"So how was the party?" Mandella asked Kat on Sunday morning when they got together for their weekend bike ride at Padua Park.
"Fine," Kat responded tightly, not wanting to reveal too much of the night's events. After Patrick left the library the night before, Kat had rushed from Joey's house and walked home, numerous thoughts flooding through her brain. So confused by it all, she hadn't even looked for Joey to tell him she was leaving.
And now, Mandella was asking questions. "What time did you get home? Pretty late?"
"Uh, actually, I got home around nine o'clock."
Mandella laughed. "Man, that party must have SUCKED. I'm so glad I hung out with Michael instead."
Kat's lips tingled as she remembered Patrick's kiss. She pedaled her bike a bit faster to get away from the strangely pleasant memory. The two girls biked silently for a few minutes, before Mandella casually inquired about Patrick.
"Did you see Verona there? Did he show up?"
Now Kat's face became flushed. "Yes, he showed up all right."
"What does that mean?" Mandella asked, deliberately slowing down and pulling off from the bike trail to grill Kat.
Kat slowed down as well and got off the bike so that the two girls could take a quick break for water. Taking her bottle from it's case, she took a swig as she tried to formulate a response. She wanted to hedge, not tell Mandella about the kiss. After all, it was Mandella who accused Kat of liking Patrick. Should she tell Mandella about the events in the library?
"Well," Kat began cautiously. "It turns out that Patrick is smarter than I thought."
"How so? How on earth could you gather that at a PARTY?"
"Well, we kind of got into an argument and he quoted a great deal of Shakespeare."
Mandella sat up straight, her eyes round in surprise. "Patrick Verona knows SHAKESPEARE?"
Kat coughed uncomfortably, then replied, "Uh, yes, quite well."
Mandella, sensing there was more to the story, prodded for more information, asking, "What play did he quote?"
"'Taming of the Shrew'", Kat replied haughtily, her nose lifting slightly in defense.
Mandella cackled in delight. "How appropo! I love this guy! I'm so glad I made him go to the party. So, you have to tell me details."
"Mandella, I really don't want to talk about it, okay?" Kat stood up and got back onto her bike. "Can we just ride and not talk?"
See how distraught Kat was, Mandella nodded and climbed back onto her bike, letting Kat lead them back onto the bike trail. Kat may not be talking, be there was another way to get the full story.
* * *
"Talk to me, Verona. What happened?"
"Scurvy, I swear to God, if you don't stop asking me about that stupid party, I'm gonna shave that mohawk right off your head and paint your scalp green." Patrick scowled at his friend as they huddled near their lockers on Monday morning.
"Please, stop giving me new ideas," Scurvy laughed, not bothered by Patrick's threat. "I talked to that chick Mandella."
Patrick's head snapped up to attention and his eyes narrowed. "Oh yeah? What did she say?"
"She said that Kat isn't talking. And since YOU aren't talking either, that leads me to believe that something DEFINITELY happened at that party. The question is WHAT."
"It was a boring party, man. Kids getting drunk and throwing up in Donner's pool." Patrick paused. "Okay, so maybe that was a personal highlight for me."
Ever perceptive about his friend, Scurvy took a chance and guessed. "You kissed her, didn't ya?"
Patrick didn't respond at first, but a flush rose up quickly in his cheeks. Scurvy crowed in excitement. "Man! You kissed that girl? She hates you man, what were you THINKING?"
Patrick shook his head dejectedly. "I wasn't thinking. It just happened."
"Dude, you kissed a girl that hates you! You must be desperate!"
"Shut up, Scurvy."
* * *
Mandella caught up with Scurvy in the hallway on her way to class. "Did you find out anything?"
Scurvy's mouth curled into a grin. "Yep. He kissed her."
"WHAT?" Mandella bellowed in disbelief as Scurvy laughed and continued down the hallway.
"You heard what I said!" he called back before he turned the corner.
* * *
"How could you not tell me?" Mandella demanded at the lunch table. "He KISSED you and you don't tell me?"
"I was...embarrassed." Kat admitted.
