The One Where It's The Other Way Around
Chapter Three: Who Can It Be Now?
Bianca saw Cameron enter the Library and raised her hand to get his attention. He saw this and walked over to her table and dropped into the chair opposite from her. He smiled at her as he took out his French book from his backpack, and it was only upon opening it that he said, "How are you today, Beth?"
Bianca's heart fluttered. "I'm wonderful," she breathed. "Just wonderful."
Cameron smiled absent-mindedly in response but didn't say anything. After a few moments of silence he gestured toward his book and said, "Uh, are we gonna do this?"
Bianca blinked slowly as she gazed into his eyes, not comprehending that he was speaking to her. She was in her own world, fantasizing about their future together.
"Hello?"
Suddenly Bianca lurched to life and laughed nervously, spreading her hands out on the table. "Sorry about that. I was uh...oh never mind. On to the French. I thought we'd concentrate on the pronunciation, if that's okay with you."
Cameron groaned, "Not that hacking and gagging stuff, please."
Bianca paused for a moment, working up her courage. "Okay, then how about French cuisine. Maybe Saturday night?"
Cameron's eyes narrowed as he looked more closely at Bianca. "You're asking me out? You're asking me out? That's so cute. What's your name again?"
"Bianca."
"Bianca," Cameron repeated. "Well, Bianca, I hate to tell you but I've got a bit of a dilemma. It's called 'my family'. My social life is pretty much at the mercy of my brother. I can't date until he does. And he never will, so..."
"I've seen your brother. He's kind of cute - I would think he'd be able to get a date."
"It's not that he can't get a date, it's that he won't get a date. He's pretty anti-social."
"Why?" Bianca asked, closing her French book.
"I've no idea," Cameron replied, closing his book as well. "He was popular for a nano-second in his freshman year and then suddenly he quit going out altogether."
Cameron sat straight up in his chair and reached out to lay his hand on Bianca's. "If only we could get Patrick to get out more - I'd be able to go out myself."
Bianca smiled warmly at him as she felt the heat from his hand on hers and said, "Let me see what I can do."
* * *
"This is ridiculous!" Bianca seethed, sticking her exacto knife into the dead frog in the tray in front of her. "We've talked to a dozen girls and none of them will go out with Patrick! Maybe he really is a mutant!"
Mandella laughed. "Listen, I just can't believe that you actually asked him out. I mean, you've been here, what, two days?"
"When I see something I want..." Bianca wiggled her eyebrows mischievously.
"Yes, but there's a high school code that you've completely blown apart in the process!"
Bianca looked to her left and whispered, "What about her?"
Mandella looked over at Kat Verona and said, "What, you want to date her too?"
Bianca rolled her eyes. "No, what about her for Patrick?"
Mandella looked at Kat again. The girl was slowly flicking her finger across the high flame from a bunson burner. "What makes you think she'll do it?"
"She looks like she has a fine sense of danger," Bianca answered.
Mandella snorted and said, "Understatement. You know I heard she punched a cop for giving her a speeding ticket and spent six months at San Quentin."
Bianca giggled. "And do known felons often get into Honors Biology? Listen, do we have a plan or not? I say we go with Kat Verona."
"Did Cameron actually say he'd go out with you if Patrick goes on a date?" Mandella asked.
"That's what I said, didn't I?"
"Wow, if you score this you'll be set for the rest of your time at this school. You'll be famous far beyond your graduation day. And you'll take me along with you, right?"
"I thought you hated the popular kids."
"Yeah, but I'm gonna need clients when I take over Wall Street."
* * *
Bianca peeked into the woodshop class and saw that Kat Verona was one of only three girls in the class. She was hunched over, using a drill on a piece of two by four wood. Bianca slipped into the room and scurried over to Kat, making sure not to touch anything for fear of losing an appendage or getting grease all over her dress.
Kat had on safety goggles and didn't acknowledge Bianca despite the fact they were standing right in front of each other. She continued to drill at the wood even as Bianca cleared her throat pointedly to get her attention.
"Hey there, um, I was wondering if I could talk to you...."
Bianca's voice drifted off as Kat straightened and directed the drill in her direction. The tip touched the French textbook that she clutched to her chest and when Bianca felt the vibration through the book she jumped back and all but ran out of the room.
Meeting Mandella in the hallway, where she was watching the whole scene, Bianca shrieked, "That psycho tried to kill me!"
Mandella merely nodded and said, "I told you she was nuts. But I think she's perfect for Patrick. We just need to go at this from another direction - and I think I've figured out how."
