Disclaimer: Well, well, well… I own nothing. At all.

Author's Notes: DRAMA! This chapter is so chock full of drama, it's almost beautiful. Or, well, no, but, yeah you guys might totally just kill me. This chapter, especially anything to do with Kat, is loosely based on a fun little escapade between one of my friends, me, and her boyfriend. I will try and get the next chapter out early this week. Keep and open mind and Happy Readings!! Reviews are ALWAYS welcomed! Thank you!



Kat laid across her couch with a book opened on her lap. She wanted to give the illusion that she had been reading rather then just sitting on the couch with a dazed expression on her face. Because, as much as she wanted to drift off into the world of day dreams and fantasies, it wasn't completely her forte.

"My life is ruined." Kat rolled her eyes and looked over the couch to see Bianca slinking into the living room. She was still in her poodle pajamas. "My life is completely ruined."

"I think you're being a little over dramatic."

"There were hundreds of people on the strip last night. They could have seen me and Joey!"

Kat stared at her. "Bianca, hundreds of people can not fit on the strip. Don't you think Chastity would have rode in on her broom stick if she knew about it?"

"Ugh! I have no one to talk to about all of this unpleasantness. I can't call Dawn, Cameron will be devastated, and Chastity will kill me."

"Did you ever even get to talk to Cameron about Friday morning's occurrence? I know he knows about your date, but--"

"He just began saying something along the lines of needing the weekend to think over everything. I think he may have even gone to his dad's till Monday morning." Bianca shrugged dramatically and flopped on to the reading chair.

Mr. Stratford walked into his living room with a basket of clean laundry. "The washer and dryer are empty. Why do you two look so down? Did something happen last night?"

Both girls rolled their eyes. "No."

"Are you sure? I gave you both a break with the tests because everyone came home on time, but, if something happened, I need to know." Their father dropped the basket, staring between them. "I'll hire some people if they hurt you girls."

"Dad, nothing happened. Bianca is just a little paranoid because she went out, as friends, with Chastity's boyfriend, that's all." Kat gave a look to Bianca. "We can't have our little cheerleader fudging up with the dictator of evil."

"Daddy, Kat went to Patrick's house, unsupervised." Bianca smirked as Kat's mouth opened.

"Bianca kissed Joey!"

"Katherine kissed Patrick!"

"ENOUGH!" Mr. Stratford threw his arms in the air. "No more kissing, either of you! Bianca, go upstairs and change, Kat, wait for me in the kitchen!"

Both girls backed down at the formality of their father's tone. They had seen him manic and crazy and a red, very, very red; but even they were surprised by his harsh tone.

Bianca was the first to move, slipping past her father and flying up the stairs. Kat took her time, moving slowly to place down her book and then getting up to move stealthily towards the kitchen.

She felt a little like a death row inmate.

It took her father the better part of five minutes but he was soon downstairs in the kitchen, moving around behind the counter.

"Dad I know that I should have--" She stopped as he raised a hand, still moving up and down, in the refrigerator and the cupboards. He stopped suddenly, smiled, and then walked around the counter to place down a plate of cookies and two chilled glasses of milk. "Um?"

"Have one, it'll do you some good." He sat down across from her, sliding a glass across the table and grabbing a cookie. "You're dating the deep voiced man-boy, aren't you?"

"Sort of." Kat nodded, her arm reaching for the crunchy looking treat. "We may have kissed, and there was a trip to his house, but it was just to see it, that's all."

Mr. Stratford sighed, stuffing his own cookie in his mouth. Kat watched as he chewed, his eyes unwavering from the plate between them.

"I knew it would eventually come to this."

"I'm not going to a convent daddy." Kat shook her head. "It's just not happening."

"No, I didn't mean that." He looked up in thought. "Even though there is a very beautiful one in Iceland." He dusted his hands and took a sip of the cold glass of milk. "I just, thought, after that Justin boy you wouldn't date until, I don't know, your thirties."

Kat gave him a skeptical look. "Really?"

"Well, college, at the very least. Which was fine with me since Bianca couldn't date until you dated. Not that Joey or whatever his name is seems to be that much of a roughen." Mr. Stratford looked at his daughter. "He's not, is he?"

