TOWITOWA, Part 8: Club Skunk
Kat stared into the mirror, debating whether or not to actually go to Club Skunk. She already had the money from Chastity, so it's not like she had to go. Kat ran a brush through her long blond hair before tying it back into a low ponytail. She tried to picture the reaction of the bouncer when she arrived at the entrance to the club. If it was the same one from years ago, there was no doubt he'd laugh and recognize her.
During Kat's sophomore year she had been dared to get into the club with a fake i.d. The i.d. had been a poor fake, and the bouncer had actually laughed and showed it to other clubbers as an example of what not to use as a fake i.d. She had been so mortified that she ran away without bothering to get it back. To her dismay, she later found out that the bouncer had framed the i.d. and placed it right by the front entrance of the club, so that people would forever see her picture smiling back at them as an example of teenaged stupidity.
Dropping her brush onto her dresser with disgust, Kat turned away from the mirror, hoping to dispel the mental image. She mumbled a brief prayer that the framed i.d. had been removed in the two years since she had been there - and better yet, that the bouncer no longer worked there.
"And why am I doing this again?" Kat asked herself out loud, sitting on the edge of her bed to slip on her Doc Marten boots.
With that question, Patrick Stratford popped into her mind, causing her mouth to tilt upwards into a small smile. Kat admitted to herself that while the money she was being paid by Chastity Donner was worth it, she couldn't help feeling a mild attraction to the aloof and intriguing Patrick anyway. Earlier in the week she had approached him during gym class and he had completely rebuffed her. Kat liked that. Then outside the music store she could practically see him tense up when he saw her lounging on his car. Kat liked that even more.
Glancing at her watch she noted that the band to perform at Club Skunk would probably be close to their set time. Now or never, she thought to herself, grabbing up her wallet and stuffing it into the back pocket of her respectably baggy jeans. With mild despair she took the pack of cigarettes from her other back pocket and threw them into the trash can.
Running down the stairs she yelled out "I'm leaving I'll be home late!" to whoever might be around to hear her. Not waiting for an answer (she usually didn't get one from parents too caught up in their own worlds to notice her comes and goings), she slammed out of the front door and got into her car. Not wanting to pause for a moment in case she changed her mind, she rammed her key into the ignition and pulled out of the driveway to go to Club Skunk.
* * *
"I'm so excited!" Michael exclaimed. "I love this band!"
Patrick smiled as he picked up his bottled water to take a sip. The club was packed from wall to wall with hundreds of kids waiting for Living Sacrifice to take the stage. A death metal band with a hopeful message in their lyrics, the band's roadies were just finishing the equipment check on the small stage near the back wall of the club. Patrick had been a fan of Living Sacrifice for a few years, having discovered them in his freshman year at Padua High.
Patrick grinned at Michael, who was practically giddy with excitement. It was rare for Michael to speak highly of anything other than Shakespeare, so this was praise that Patrick didn't take lightly.
"Maybe we can stay after and talk to the band a bit," Patrick enthused, giving in to his own excitement. This was his fourth time seeing the band play live, and he was looking forward to what he knew would be a good show.
Just then over the loudspeaker they heard, "All right folks, are you ready for the band you've been waiting for? Here they are without further ado - Living Sacrifice!"
The crowd lurched toward the stage in anticipation as the strobe lights began swirling around them. Patrick stayed where he was near the bar, content not to be involved in the mosh pit that would form as soon as the first chord was played.
The band took the stage and without a word leapt into one of their more popular songs, "Reborn", causing the audience to cheer and begin 'dancing' with glee.
Patrick watched as Michael tentatively moved into the pulsating crowd, moving back and forth as they undulated with the band's hard-driving metal riffs. Patrick kept his place on his barstool, nodding his head to the beat and watching the band from his slightly higher vantage point.
At the end of the first song he clapped along with everyone else, and cheered on the band members with encouragement. When they launched into their next song, Patrick turned completely away from the stage and sat facing the bar. Turning to look down the counter he plainly saw a girl standing a few feet away, attempting to order something from the busy bartender.
It was Kat Verona.
Patrick motioned to Dave, the bartender, who immediately came over. "Get that girl a bottled water, okay?" he requested loudly, gesturing toward Kat.
"Sure thing, Patrick," Dave shouted, taking the five dollar bill that Patrick held out for him.
Moments later Kat was at Patrick's side, icy bottle in hand. She leaned over and yelled into his ear, "Thanks for this!"
Patrick merely nodded curtly, turning slightly in his seat to face her. She looked different than she normally did, despite wearing her typical uniform of jeans and boots with a plain t-shirt. He gazed into her face, which was covered in a slick sheen from the intense humidity of the dank club. She looked like she was enjoying herself despite being one of the few females in the club.
"You like this band?" he finally yelled, leaning down close enough that she could hear him. As his lips accidentally brushed her ear, he couldn't help but notice her hair smelled like honey.
Feeling a mild tingle in her belly as he quickly straightened away from her, she gushed, "Oh yeah! I've been a fan of theirs for years."
Sensing an opportunity, Kat allowed herself to be pushed closer to Patrick by the people behind her. With seeming innocence, she brought a hand down on his arm in an attempt to get some balance. She conveniently left it there once she was firmly implanted against him and began watching the band on stage.