"Why were you embarrassed - I'm your best friend. We are supposed to tell each other everything, no matter what."
"I was embarrassed because I went on and on about how I don't like him, and then you said I DID like him, and then he kissed me at Joey's party, and now, I don't know."
"Don't know what?"
"Whether I don't like him or not."
"Wow, he must be some kisser," Mandella replied dreamily.
Kat sighed. "I've nothing to compare it to, but...wow." She giggled in relief now that the secret was out. Then it hit her. "Wait a minute it - how did you know?"
"Um...a birdie told me?" Mandella asked hopefully.
"A birdie with an accent?" Kat demanded to know.
"No, more like a birdie with a mohawk," Mandella admitted.
"HE TOLD SCURVY?" Kat shrieked, causing a few heads to turn. Kat ducked low and hissed, "He told Scurvy?"
Mandella nodded, slurping her milk through the straw. "So now that it's out in the open, tell me about the kiss."
"It was....nice. Intense." Kat struggled to find words. "It was the Shakespeare. He quoted Shakespeare and it kind of, I don't know, turned me on."
Mandella laughed. "Now you know how *I* feel!"
* * *
Kat skulked into her final class of the day and saw Patrick already sitting at his desk. She had managed to avoid him all day, deliberately seeking out hallways she never used in order to avoid a chance meeting. Even as she sat down at her own desk, she could feel his eyes burning into her, willing her to look at him.
The bell still hadn't rung, so students were still milling around the classroom, socializing until the last possible moment before class began. Kat kept herself busy arranging her things under the chair and finding just the right pencil to take notes.
At her side, Patrick finally said, "Good afternoon, Kat."
"Hey there," Kat answered reluctantly.
"Did you enjoy the rest of your weekend?" he asked pleasantly.
"Yes, uh, thank you, I did."
"Did you enjoy the rest of Donner's party?"
Kat looked at him directly, trying to decide if he was making fun of her. Instead she saw only honest curiosity. "Not really, I left soon after you...saw me in the library." She felt her face flame up at the mention of the library.
Patrick, seeing her blush, took that as a positive sign. He had spent the day long nad hard thinking about that kiss, and how much he enjoyed it. He decided to take a chance. "I left soon after that too. I had had enough excitement for one night. So listen, I was wondering --"
Just then, Kat looked over Patrick's shoulder and saw Joey Donner standing in the doorway. He hadn't been in their shared classes earlier in the day, and she was surprised to see him. Not listening to Patrick anymore, Kat got up and walked over to the doorway.
"Hey Joey, what are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry we didn't hang out more at my party. I got caught up with the guys and next thing I knew I couldn't find you."
"Oh, that's okay, Joey."
"I came by to see if you wanted to get a burger after school, maybe take in a movie sometime this week with some of the gang?"
Kat smiled. Obviously the story about her kissing Patrick hadn't reached Joey's ears. That was a good thing - she would hate to ruin her chances with Joey. As great as the kiss with Patrick had been, it was Joey she was interested in. Truly. Right?
"I'd love that, Joey." Strangely, Kat felt that to be a lie.
"Great, meet me at my locker after class."
Just then the bell rang signaling the start of class, and Kat went back to her desk as the teacher began roll call. Suddenly remembering that Patrick had been about to say something, she turned to him and said, "I'm sorry Patrick, you were saying something?"
Patrick's face was stone as he bit out, "No, I wasn't saying anything. Nothing at all." He watched Kat begin taking notes for the upcoming test, his anger slowly settling down to a slow burn. Damn that Joey Donner. Didn't Kat know what a waste of space he was? Apparently not, judging by the conversation he'd just heard. 'I'd love that, Joey,' Patrick replayed in his mind. LOVE THAT?
Patrick grabbed up his pencil and started doodling in his notebook. He had intended to ask Kat out himself, but now he was glad he hadn't been able to ask. It was obvious she wasn't interested in anyone but Joey. But what about that kiss? He had kissed a lot of girls but never felt that kind of...connection. Patrick sighed heavily. I need to talk to Mandella, he thought. She'll know what I should do.
