"Are you crazy? How on earth is getting Chastity involved going to help me get Cameron?" Bianca asked Mandella while maneuvering through the cafeteria to a table near the back of the room.
"It's simple - what we need is a sponsor." Mandella dropped her tray on the table and sat down opposite from Bianca. "We have no money. Chastity has plenty of it. Chances are Kat will do most anything for money - she probably can't land a job with her prison record. So we'll get Chastity to approach Kat about going out with Patrick, and you'll be free to try to pursue Cameron yourself."
Mandella looked over at Chastity's table and said, "It's now or never!" Getting up, she made her way over to the table where Chastity sat. Without thinking twice, Mandella sat down in the chair next to Chastity and just kind of smiled at her.
Chastity raised and eyebrow and said, "Are you lost, geek?"
Mandella shook her head and replied, "Absolutely not."
"Well, we're not friends, so you don't sit here."
"I actually think I have something to say that might interest you. I wanted to run an idea by you."
"I'm not interested." Chastity nodded to one of the football players at her table, who stood to escort Mandella back to her own table.
"Just hear me out," Mandella said quickly, "It's about Cameron."
Chastity put out her hand to stop the football player. "Continue," she ordered.
"Well, you want to date him, right? But he can't go out because of his older brother."
Chastity sighed. "Do you have a point to this obvious observation?"
"It seems to me," Mandella continued, "that you need to find someone to go out with Patrick. If you can coerce her - say Kat Verona? - to take out Patrick, then you'll have Cameron."
Chastity's eyes narrowed as she watched Mandella outline her plan. "Kat Verona? That's an interesting choice. What's in it for you?"
Looking innocent, Mandella answered, "Oh, nothing much. Purely a goodwill kind of thing. And maybe when you see me in the hallway you can say hello from time to time."
"Oh, I get it. Popular by association, right?"
Mandella grinned sheepishly. "Just a bit."
Chastity motioned to her minions, who all stood and began gathering their things to leave. "All right, I'll think about it."
"It's a guarantee plan that'll work, Chastity, I promise."
Chastity walked away, relieving Mandella to go back to where Bianca sat watching the entire conversation take place.
"I still don't think you should have gotten her involved, Mandella."
"Listen, this is gonna be great. I know she's going to go for the idea - I could already see the wheels turning in her head. And while she's occupied with trying to get Kat to go out with Patrick, you can spend more time with Cameron and woo him."
* * *
As gym class progressed on the Padua football field, Chastity watched Kat Verona, who sat sulkily in the stands refusing to take part. Patrick was in the middle of the field, working with an intimidated freshman who was having problems learning how to kick a soccer ball.
When the coach wasn't looking, Chastity moved into the stands and walked over to Kat.
"Hey Verona."
Kat looked up suspiciously at Chastity, giving her a quick once-over before emitting a derisive snort. "Can I help you?"
"As a matter of fact, you can. I have a proposition for you." Chastity sat down delicately next to Kat, keeping a safe distance from the lit cigarette that dangled from Kat's hand, which was propped on the bench. "Do you see that guy?" Chastity pointed to Patrick.
Kat nodded, "Sure, Patrick Stratford. What about him?"
"I want you to go out with him."
Kat looked up sharply at Chastity, taking a drag on her cigarette. "Yeah, sure, Sparky - I'll get right on that."
"I'm serious. I'll even give you some motivation." Chastity laid out a twenty dollar bill on the bench between them.
"What's that for? Gum?" Kat left the bill on the bench and said, "No one can go out on a date with twenty bucks."
Chastity put another twenty on the bench.
Kat let out another undignified snort and threw her cigarette on the ground. While snubbing it out with her shoe, she said, "Look, are you living in the 1960s? A decent date is at least seventy-five dollars nowadays."
"Fifty and you have a deal."
Kat hesitated a moment before saying, "You're giving me fifty bucks to take out some guy?"
"That's what I'm doing, yes."
Kat snapped up the two bills and held out her hand as Chastity placed a ten in her palm. "You got yourself a deal, Donner."
A few minutes later, as gym class came to an end, Kat stepped down onto the track that surrounded the field and found Patrick Verona drinking water on the sidelines.
"Hey, kid," she said to him with a friendly voice. "How ya doing?"
Patrick wiped his shoulder-length hair out of his eyes with a small towel and said, "Sweating like a pig, actually. And yourself?"
"You know just what to say to a girl, don't you?"
"My mission in life, I suppose." He stood and stared at her expectantly, but when Kat didn't respond he said, "Well I've apparently grabbed your attention for some reason. So my charm worked - the world is all right again."
He began to walk away from her, which caused Kat to lurch after him, blurting, "So I'll see you Friday night?"
"I wasn't aware that I had asked you out."
Kat attempted to be seductive and murmured, "I'll take you places you've never been."
Patrick looked at Kat from head to toe, noting the rough and tumble gym uniform that Kat had put together. "Where, the parking lot at the 7-11? Do you even know my name?"
"Of course I do - I know a lot about you," Kat responded, deciding not to take offense at his remark.
"I doubt it," he replied before moving away from her towards the boy's locker room.
Before the door could slam shut Kat called out, "Yeah, well you're no picnic either, Stratford."
Nearby, Bianca and Mandella sat watching the entire scene play out in front of them. As the door slammed shut behind Patrick and Kat stomped off in a huff, Bianca turned to Mandella and groaned, "We're screwed!"
Mandella shook her head, saying, "No no - I don't want to hear that defeatist attitude! I want to hear you upbeat!"
