The One Where It's the Other Way Around
Part Five: Losing Control


Cameron walked on in Patrick as he washed his face before going to bed.

He looked at Patrick's longish hair tucked into a ponytail and said, "Have you ever considered a new look? Even Jon Bon Jovi cut his hair into a more normal once the eighties ended. You could have some potential under that hair and all that hostility you carry around on your shoulders."

"You know what I have potential for?" Patrick asked, putting his washcloth on the towel rack. "I have the potential to kick the crap out of you if you don't get out of my way."

"You're such a jerk, Patrick. Truly." With that Cameron stalked out of the bathroom and into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

The next day after school Patrick left Michael to his own devices and headed downtown to the music store. Periodically he would go there to play on the Fender Strat guitar that he loved. He didn't have the money to buy it, but was slowly saving whatever money came his way in order to get it before it was time to leave for college.

Parking his car right in front of the store, he went into the store and immediately drifted to the white Strat that was the guitar of his dreams. As he took the guitar down off the wall, the salesperson walked up to him and slapped him on the back. "How ya doin', Stratford?"

"Hey, John. Just here to play for a bit - do you mind?" Patrick grinned sheepishly as he held the white Fender guitar close to him.

John laughed and shook his head. "Patrick, that guitar is meant for you - I get offers on it and refuse them. It's a lot of money I'm turning down, but I know you want that guitar. So knock yourself out, play as long as you want." John pulled out a stool from the wall and set it down in the middle of the store. "Just keep the earphones plugged in, okay?"

"Not a problem, John." After John walked away, Patrick set up the guitar and plugged the instrument in so that the music would only play through the set of headphones the store provided him. Patrick took a moment to just look at the guitar in all it's beauty - a reproduction of a 1956 Fender Strat. He strummed lightly against the strings, hearing the perfect pitch come from the tips of his fingers. The guitar was going to cost him over $2000 - a fortune that he felt was well worth it, considering the joy it would bring through hours of playing. He had half of the money saved up and hoped that his summer job would help him get the rest.

For an hour he ran through the repertoire of songs he had taught himself, at some points grinning idiotically to himself as he immersed himself in the music. Finally he realized he needed to put up the guitar or else he'd be late for dinner, and so he took off the headphones and put the guitar back on the wall.

He said his goodbyes to John and strolled out of the store, whistling to himself. He stopped abruptly, however, when he saw Kat Verona leaning casually against his Plymouth Duster.

"Nice car, Stratford. Vintage Plymouth Duster - very cool."

"Are you following me?" he asked irritably, digging into his pockets to retrieve his keys.

"Nah, I was in the laundromat across the street and saw your car. I just thought I'd come over and say hi." Kat smiled sweetly, not moving from her perch on his car door.

Patrick's mouth twitched with a tight smile as he approached his car, forcing Kat to move out of his way as he unlocked his car and opened the door. The car was hot so Patrick briskly cranked open the window. Getting in the driver's seat, he turned briefly to Kat and finally said with resentment, "Hi."

Kat leaned down in the open window and smiled again. "Not much of a talker, are you?"

"Depends on the topic. Generally my beat-up car doesn't whip me into a verbal frenzy." With that Patrick turned on his engine and flipped the gear into reverse. As he began backing up, however, Chastity Donner pulled up in her red convertible and blocked Patrick's car. Rather than parking in the spot next to Patrick's, Chastity put her car in park and got out, the radio still blaring. Patrick flipped up his parking brake and leaned out his window.

"Do you mind?" Patrick asked icily, glaring at Chastity as she sauntered by.

"Not at all," Chastity replied as she continued into the nail salon next door to the music store.

With a quick growl, Patrick's eyes flared as he put his car back into reverse and promptly stepped on the gas, causing his car to lurch backwards and slam into Chastity's convertible.

Kat gasped and then let out a loud laugh as Chastity came running out of the salon. "You bastard!" she cried as she rushed to her car, whose front left fender was now dangling from the car's crushed frame.

"Oops!" he called out, his grin to Kat betraying how he really felt about the situation.

* * *

"Oops?" Mrs. Stratford screeched. "Is that all you can say, Patrick? You know, my insurance doesn't cover juvenile delinquency."

"Then tell them I had a seizure or something."

"Is this about New York University? Are you punishing me because I don't want you to attend school there?"

"I thought you were punishing me," Patrick replied easily, "since you're making all my decisions for me."

"That's my right as a parent, Patrick."

"So does that mean that what I want doesn't matter at all?" Frustrated, Patrick put down the book he was pretending to read and stood up to pace the living room floor.

"You're only eighteen," Mrs Stratford said. "For heaven's sake, you don't know what you want. You won't know what you want until you're forty-five and at that point even if you get it you'll be too old to use it."

"Mom, I do know what I want," Patrick bellowed. "I want to go to NYU. I want to study music and film. I want you to trust me to make my own choices! I want you to stop controlling my life simply because you can't control yours. You know, Dad never would have treated me like this."

Mrs. Stratford froze and stared at her son for a moment before saying, "That was cold, Patrick. Leave him out of this." Just then Mrs. Stratford's pager went off. "We'll continue this later, young man."

"I'll be here," Patrick retorted rudely, throwing himself back onto the sofa.

Just as Mrs. Stratford slammed out of the backdoor, Cameron ran into the living room to confront Patrick.

"Did you maim Chastity's car today?"

"Yeah. I guess you and your buddies are gonna have to start taking the bus." Patrick decided he wanted to be in his room and got up to go upstairs.

Cameron blocked his path and bravely stuck a finger in his brother's face. "Has the fact that you are a complete psycho escaped everyone's attention?"

Patrick looked pointedly at Cameron's finger before making menacing eye contract. Cameron snatched his finger back as Patrick brushed by and headed up the stairs two at a time.

"Mom!" Cameron called out, moving towards the back door, hoping to catch his mom before she left for the clinic.