Kat recalled to herself the soda incident where he became instantly apologetic and a bit more clumsy. "A roughen, no, no. He's our typical dumb jock, without the exceeding need to 'plant his seed' as you so love to call it."

Mr. Stratford nodded. "Good, good. Now, what about this Patrick boy. What do I need to worry about with him?"

"Nothing, he's just a regular teenage boy. He has a motorcycle, but he's safe with it." Kat shrugged. "I don't know, dad, he's a good guy."

"He has a very deep voice Katherine." Kat simply rolled her eyes.

"I think it's cute."

"Oh lord, you really like him." He made a face and grabbed another cookie. He pointed it at her. "No sex, no babies, no back seats, no Karma-Sutra books, no--"

"Dad, I got it." Kat popped a piece of cookie in her mouth, her head nodding. "I'll be fine."

"I have to go talk to Bianca now. My little princess likes a boy."

"Dad, Bianca had always liked boys."

"Yeah, but now, she can act on it." Kat looked at her father, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Calm down. This is not Gone With The Wind. You're little debutant is not going to run away from the farm." Kat grabbed another cookie. "At least not until she has a driver's license and a prescription for birth control. And, she did turn sixteen, she doesn't even need you with her to get them."

"Katherine!" Her gave her a heated look. "No one is getting birth control pills!"

"Then I should throw mine away?" Kat had a full blown smirk across her face that began to deflate as her father's head began to turn a deep crimson. She put her hands up in weak defense. "I get it, sex jokes, not funny."

---

Bianca walked around the mall with nothing but her purse, her guilt, and the most adorable shoes money could buy. Or, in the case, her father's credit card. She would have to thank Kat for riling him up, because it made it that much easier to convince her father that sex was the farthest thing from her mind.

Now, after her conversation and the short documentary on teen pregnancy, her brain could only focus on Chastity, Joey, and Cameron. She felt that the mall would be the only sacred place to come and cleanse herself.

"This is the stupidest thing we have ever had to do." Bianca's shoulders slumped and she turned to her sister with a glare.

"I needed to get away from daddy and his projector. Which, by the way, I thought you had hid those stupid films."

"I did! How was I suppose to know he would have to go through the attic to find that stupid type writer?" Kat and Bianca both made frustrated noises. "At least he didn't make you watch the contraceptive film."

"No, just the teen pregnancy and the drinking and driving one." Bianca twisted her lips. "You would think after the third time watching the drinking and driving one I would simply close my eyes during the crash scene."

"Bianca, I had to watch a girl put in a diaphragm and find out that it didn't work a month later. I'd take the drinking and driving one any day of the week."

"We really need to look into some good drugs for him."

"Uh, yeah." Kat nodded.

"At least we each get to buy something if we promise not to have sex." Bianca looked down at her new shoes.

"Yes, because bribery is the way to go." Bianca made a face and shrugged.

"You're are just upset because they did not have my gorgeous shoes in your size."

"Bianca, we're about, oh, half a size different. They had my size." Kat made a noise, looking over the banister as they walked. "Whoa, isn't that your dictator?"

Bianca froze, leaning across her sister to see Chastity in the arms of a boy. A boy with brown hair and Hollister dress sense. A boy, Bianca quickly realized, who was not Joey.

"Oh my god! She's with that guy, OH!" Bianca's hand was moving in a rapid circle. "Caden Darshnal! He's the quarterback for Westchester."

"Looks like you shouldn't be feeling all that guilty about Joey." Kat stated, her eyes moving from the dictator and one of her minions to across the vast mall on the upstairs level. Walking down the marble hall was a tall, black haired, rebel poised boy. "Holy shit."

"What? What?" Bianca looked up at Kat, following her gaze. "Is that Patrick? Is he holding a Victoria Secret bag?"

Kat simply stared at the sight in front of her. She watched as he stood, almost dutifully, in front of some pink and purple looking store. She waited, her mouth hanging open, as a tiny little brunette bounced out.