Chapter Three: Who Can It Be Now?
Bianca saw Cameron enter the Library and raised her hand to get his attention. He saw this and walked over to her table and dropped into the chair opposite from her. He smiled at her as he took out his French book from his backpack, and it was only upon opening it that he said, "How are you today, Beth?"
Bianca's heart fluttered. "I'm wonderful," she breathed. "Just wonderful."
Cameron smiled absent-mindedly in response but didn't say anything. After a few moments of silence he gestured toward his book and said, "Uh, are we gonna do this?"
Bianca blinked slowly as she gazed into his eyes, not comprehending that he was speaking to her. She was in her own world, fantasizing about their future together.
"Hello?"
Suddenly Bianca lurched to life and laughed nervously, spreading her hands out on the table. "Sorry about that. I was uh...oh never mind. On to the French. I thought we'd concentrate on the pronunciation, if that's okay with you."
Cameron groaned, "Not that hacking and gagging stuff, please."
Bianca paused for a moment, working up her courage. "Okay, then how about French cuisine. Maybe Saturday night?"
Cameron's eyes narrowed as he looked more closely at Bianca. "You're asking me out? You're asking me out? That's so cute. What's your name again?"
"Bianca."
"Bianca," Cameron repeated. "Well, Bianca, I hate to tell you but I've got a bit of a dilemma. It's called 'my family'. My social life is pretty much at the mercy of my brother. I can't date until he does. And he never will, so..."
"I've seen your brother. He's kind of cute - I would think he'd be able to get a date."
"It's not that he can't get a date, it's that he won't get a date. He's pretty anti-social."
"Why?" Bianca asked, closing her French book.
"I've no idea," Cameron replied, closing his book as well. "He was popular for a nano-second in his freshman year and then suddenly he quit going out altogether."
Cameron sat straight up in his chair and reached out to lay his hand on Bianca's. "If only we could get Patrick to get out more - I'd be able to go out myself."
Bianca smiled warmly at him as she felt the heat from his hand on hers and said, "Let me see what I can do."
* * *
"This is ridiculous!" Bianca seethed, sticking her exacto knife into the dead frog in the tray in front of her. "We've talked to a dozen girls and none of them will go out with Patrick! Maybe he really is a mutant!"
Mandella laughed. "Listen, I just can't believe that you actually asked him out. I mean, you've been here, what, two days?"
"When I see something I want..." Bianca wiggled her eyebrows mischievously.
"Yes, but there's a high school code that you've completely blown apart in the process!"
Bianca looked to her left and whispered, "What about her?"
Mandella looked over at Kat Verona and said, "What, you want to date her too?"
Bianca rolled her eyes. "No, what about her for Patrick?"
Mandella looked at Kat again. The girl was slowly flicking her finger across the high flame from a bunson burner. "What makes you think she'll do it?"
"She looks like she has a fine sense of danger," Bianca answered.
Mandella snorted and said, "Understatement. You know I heard she punched a cop for giving her a speeding ticket and spent six months at San Quentin."
Bianca giggled. "And do known felons often get into Honors Biology? Listen, do we have a plan or not? I say we go with Kat Verona."
"Did Cameron actually say he'd go out with you if Patrick goes on a date?" Mandella asked.
"That's what I said, didn't I?"
"Wow, if you score this you'll be set for the rest of your time at this school. You'll be famous far beyond your graduation day. And you'll take me along with you, right?"
"I thought you hated the popular kids."
"Yeah, but I'm gonna need clients when I take over Wall Street."
* * *
Bianca peeked into the woodshop class and saw that Kat Verona was one of only three girls in the class. She was hunched over, using a drill on a piece of two by four wood. Bianca slipped into the room and scurried over to Kat, making sure not to touch anything for fear of losing an appendage or getting grease all over her dress.
Kat had on safety goggles and didn't acknowledge Bianca despite the fact they were standing right in front of each other. She continued to drill at the wood even as Bianca cleared her throat pointedly to get her attention.
"Hey there, um, I was wondering if I could talk to you...."
Bianca's voice drifted off as Kat straightened and directed the drill in her direction. The tip touched the French textbook that she clutched to her chest and when Bianca felt the vibration through the book she jumped back and all but ran out of the room.
Meeting Mandella in the hallway, where she was watching the whole scene, Bianca shrieked, "That psycho tried to kill me!"
Mandella merely nodded and said, "I told you she was nuts. But I think she's perfect for Patrick. We just need to go at this from another direction - and I think I've figured out how."