Bianca's face broke into a pained smile as she perked up and cheered, "We're screwed!"
"It's simple - what we need is a sponsor." Mandella dropped her tray on the table and sat down opposite from Bianca. "We have no money. Chastity has plenty of it. Chances are Kat will do most anything for money - she probably can't land a job with her prison record. So we'll get Chastity to approach Kat about going out with Patrick, and you'll be free to try to pursue Cameron yourself."
Mandella looked over at Chastity's table and said, "It's now or never!" Getting up, she made her way over to the table where Chastity sat. Without thinking twice, Mandella sat down in the chair next to Chastity and just kind of smiled at her.
Chastity raised and eyebrow and said, "Are you lost, geek?"
Mandella shook her head and replied, "Absolutely not."
"Well, we're not friends, so you don't sit here."
"I actually think I have something to say that might interest you. I wanted to run an idea by you."
"I'm not interested." Chastity nodded to one of the football players at her table, who stood to escort Mandella back to her own table.
"Just hear me out," Mandella said quickly, "It's about Cameron."
Chastity put out her hand to stop the football player. "Continue," she ordered.
"Well, you want to date him, right? But he can't go out because of his older brother."
Chastity sighed. "Do you have a point to this obvious observation?"
"It seems to me," Mandella continued, "that you need to find someone to go out with Patrick. If you can coerce her - say Kat Verona? - to take out Patrick, then you'll have Cameron."
Chastity's eyes narrowed as she watched Mandella outline her plan. "Kat Verona? That's an interesting choice. What's in it for you?"
Looking innocent, Mandella answered, "Oh, nothing much. Purely a goodwill kind of thing. And maybe when you see me in the hallway you can say hello from time to time."
"Oh, I get it. Popular by association, right?"
Mandella grinned sheepishly. "Just a bit."
Chastity motioned to her minions, who all stood and began gathering their things to leave. "All right, I'll think about it."
"It's a guarantee plan that'll work, Chastity, I promise."
Chastity walked away, relieving Mandella to go back to where Bianca sat watching the entire conversation take place.
"I still don't think you should have gotten her involved, Mandella."
"Listen, this is gonna be great. I know she's going to go for the idea - I could already see the wheels turning in her head. And while she's occupied with trying to get Kat to go out with Patrick, you can spend more time with Cameron and woo him."
* * *
As gym class progressed on the Padua football field, Chastity watched Kat Verona, who sat sulkily in the stands refusing to take part. Patrick was in the middle of the field, working with an intimidated freshman who was having problems learning how to kick a soccer ball.
When the coach wasn't looking, Chastity moved into the stands and walked over to Kat.
"Hey Verona."
Kat looked up suspiciously at Chastity, giving her a quick once-over before emitting a derisive snort. "Can I help you?"
"As a matter of fact, you can. I have a proposition for you." Chastity sat down delicately next to Kat, keeping a safe distance from the lit cigarette that dangled from Kat's hand, which was propped on the bench. "Do you see that guy?" Chastity pointed to Patrick.
Kat nodded, "Sure, Patrick Stratford. What about him?"
"I want you to go out with him."
Kat looked up sharply at Chastity, taking a drag on her cigarette. "Yeah, sure, Sparky - I'll get right on that."
"I'm serious. I'll even give you some motivation." Chastity laid out a twenty dollar bill on the bench between them.
"What's that for? Gum?" Kat left the bill on the bench and said, "No one can go out on a date with twenty bucks."
Chastity put another twenty on the bench.
Kat let out another undignified snort and threw her cigarette on the ground. While snubbing it out with her shoe, she said, "Look, are you living in the 1960s? A decent date is at least seventy-five dollars nowadays."
"Fifty and you have a deal."
Kat hesitated a moment before saying, "You're giving me fifty bucks to take out some guy?"
"That's what I'm doing, yes."
Kat snapped up the two bills and held out her hand as Chastity placed a ten in her palm. "You got yourself a deal, Donner."
A few minutes later, as gym class came to an end, Kat stepped down onto the track that surrounded the field and found Patrick Verona drinking water on the sidelines.
"Hey, kid," she said to him with a friendly voice. "How ya doing?"
Patrick wiped his shoulder-length hair out of his eyes with a small towel and said, "Sweating like a pig, actually. And yourself?"
"You know just what to say to a girl, don't you?"
"My mission in life, I suppose." He stood and stared at her expectantly, but when Kat didn't respond he said, "Well I've apparently grabbed your attention for some reason. So my charm worked - the world is all right again."
He began to walk away from her, which caused Kat to lurch after him, blurting, "So I'll see you Friday night?"
"I wasn't aware that I had asked you out."
Kat attempted to be seductive and murmured, "I'll take you places you've never been."
Patrick looked at Kat from head to toe, noting the rough and tumble gym uniform that Kat had put together. "Where, the parking lot at the 7-11? Do you even know my name?"
"Of course I do - I know a lot about you," Kat responded, deciding not to take offense at his remark.
"I doubt it," he replied before moving away from her towards the boy's locker room.
Before the door could slam shut Kat called out, "Yeah, well you're no picnic either, Stratford."
Nearby, Bianca and Mandella sat watching the entire scene play out in front of them. As the door slammed shut behind Patrick and Kat stomped off in a huff, Bianca turned to Mandella and groaned, "We're screwed!"
Mandella shook her head, saying, "No no - I don't want to hear that defeatist attitude! I want to hear you upbeat!"
Bianca's face broke into a pained smile as she perked up and cheered, "We're screwed!"