"Fine," Kat responded tightly, not wanting to reveal too much of the night's events. After Patrick left the library the night before, Kat had rushed from Joey's house and walked home, numerous thoughts flooding through her brain. So confused by it all, she hadn't even looked for Joey to tell him she was leaving.
And now, Mandella was asking questions. "What time did you get home? Pretty late?"
"Uh, actually, I got home around nine o'clock."
Mandella laughed. "Man, that party must have SUCKED. I'm so glad I hung out with Michael instead."
Kat's lips tingled as she remembered Patrick's kiss. She pedaled her bike a bit faster to get away from the strangely pleasant memory. The two girls biked silently for a few minutes, before Mandella casually inquired about Patrick.
"Did you see Verona there? Did he show up?"
Now Kat's face became flushed. "Yes, he showed up all right."
"What does that mean?" Mandella asked, deliberately slowing down and pulling off from the bike trail to grill Kat.
Kat slowed down as well and got off the bike so that the two girls could take a quick break for water. Taking her bottle from it's case, she took a swig as she tried to formulate a response. She wanted to hedge, not tell Mandella about the kiss. After all, it was Mandella who accused Kat of liking Patrick. Should she tell Mandella about the events in the library?
"Well," Kat began cautiously. "It turns out that Patrick is smarter than I thought."
"How so? How on earth could you gather that at a PARTY?"
"Well, we kind of got into an argument and he quoted a great deal of Shakespeare."
Mandella sat up straight, her eyes round in surprise. "Patrick Verona knows SHAKESPEARE?"
Kat coughed uncomfortably, then replied, "Uh, yes, quite well."
Mandella, sensing there was more to the story, prodded for more information, asking, "What play did he quote?"
"'Taming of the Shrew'", Kat replied haughtily, her nose lifting slightly in defense.
Mandella cackled in delight. "How appropo! I love this guy! I'm so glad I made him go to the party. So, you have to tell me details."
"Mandella, I really don't want to talk about it, okay?" Kat stood up and got back onto her bike. "Can we just ride and not talk?"
See how distraught Kat was, Mandella nodded and climbed back onto her bike, letting Kat lead them back onto the bike trail. Kat may not be talking, be there was another way to get the full story.
* * *
"Talk to me, Verona. What happened?"
"Scurvy, I swear to God, if you don't stop asking me about that stupid party, I'm gonna shave that mohawk right off your head and paint your scalp green." Patrick scowled at his friend as they huddled near their lockers on Monday morning.
"Please, stop giving me new ideas," Scurvy laughed, not bothered by Patrick's threat. "I talked to that chick Mandella."
Patrick's head snapped up to attention and his eyes narrowed. "Oh yeah? What did she say?"
"She said that Kat isn't talking. And since YOU aren't talking either, that leads me to believe that something DEFINITELY happened at that party. The question is WHAT."
"It was a boring party, man. Kids getting drunk and throwing up in Donner's pool." Patrick paused. "Okay, so maybe that was a personal highlight for me."
Ever perceptive about his friend, Scurvy took a chance and guessed. "You kissed her, didn't ya?"
Patrick didn't respond at first, but a flush rose up quickly in his cheeks. Scurvy crowed in excitement. "Man! You kissed that girl? She hates you man, what were you THINKING?"
Patrick shook his head dejectedly. "I wasn't thinking. It just happened."
"Dude, you kissed a girl that hates you! You must be desperate!"
"Shut up, Scurvy."
* * *
Mandella caught up with Scurvy in the hallway on her way to class. "Did you find out anything?"
Scurvy's mouth curled into a grin. "Yep. He kissed her."
"WHAT?" Mandella bellowed in disbelief as Scurvy laughed and continued down the hallway.
"You heard what I said!" he called back before he turned the corner.
* * *
"How could you not tell me?" Mandella demanded at the lunch table. "He KISSED you and you don't tell me?"
"I was...embarrassed." Kat admitted.
"Why were you embarrassed - I'm your best friend. We are supposed to tell each other everything, no matter what."