"Who's that?" She heard Bianca and felt her shoulders shrug up. The girl was short, petite almost, with brown hair that was shiny and perfectly quaffed, sitting on her shoulders. She was wearing a white sports tank with flared jeans, a pink sweat shirt wrapped around her waist. Kat might never admit it, out loud, but the girl was coolly collected and very pretty. Even from far away, Kat could see a prettiness about her, with her shiny hair and golden skin. "She doesn't go to our school."

It was like watching a car crash, she didn't even feel Bianca go into her pocket. It wasn't until the sound of a message being sent made her twist to see her phone in her sister's perfectly manicured hands.

"What are you doing?!" Kat tried to grab the phone, only to trip as Bianca moved forward with lightening speed.

"If he answers your text you're safe."

"What do you mean I'm safe? He probably went shopping with a friend, or his, um, dammit! Give me my phone!" Her voice was in a harsh whisper that Bianca was too use to, to be afraid of.

They watched as the rocker cowboy dipped his hand in his pocket and pulled out the phone, a smile gracing his face. They watched, in frozen anticipation as the girl turned and looked at him and then his phone, her lips moving quickly. They watched, their shoulders lowering, as his own lips moved, his head shook, and his phone get placed back into his pocket.

"That stupid bastard!" Bianca's mouth was wide open. She looked over to Kat who was still frozen.

"Bianca, don't even go there. I promised I wouldn't jump to conclusions, so I am not going to jump to any kind of conclusions." Other then, Kat thought, her hands tightening along the banister, Patrick Verona was a dead man.

---

She had been watching the phone for the better part of an hour. He had not messaged her back, nor had he called her. Other then throwing it to him just forgetting, the urge to call him and demand answers was strong. Even though, Kat knew, she would never do that.

He was right when he had said that she wasn't like other girls, always expecting a phone call or a text. Needing to know absolutely everything at any given time. He was wrong in the sense of why she was like that, because it had nothing to do with feminist perspectives or her own personality, it was because she really didn't expect them to do these things. Justin never called her back. He would talk to her about it the next day or just show up at her house if he was in the mood. Justin taught her not to expect phone calls and gestures.

She was easy going in the sense of, do what you want, I'll do what I want, because that was what she knew. Kat Stratford never had a doting boyfriend (or guy friend for that matter) who religiously called her, messaged her, or stalked her. And Patrick, pf, he sure as hell was not going to change that expectancy around.

Kat made a noise and got off her couch, her phone still in her hand. What Kat couldn't understand was why she was watching her phone as if he was going to actually reach out to her. If only to prove her wrong.

She made her way up the stairs towards her room. She ignored the loud discussion Bianca was having with herself? The phone? Kat wasn't a hundred percent sure and she just didn't care.

Walking into her room, she shut the door with a slight slam, turning her stereo on. A song she didn't instantly recognized filtered across her ears.

"Bianca, I swear to god." She stated to herself, realizing her younger sister was probably messing with her stereo. There was no logical reason, Kat thought to herself, other then Bianca being Bianca. She was probably looking for something.

Since she had crossed the room she left the country sounding song on, rolling her eyes at the ridiculous lyrics.

"I don't want another heartbreak, I don't need another turn to cry, I don't want to learn the hard way. Baby, hello, oh, no, goodbye. But you got me like a rocket, shooting straight across the sky."

Kat turned from her desk to the stereo. Was the entire, god-forsaken world against her? As Faith Hill began to belt out 'This Kiss' Kat basically threw herself at her stereo shutting it off. Now was not the time for this nonsense.

Her door swung open, causing her to basically fall into a heap from her already unbalanced stance.

"Jeez. Stand much." She recognized her sisters drawl as a sign the blonde was upset.

"Bianca, honestly, I'm not in the mood." She picked herself up, composing herself with a heated look. "What do you want?"

"I called Chastity, I told her she needs to be honest and tell Joey about Caden."

"And how did that work out for you?" Kat question walking over to her desk and flopping into a chair.

"There was a lot of yelling on her part." Bianca nodded. "She told me I shouldn't stick my big nose into things that did not concern me, especially if I wanted that cheerleading position."

"Tough break." Kat looked at Bianca and sighed. "What did you say that is causing this large amount of sadness?"

"I told her that she was being completely unreasonable and that she needs to think of other people besides herself. And I told her to think about Joey." Bianca made a noise. "I told her that if she didn't tell him, I would."

