the back seat, wrapping an old Mexican blanket around her. The cops arrive just moments after I pull away and I sigh in relief when no one follows me. I will take her back to my house and figure it out as I go along. No one is home, and that is probably for the best.
****
I gradually come back to life, and when my eyes flutter open, I panic for a second, not recognizing the darkened room where I lie covered by a blanket. Something moves near my feet, and I see a cat get up and stretch before curling back into a ball. "Hey, kitty," I whisper, my hand falling back when I realize I am too weak to sit up on my own.
Someone emerges from the gloom and I am completely shocked when I hear Patrick's voice say, "That's Sid. Don't worry, he's keeping an eye on me."
A smile widens my lips for a second. "Where did you come from?" I say hoarsely, starting to cough when I realize how dry my throat is.
"Here." Patrick puts his arm behind me and helps prop me up against a pillow. He reaches over and brings a cool glass of water to my lips, where I drink noisily.
"Thanks." I lean back against the pillows and suddenly realize they smell like him, and that I could only be in his bedroom. "Am I…your house?" I babble nonsensically.
"Yeah." His fingers stroke the side of my face and I turn away with a wince. "This is all my fault."
My whole body starts shaking as I remember the night's events. "No. I ran away. Have to call home."
He cupped my face with his hand and I lean into it with a sigh. "Already tried that. No one's there."
My eyes open a bit wider as my mind starts to race, wondering how he knows my number. "How d'you know?" I slur.
I can feel him smile in the dark. "I kind of borrowed your cell phone."
"OK. Bianca?"
"Also no answer."
I want to ask what happened, but I feel sleep trying to claim me again. "Sleepy," I murmur.
He strokes my hair for a second before I feel him withdraw. "I'll check back on you later."
My hand catches his and I say, "Stay…please."
Patrick stretches out next to me and I feel his strong arms encircle me as he says, "I thought you'd never ask."
My lips curl up slightly as his warmth cocoons me and lulls me into a deep sleep.
*****
I love watching her sleep. She moans my name a few times, and I am encouraged as she tightens her hold on me. It is past sunup and light has started to turn the murky black into a lighter gray. Something in her shifts and I know the exact second she awakens by the way she tenses up. Kat turns to face me and even in the dimness, I can see her trying to figure out what is going on. "What time is it?" She rises up enough to see the alarm clock and swears in my ear. "My father is going to kill me."
I put my hand on her shoulder and stop her from sitting up. "He's not home, remember? Your sister said something about a medical conference."
"My sister…wait, you talked to her and didn't wake me up?" Now she sounds slightly outraged and I know she is feeling better than last night.
"You were in no shape to go anywhere, Kat."
Kat tries to look around my room but I am not ready to let her go just yet. "Do you mind?" she says, pushing my hand off her arm.
"Please, you're in no shape to…" She thrashes away from me and jumps to her feet, only she sways like a drunken sailor and falls backward on top of me. "Do that," I finish with a smile.
She stiffens and rolls off of me. ".God. Where are my clothes?" Kat looks down at the oversized sweats that are covering her from tip to toe. I must say, they look a good deal better on her than my Aunt Rachel.
"In the dryer. Everything was wet."
Kat sits back on her haunches. "Are you telling me…you undressed me?"
"My aunt wasn't here, and there was no one else, so..yeah," I admit sheepishly, feeling like sinking into the ground for seeing what I had and enjoying the sight, even as I kicked myself mentally for being a perv.
Her cheeks pinken in the morning light, and I am dying to kiss her, if only to seal the deal right here and now. But I see her rising anger and know I have to keep it cool, at least for now. "That's just fucking great." She suddenly punches my arm and adds, "How dare you?"
I wince at the power of her swing. "What, you'd rather I let you catch pneumonia? You were in bad shape."
Kat finally says, "OK, so tell me what happened already."
With a sigh of relief, I tell my part of the story and watch as a few 'oh shits' roll across her face, and at the very end, her fingers are digging into my bicep, whitened by the unconscious pressure she is applying. "You can let go now," I extricate my arm from her grip and she immediately takes my hand in hers.
She sighs. "I never want to let go again."
*****
I can't believe I am in Patrick Verona's bed with him waiting on me hand and foot. He brings me coffee and plain toast, which is about all I can handle right now, and as I sip at the delicious brew, he strokes my hair and has the sweetest look of concern I have ever seen on his face. There is nothing fake about the way he is looking at me, and I find it takes my breath away.
I set the mug down and look at him seriously. "Thank you for going after me after all that shit I said, and for taking care of me."
He smiles almost shyly and a curl slips over his eye. I am riveted by the sight and my hand reaches out and wraps the curl around my finger. Patrick looks up with a grin and says, "You can blame my mother for the curls."
I let go of his hair and admit, "I think it looks kind of hot."
"Good to know." The look he flashes me is scorching and I feel like I am swimming upstream, struggling against the rampant desire to wrap myself around him and kiss him senseless.
Patrick throws me that lazy smile as he opens his arms and envelops me. "Do you mind?" he asks softly, and when I shake my head his first kiss lands on my right ear. I gasp as he bites my ear lobe gently and starts sucking and licking his way down my jaw line, landing somewhere south of my mouth as he works his way down to my neck. "Are you sure?" he says with a muffled laugh as he buries his face in my hair.
I am not sure I trust my voice, but I stammer, "W-will you just kiss me already?"
He raises his head and I am totally stunned by the lust in his dark eyes. "Thought you'd never ask," he says softly, and when his mouth descends, it is swift and sure as Cupid's arrow.
*******
No one has ever smelled and tasted as sweet as my Kat. And when she finally grants permission, this white light bursts inside me and I am kissing her ravenously, my mouth slanting over hers, biting and sucking and opening her incredibly soft lips under mine. She moans as I deepen the kiss even further and surrenders completely as I lower her to the bed, gently rolling on top of her and feeling every part of her responding to me.
I want her so badly that I ache, but I need to be the one to call the shots, for she so clearly is not in control right now. When she starts to pull up my shirt, I stop her hand and say, "Not yet."
Kat actually whimpers in protest and murmurs, "I want you, Verona."
Before I could stop myself, I say, "And I love you, Stratford, but what you and I both want…it's too soon."
"Did you just say…" She pulls away slightly and looks at me like I've lost my mind.
"Yeah." Kat's eyes glaze over slightly as I nod. "Wow."
Her gaze loses focus as she stares at me and I recognize that kind of look. Her fingers start unbuttoning my flannel shirt and she is halfway finished before I manage to say, "Your sister's on her way over to pick you up."
Her eyebrows raise in annoyance. "What? But we're only just getting started."
"That's right, princess." We have maybe ten minutes and maybe I am depriving both of us of a little taste of things to come. "So let's make the most of it."
The End