"I was embarrassed because I went on and on about how I don't like him, and then you said I DID like him, and then he kissed me at Joey's party, and now, I don't know."
"Don't know what?"
"Whether I don't like him or not."
"Wow, he must be some kisser," Mandella replied dreamily.
Kat sighed. "I've nothing to compare it to, but...wow." She giggled in relief now that the secret was out. Then it hit her. "Wait a minute it - how did you know?"
"Um...a birdie told me?" Mandella asked hopefully.
"A birdie with an accent?" Kat demanded to know.
"No, more like a birdie with a mohawk," Mandella admitted.
"HE TOLD SCURVY?" Kat shrieked, causing a few heads to turn. Kat ducked low and hissed, "He told Scurvy?"
Mandella nodded, slurping her milk through the straw. "So now that it's out in the open, tell me about the kiss."
"It was....nice. Intense." Kat struggled to find words. "It was the Shakespeare. He quoted Shakespeare and it kind of, I don't know, turned me on."
Mandella laughed. "Now you know how *I* feel!"
* * *
Kat skulked into her final class of the day and saw Patrick already sitting at his desk. She had managed to avoid him all day, deliberately seeking out hallways she never used in order to avoid a chance meeting. Even as she sat down at her own desk, she could feel his eyes burning into her, willing her to look at him.
The bell still hadn't rung, so students were still milling around the classroom, socializing until the last possible moment before class began. Kat kept herself busy arranging her things under the chair and finding just the right pencil to take notes.
At her side, Patrick finally said, "Good afternoon, Kat."
"Hey there," Kat answered reluctantly.
"Did you enjoy the rest of your weekend?" he asked pleasantly.
"Yes, uh, thank you, I did."
"Did you enjoy the rest of Donner's party?"
Kat looked at him directly, trying to decide if he was making fun of her. Instead she saw only honest curiosity. "Not really, I left soon after you...saw me in the library." She felt her face flame up at the mention of the library.
Patrick, seeing her blush, took that as a positive sign. He had spent the day long nad hard thinking about that kiss, and how much he enjoyed it. He decided to take a chance. "I left soon after that too. I had had enough excitement for one night. So listen, I was wondering --"
Just then, Kat looked over Patrick's shoulder and saw Joey Donner standing in the doorway. He hadn't been in their shared classes earlier in the day, and she was surprised to see him. Not listening to Patrick anymore, Kat got up and walked over to the doorway.
"Hey Joey, what are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry we didn't hang out more at my party. I got caught up with the guys and next thing I knew I couldn't find you."
"Oh, that's okay, Joey."
"I came by to see if you wanted to get a burger after school, maybe take in a movie sometime this week with some of the gang?"
Kat smiled. Obviously the story about her kissing Patrick hadn't reached Joey's ears. That was a good thing - she would hate to ruin her chances with Joey. As great as the kiss with Patrick had been, it was Joey she was interested in. Truly. Right?
"I'd love that, Joey." Strangely, Kat felt that to be a lie.
"Great, meet me at my locker after class."
Just then the bell rang signaling the start of class, and Kat went back to her desk as the teacher began roll call. Suddenly remembering that Patrick had been about to say something, she turned to him and said, "I'm sorry Patrick, you were saying something?"
Patrick's face was stone as he bit out, "No, I wasn't saying anything. Nothing at all." He watched Kat begin taking notes for the upcoming test, his anger slowly settling down to a slow burn. Damn that Joey Donner. Didn't Kat know what a waste of space he was? Apparently not, judging by the conversation he'd just heard. 'I'd love that, Joey,' Patrick replayed in his mind. LOVE THAT?
Patrick grabbed up his pencil and started doodling in his notebook. He had intended to ask Kat out himself, but now he was glad he hadn't been able to ask. It was obvious she wasn't interested in anyone but Joey. But what about that kiss? He had kissed a lot of girls but never felt that kind of...connection. Patrick sighed heavily. I need to talk to Mandella, he thought. She'll know what I should do.