"And how exactly did Padua's Queen bee take that?"

"She told me if I told him then I shouldn't even bother coming to school afterwards." Bianca let out a very dramatic sigh, flopping backwards on the bed. "Kat, I'm going to be a social outcast." Kat sighed, her sisterly empathy pooling together. "I'll have to hang out with you."

All sisterly empathy disappeared as a glare rang across Kat's face.

"Thanks Bianca."

"You don't understand."

"Understand what? The need for you to constant kiss-up to Chastity, even though it goes against something you believe in, that you care about? Of course I don't understand because I would never do that to myself."

Bianca bit her lips as Kat stared at her. The two remained quiet at the desk and on the bed.

"Did Patrick call?" Kat looked over to Bianca and let out a noise. "I take that as a no. Did you find out who the girl was?"

"I'm sure she's just a friend, Bianca. I'll ask him at school, if I don't talk to him tomorrow."

"I would go to his house and stalk him."

"Which is exactly why you don't have a boyfriend."

---

Sunday passed with little to no effort for either girl. Bianca had called Dawn in to vent about Chastity and Caden. Kat wasn't sure what was going on, but the girls had been hanging on the back patio and in Bianca's room for most of the early afternoon. Finally convincing Mr. Stratford to take them to the Strip before he had to go to work.

Kat, getting the house to herself, relaxed. She took a hot shower, read a chapter in one of her books, finished her homework, and had been dancing to one of her records for the last half hour. And, as she did everything, trying to keep her mind on other things, she found herself checking her phone, even though the volume was on high.

It was a sad, sad, thing, she knew. But she wanted him to call. She wanted him to confirm that the perky little brunette was a friend, some random girl he was helping.

She was not going to call him.

Which is why, as the phone on the other end continued to ring, shame ran through her body.

"Leave a message." His deep voice filled her head, forcing her to pull the phone away from her ear, pressing down the end button, and tossing it across the room.

"Well, that went well." She looked around her room. "Oh, yeah, I'm doing real well."

---

Bianca and Dawn walked across the court, their heads held high.

"Did you decide what you're going to do?" Dawn looked at her friend with a questionable look.

"I don't know." Bianca looked defeated. "He didn't say anything in History to me, so I guess she didn't tell him."

"You shouldn't get involved B, you don't know the power Chastity has over people." Dawn shook her head. "You deserve to be on the squad."

As they got to the cheerleading table, they silenced themselves as they saw Chastity, tears in her eyes.

"Can you believe it?" She asked, to no one, everyone, they weren't sure. "I told him about Caden and he said that I was a dragon and he broke up with me." She sniffled, putting her hand on her chest. "Me, a dragon."

Bianca sighed and sat down on the other side of Chastity.

"Oh, Bianca!" The blonde's face turned to instant shock as Chastity spun and threw her arms around Bianca's neck. "You were right, I shouldn't have been so cruel!"

Bianca was looking at the other members of the table, all who were just as shocked as she was.

"Chastity, it'll be ok." Bianca gently patted the girl's back. "At least you have Caden."

"But I want both!" It was safe to say the whole table rolled their eyes.

"Chastity, come on, this is not how we handle a break up." Even though Bianca had a feeling that Joey didn't do all the name calling, she still had to comfort the head cheerleader.

The curly haired girl pulled away, tears gone and face looking perfect situated. Bianca was envious and disgusted at the same time at Chastity's many talents of manipulation.

"You're right Bianca, I need to be strong." She turned to the table. "I am so sorry," her hand patted her chest, "that you had to witness that awful, ugly moment."

The other girls quickly began saying that it was no big deal as Bianca took the opportunity to scope out the court for a certain blonde. Her eyes, instead, landed on a certain raven haired boy, who was sitting with his odd little friend.

Bianca sighed and turned back to the table. Fun times all around.

---

"Where are we going?" Kat was in no mood. Not only did Patrick not show up to school, she had decided that he was ignoring her. How did she come to this conclusion, one may ask, he still hadn't called her, messaged her, or snuck up to her bedroom. Which the last one was ok since her dad was still a little on edge from Saturday.