"You're not fooling anyone, Verona," Patrick finally shouted, looking pointedly at her hand on his arm.
"What do you mean?" Kat asked, deliberately misunderstanding him. "I really am a fan of Living Sacrifice. I have all their cds."
"Look, if you plan on asking me out again, you may as well get it over with."
"Excuse me?"
"That's why you're here, right?"
Taking her hand back from his arm, Kat leaned over and yelled back, "Do you mind? I appreciate you buying me the water and all, but you keep interrupting my enjoyment of the show."
Realizing finally why she looked different, Patrick observed, "You're not surrounded by your usual cloud of smoke."
Just then the band finished their third song and announced a brief break so that the drummer could replace his bass drum, which had a huge hole in it from his rambunctious playing.
Kat sighed and said in a normal volume, "I've heard it's bad for you, so I quit."
Patrick considered this for a moment, mildly surprised. He took a thoughtful sip from his bottle of water.
Without hesitation Kat said, "You look good on that barstool, Stratford. Very relaxed, which is rare for you."
Patrick let out an easygoing smile, causing Kat's heart to flutter briefly as his eyes began to sparkle. "Let's just say this band brings out the best in me."
Just then the band took back the stage and began another song, requiring Kat to lean against Patrick again in order to scream, "Come to Bogey's party with me."
"What?" Patrick hollered, thinking for a moment that she had invited him to Bogey Lowenstein's party.
"Bogey's party," she repeated for him. "You and me, wreaking havoc. Let's say, nine o'clock?"
"You don't give up, do you?" he finally asked.
Kat shook her head, grinning at him so that a dimple in her cheek came into play.
Patrick merely laughed and shook his head.
"Is that a yes?" she inquired saucily.
"No."
"Is that a no?"
Patrick waited a beat, then said, "No."
Kat stood back from him for a moment, just looking into his eyes. Then her grin softened into a gentle smile and she just nodded at him before moving away from his side.
* * *
"Thanks for taking down the picture, man," Kat said to the bouncer she remembered from two years prior as she left the club.
"Well, when you didn't come back so I could rub it in, it wasn't fun after a while. But I remembered you as soon as you walked up tonight."
"Yeah, well, I appreciate you letting me in this time."
The large man laughed and said, "Well, this happens to be an all-ages show, so you would have gotten in anyway. But I'm glad you had a better i.d. this time."
* * *
For the rest of the Living Sacrifice show, Patrick kept looking for Kat, but he didn't see her again that night. But he kept on looking.
Kat stared into the mirror, debating whether or not to actually go to Club Skunk. She already had the money from Chastity, so it's not like she had to go. Kat ran a brush through her long blond hair before tying it back into a low ponytail. She tried to picture the reaction of the bouncer when she arrived at the entrance to the club. If it was the same one from years ago, there was no doubt he'd laugh and recognize her.
During Kat's sophomore year she had been dared to get into the club with a fake i.d. The i.d. had been a poor fake, and the bouncer had actually laughed and showed it to other clubbers as an example of what not to use as a fake i.d. She had been so mortified that she ran away without bothering to get it back. To her dismay, she later found out that the bouncer had framed the i.d. and placed it right by the front entrance of the club, so that people would forever see her picture smiling back at them as an example of teenaged stupidity.
Dropping her brush onto her dresser with disgust, Kat turned away from the mirror, hoping to dispel the mental image. She mumbled a brief prayer that the framed i.d. had been removed in the two years since she had been there - and better yet, that the bouncer no longer worked there.
"And why am I doing this again?" Kat asked herself out loud, sitting on the edge of her bed to slip on her Doc Marten boots.
With that question, Patrick Stratford popped into her mind, causing her mouth to tilt upwards into a small smile. Kat admitted to herself that while the money she was being paid by Chastity Donner was worth it, she couldn't help feeling a mild attraction to the aloof and intriguing Patrick anyway. Earlier in the week she had approached him during gym class and he had completely rebuffed her. Kat liked that. Then outside the music store she could practically see him tense up when he saw her lounging on his car. Kat liked that even more.
Glancing at her watch she noted that the band to perform at Club Skunk would probably be close to their set time. Now or never, she thought to herself, grabbing up her wallet and stuffing it into the back pocket of her respectably baggy jeans. With mild despair she took the pack of cigarettes from her other back pocket and threw them into the trash can.
Running down the stairs she yelled out "I'm leaving I'll be home late!" to whoever might be around to hear her. Not waiting for an answer (she usually didn't get one from parents too caught up in their own worlds to notice her comes and goings), she slammed out of the front door and got into her car. Not wanting to pause for a moment in case she changed her mind, she rammed her key into the ignition and pulled out of the driveway to go to Club Skunk.
* * *
"I'm so excited!" Michael exclaimed. "I love this band!"
Patrick smiled as he picked up his bottled water to take a sip. The club was packed from wall to wall with hundreds of kids waiting for Living Sacrifice to take the stage. A death metal band with a hopeful message in their lyrics, the band's roadies were just finishing the equipment check on the small stage near the back wall of the club. Patrick had been a fan of Living Sacrifice for a few years, having discovered them in his freshman year at Padua High.
