"How could you do that?" Kat screeched when she and Mandella left school grounds to go home.

"What?" Mandella puzzled innocently.

"You invited that neanderthal to Joey's party!"

"Patrick's a nice guy, Kat. You really should drop the attitude and see that. You're letting his behavior that first day cloud your better judgment on a person's character." And not just with Patrick, she continued to herself.

They walked in silence halfway to Kat's house, Mandella curious to know why Kat was so upset that Patrick had said he would go to the party. Was it that big a deal?

Suddenly a lightbulb went on over Mandella's head and she exclaimed, "You like Patrick!"

Kat stopped cold in her tracks and turned to Mandella, saying hotly, "I do not like Patrick."

Mandella laughed gleefully, "Of course you do! That's why you work so hard to dislike him!"

Without saying another word, Kat stormed off towards her house, leaving Mandella to rock on her heels as she began formulating an idea in her head.

* * *

Kat walked into her bedroom and slammed the door behind her. Throwing her backpack on the floor she flung herself onto her bed facedown.

Patrick Verona. Kat grimaced as she pictured him in her mind. Unkempt, poorly dressed, somewhat rude, not all that smart from what she could tell. And Mandella thinks I like him? she seethed.

Then she pictured Joey Donner. Handsome. Well dressed. So polite and kind. And really smart and popular.

Kat rolled over and stared at her ceiling, continuing to compare the two boys in her mind. Joey was constantly giving her attention, touching her in small ways - her hand, her back, her knee. It was obvious that Joey was attracted to her. They hadn't kissed yet, but Kat felt a certain thrill at the idea of it. Patrick, on the other hand, never looked her in the eye, skulked around the hallways at Padua High, and served only to put Kat on edge.

True, despite his general messy appearance, Kat could admit that he was cute. And while he hadn't spoken to her directly since that first day, she also had to admit that the accent was intriguing and made him seem more mysterious.

But like him? Kat asked herself, No way!

The phone rang, but Kat chose to ignore it and let her younger sister answer it. Bianca, twelve years old, was becoming obsessed with boys and undoubtedly it was her friend Chastity calling to compare notes on various seventh-grade boys.

However, a few moments later there was a knock on Kat's door and Bianca stuck her head in, saying, "It's for you. It's a boy!"

"Thanks," Kat said, reaching out to grab the cordless on her bedstand. "Hello? This is Kat."

"Hey there, pussycat," Joey's voice purred in her ear.

Kat felt her insides turn gooey and warm. "Hey, Joey."

"I'm just calling to make sure that you are going to come to my party. It's gonna be the greatest freshman party of the year. Even some of the seniors are coming over since they know my parents are out of town."

Kat felt a bit guilty when Joey said this. She had gotten permission from her parents to go to the party because they believed there would be adult supervision.

"Yes, Joey, I'm going to be there. With bells on!"

"Great. Well, that's really all I called for - the party wouldn't be the same without you there."

Kat sighed into the phone, her mouth twitching with a smile. "Okay, well, I'll talk to you later then."

* * *

"Are you kidding me, Mandella?"

"Patrick, I'm dead serious. Look, I don't trust Joey Donner as far as I can spit, and I feel I must tell you that when I brush my teeth I usually have stuff dribbling down my chin."

Patrick laughed at the picture as he cradled the phone between his shoulder and his left ear. "Yeah, but I don't think that Kat would appreciate having me be her Watcher at the party."

"You don't have to go up and tell her," Mandella said exasperatedly. "Just keep an eye on her, make sure Donner doesn't try to get her drunk and take advantage of her. For some reason she's got blinders on when it comes to him, and since I'm not going to be at the party, I'm asking you this favor."

"But why me? She hates me."

"Don't let that worry your pretty little head, Patrick. She doesn't hate you as much as you might think."

Patrick perked up a bit at this. "You don't think so?"

"No, I don't. So go have fun at the party, and let me know what happens."

Patrick snorted doubtfully. "Fun at Donner's house? I don't think that's possible. Something tells me I'm not going to blend in very well."

"Take Skully with you and no one will bother you."

"All right, I'll go and babysit your friend. But if she says anything to me that pisses me off, I'm going home."

"Don't go home, Patrick. Fight back. If there's one thing I know about Kat, she loves a good argument. It gets her all riled up and she thrives on that. She'd be great on the debate team."

"Okay, coach. I'll go already. You don't have to convince me anymore - if you keep trying I may decide not to go altogether!"

Mandella smiled as she hung up the phone after their goodbyes and thought to herself, "I'm glad I'm going out with Michael during Donner's party, but I'd love to be a fly on the wall for this one.