Mandella had dragged the brunette from eighth period to the Auto Shop all the way to the back of the school.

"We're taking Jamie's car and we're going to spy on the cannibal." Kat looked up at the blue sky, silently questioning fate's motives.

"And why would we do that?"

"Because this is ridiculous Kat." Mandella stopped. "He hasn't called you all weekend. He's not responding to you, he didn't show up to school, and you caught him with some tramp."

"She was probably just a friend!" Kat stated in an angry, sing-song type of way. Mandella gave her a look.

"Look, you know how I feel about him. And I know your upset, that kid is going to need stitches." Kat looked away from her best friend.

"It's not my fault that he's so flimsy a simple nudge would force him to fall." Mandella threw her a skeptical look, pulling Kat to the side of the shop where four cars were parked.

"I have his keys, put these on." Mandella handed Kat a pair of dark sunglasses.

Kat looked at the sunglasses and then at the very tinted car. "Really?"

"Haven't you ever watched James Bond?" Mandella slid into the miniature SUV. "Get in!"

"This is ridiculous." Kat stated loudly, climbing into the car. "It's illegal and stupid and you don't know where he lives."

Mandella gave her friend a large smile, turning on the navigation system and pressing a few buttons until the screen read 'Verona's Place'.

Kat started at the miniature screen. "Nifty."

---

She felt like a spy. A very stupid, in the wrong, spy. She looked over to Mandella who was looked, oddly, like an owl, staring, point blank at his white house with the blue shutters.

They sat, in Jamie's SUV, at the corner, hidden by the overly large house. They had been sitting in this spot for the better part of an hour. It wasn't enough that Kat had to make sure Bianca had a ride, but she also had to come to terms with the fact she had completely gone crazy. No help, of course, to Mandella.

"This is so, dirty." Kat stated. Mandella ignored her. Patrick's bike was no where to be seen. The only thing in the drive-way was a shiny, silver Toyota RAV-4. The street was quiet and there was even a hint of birds chirping. "This goes against the law."

"Kat, shut up."

"Why are we doing this again?"

"So we can catch him in the act!"

"Why do we want to catch him in the act?" Memories of being sixteen and watching Justin lean towards the blonde haired bimbo was clouding her mind. "I mean, this is ridiculous. I am perfectly fine with just confronting him whenever he gets to school or calls me back or shows up at my window."

"Yes, perfectly fine. And the kid who will need stitches?" Kat made a threatening noise towards her friend.

"This is stupid, just turn on the car and lets go home. Please?"

The sound of a motorcycle ripped across the car, causing both girls to watch as the black bike sped past them, barely slowing down as it turned into the driveway and parked. Kat instantly slouched in her seat, fully aware there was no way he would be able to see into the tinted monstrosity of a car she was in.

The two brown haired girls watched as the second person slid off the bike first, removing her helmet, her short hair shining in the sun. They watched as she dropped the helmet on to the back of the bike and then stretched, her shirt rising, so that she could pull her hair into a pony tail and then run her hands down her to stomach to smooth her shirt.

Patrick slid off the bike gently nudging the girl, causing her to hit him in retaliation. A second later her hand darted out, gently rubbing the spot she had hit.

"Wow." Mandella's whisper sounded like a scream to Kat.

Her brown eyes followed the two. Her mouth opened slightly as the door swung open and a tall, black haired woman, rushed from the house, waving at Patrick and bringing the girl into her arms. Brown eyes watched as his mother kissed the girl's head throwing a casual arm around her shoulders. Patrick's hand tugging at the girl's ponytail.

"Well." Kat turned to Mandella with a Cheshire Cat smile. "This was fun. Can we go home now?" She removed the sun glasses.

"Kat, I am so--"

"No talking, just driving." The other brunette wasted no time as she twisted the keys, put the car in drive, and hit the gas with a loud purr.

Patrick Verona was so dead.

Kat looked back at his house one last time, the sunglasses making noises in her tightening hands. She was going to get to the bottom of this and then kill him for it.

"Kat, just to let you know, those are my mom's and they're about fifty dollars."

"Mandella, please, I'm fine." The sound of broken plastic echoed across the car. They both looked down to Kat's hands and the broken glasses. "You take checks, right?"