Patrick grinned at Michael, who was practically giddy with excitement. It was rare for Michael to speak highly of anything other than Shakespeare, so this was praise that Patrick didn't take lightly.
"Maybe we can stay after and talk to the band a bit," Patrick enthused, giving in to his own excitement. This was his fourth time seeing the band play live, and he was looking forward to what he knew would be a good show.
Just then over the loudspeaker they heard, "All right folks, are you ready for the band you've been waiting for? Here they are without further ado - Living Sacrifice!"
The crowd lurched toward the stage in anticipation as the strobe lights began swirling around them. Patrick stayed where he was near the bar, content not to be involved in the mosh pit that would form as soon as the first chord was played.
The band took the stage and without a word leapt into one of their more popular songs, "Reborn", causing the audience to cheer and begin 'dancing' with glee.
Patrick watched as Michael tentatively moved into the pulsating crowd, moving back and forth as they undulated with the band's hard-driving metal riffs. Patrick kept his place on his barstool, nodding his head to the beat and watching the band from his slightly higher vantage point.
At the end of the first song he clapped along with everyone else, and cheered on the band members with encouragement. When they launched into their next song, Patrick turned completely away from the stage and sat facing the bar. Turning to look down the counter he plainly saw a girl standing a few feet away, attempting to order something from the busy bartender.
It was Kat Verona.
Patrick motioned to Dave, the bartender, who immediately came over. "Get that girl a bottled water, okay?" he requested loudly, gesturing toward Kat.
"Sure thing, Patrick," Dave shouted, taking the five dollar bill that Patrick held out for him.
Moments later Kat was at Patrick's side, icy bottle in hand. She leaned over and yelled into his ear, "Thanks for this!"
Patrick merely nodded curtly, turning slightly in his seat to face her. She looked different than she normally did, despite wearing her typical uniform of jeans and boots with a plain t-shirt. He gazed into her face, which was covered in a slick sheen from the intense humidity of the dank club. She looked like she was enjoying herself despite being one of the few females in the club.
"You like this band?" he finally yelled, leaning down close enough that she could hear him. As his lips accidentally brushed her ear, he couldn't help but notice her hair smelled like honey.
Feeling a mild tingle in her belly as he quickly straightened away from her, she gushed, "Oh yeah! I've been a fan of theirs for years."
Sensing an opportunity, Kat allowed herself to be pushed closer to Patrick by the people behind her. With seeming innocence, she brought a hand down on his arm in an attempt to get some balance. She conveniently left it there once she was firmly implanted against him and began watching the band on stage.
"You're not fooling anyone, Verona," Patrick finally shouted, looking pointedly at her hand on his arm.
"What do you mean?" Kat asked, deliberately misunderstanding him. "I really am a fan of Living Sacrifice. I have all their cds."
"Look, if you plan on asking me out again, you may as well get it over with."
"Excuse me?"
"That's why you're here, right?"
Taking her hand back from his arm, Kat leaned over and yelled back, "Do you mind? I appreciate you buying me the water and all, but you keep interrupting my enjoyment of the show."
Realizing finally why she looked different, Patrick observed, "You're not surrounded by your usual cloud of smoke."
Just then the band finished their third song and announced a brief break so that the drummer could replace his bass drum, which had a huge hole in it from his rambunctious playing.
Kat sighed and said in a normal volume, "I've heard it's bad for you, so I quit."
Patrick considered this for a moment, mildly surprised. He took a thoughtful sip from his bottle of water.
Without hesitation Kat said, "You look good on that barstool, Stratford. Very relaxed, which is rare for you."
Patrick let out an easygoing smile, causing Kat's heart to flutter briefly as his eyes began to sparkle. "Let's just say this band brings out the best in me."
Just then the band took back the stage and began another song, requiring Kat to lean against Patrick again in order to scream, "Come to Bogey's party with me."
"What?" Patrick hollered, thinking for a moment that she had invited him to Bogey Lowenstein's party.
"Bogey's party," she repeated for him. "You and me, wreaking havoc. Let's say, nine o'clock?"
"You don't give up, do you?" he finally asked.
Kat shook her head, grinning at him so that a dimple in her cheek came into play.
Patrick merely laughed and shook his head.
"Is that a yes?" she inquired saucily.
"No."
"Is that a no?"
Patrick waited a beat, then said, "No."
Kat stood back from him for a moment, just looking into his eyes. Then her grin softened into a gentle smile and she just nodded at him before moving away from his side.
* * *
"Thanks for taking down the picture, man," Kat said to the bouncer she remembered from two years prior as she left the club.
"Well, when you didn't come back so I could rub it in, it wasn't fun after a while. But I remembered you as soon as you walked up tonight."
"Yeah, well, I appreciate you letting me in this time."
The large man laughed and said, "Well, this happens to be an all-ages show, so you would have gotten in anyway. But I'm glad you had a better i.d. this time."
* * *
For the rest of the Living Sacrifice show, Patrick kept looking for Kat, but he didn't see her again that night. But he kept on looking.
