"Nice song, Verona," Scurvy Whitlow laughed as Kat took one of the last seats available in the classroom being used for detention.
"Flog me now," was her quick response as Mr. Chapin gingerly entered the room, still recovering from the arrow attack during Archery.
"Excuse me, Mr. Chapin?" Patrick stood in the doorway of the classroom.
Kat turned in her seat and stared at Patrick, who smiled and winked at her.
"Yes, Mr. Stratford?" Mr. Chapin asked.
"Um...I was hoping to go over some strategy with you about the next match coming up against Padua East."
"Mr. Stratford, now is the not the time to discussion soccer strategies. This is a detention hall right now."
"I know that, but I came up with a really good idea and I felt I should present it to you now instead of later."
Mr. Chapin rolled his eyes and turned his back on the class to make his way to the desk at the front of the room.
Kat glanced at Patrick, who motioned pointedly toward the bay of windows on one side of the room. Kat frowned and gestured that she was confused.
Patrick pointed at the windows and silently mouthed, "Go out the window!" before saying, "Mr. Chapin, it'll just take a minute," and entering the classroom.
Kat watched Patrick step up to Mr. Chapin and deliberately turn the teacher's back to the row of windows. Understanding now what Patrick was attempting to do, she began gathering her things together to make her escape.
She couldn't hear what Patrick was saying but it was obvious that Mr. Chapin was unhappy about the interruption, since he kept trying to turn away from Patrick and face the classroom. Kat moved quickly and negotiated quietly through the students to the windows. She was concerned that one of the students might turn her in before she even made it out the window, but luckily they were all on her side and didn't make a sound.
Since it was a nice warm spring day, the windows were fully open, and Kat threw her backpack out first and watched it land on the ground. Thank God this classroom is on the ground floor! she thought. Pausing only a moment to look back at Patrick and Mr. Chapin, she saw that Patrick was gripping onto Mr. Chapin's shoulders with determination so that the teacher couldn't turn. Without waiting another second, Kat slipped her body through the large window and let herself drop unceremoniously to the ground with a grunt.
Freedom!
* * *
An hour later, Kat and Patrick found themselves walking around an outdoor fair that had been set up in a nearby park. Enjoying in the mid-afternoon sun, Kat said, "I figured I had pissed you off so badly that night after Bogey's party that I had do something even worse so that it wouldn't seem so bad. So embarrassing you in front of half the school seemed like a good idea."
Patrick laughed. "Good call. Especially since it was really more embarrassing for you this time around."
Kat smiled to herself, recalling how she hadn't really been "So how did you get Chapin to not look?"
"I told him that I thought using the Jedi mind trick was the perfect way to win. I was attempting to show him how it worked."
"Nerd!" Kat guffawed. "That's a major geek check right there! You used 'Star Wars' as my getaway plan?"
"Hey, it worked didn't it?" Patrick said defensively, a grin letting Kat know he wasn't really offended at her remark. They stopped in front of an arcade game and Patrick laid down his dollar and quickly won a small stuffed animal, which he gave to a little girl who was staring at him from nearby. He tousled her hair and she rewarded him with a huge smile as she hugged the toy tightly.
Kat raised a surprised eyebrow. "A soft side? Who knew the dog was actually a butterfly?"
"Yeah, well, don't let that information get out to the general public."
"So what's your excuse?" Kat asked, digging her hands into her jeans pockets as they continued their walk.
"For what?"
"For acting the way you do - all gruff and rude and stuff."
"I don't like to do what people expect," Patrick responded thoughtfully, weighing each word. "Then they expect it all the time and they get disappointed when you change."
"So you'd rather just disappoint them from the beginning and you're covered?"
"Something like that."
Kat sighed dramatically. "Well then you screwed up, Stratford."
"How's that?" he asked, stopping their walk and facing her.
She smiled up at him, taking in his handsome features. "You never disappointed me."
Patrick immediately blushed, which delighted Kat tremendously. Slightly embarrassed, Patrick finally blurted, "Are you up for it?"
"Up for what?" she asked.
Patrick pointed behind her, and she turned and saw a sign listing the prices for paintball sessions.
Kat let go with an evil grin and said, "Oh yeah, it's on now."
A few minutes later they were decked out in coveralls and eye goggles, racing around the huge area blocked off for paintball participants. Kat and Patrick shouted and laughed as they aimed repeatedly at each other and splashed paint all over each other.
In what seemed like only a few moments, Kat found herself out of paintballs, and was approached by Patrick, wielding his paintball gun with one last blast of paint ready to fly.
Kat backed up, saying, "No way - you wouldn't dare! It's not right to fire on someone who is unarmed!"
"You know what they say, Verona," Patrick warned. "All fair in love and war." With that he rushed her and tackled her, causing them to fall backwards into a large bale of hay that was normally used as a hiding space.
Patrick took off his eye goggles and then reached out to flip Kat's up onto the top of her head. Kat gazed up at Patrick as they lay there. She could feel his hot minty breath on her face, could see his eyes glance at her mouth before he lowered his head to hers and ever so softly brought his lips to hers. Without a care in the world, Kat wrapped her arms around Patrick, pulling him closer to her, deepening the kiss.
When they finally broke apart, Patrick ran his fingers through Kat's hair and said, "Forget war, I'm much more in favor of the other thing."
Kat smiled and reached for Patrick again, but he didn't notice her other hand reach out to the paintball gun and carefully remove the last remaining paintball. With a flourish she raised her arm and brought it down on Patrick's head, causing blue paint to splatter over both of them.
Patrick yelped and flashed Kat a surprised look as he moved up into a kneeling position next to her. She lay there and laughed raucously, saying, "Yeah, but war can be fun when it produces that look on your face!"
Patrick contemplated his next move, and decided on the best course of action. He swooped down and gathered Kat in his arms and proceeded to kiss her with full abandon until her giggles ceased entirely.
"Flog me now," was her quick response as Mr. Chapin gingerly entered the room, still recovering from the arrow attack during Archery.
"Excuse me, Mr. Chapin?" Patrick stood in the doorway of the classroom.
Kat turned in her seat and stared at Patrick, who smiled and winked at her.
"Yes, Mr. Stratford?" Mr. Chapin asked.
"Um...I was hoping to go over some strategy with you about the next match coming up against Padua East."
"Mr. Stratford, now is the not the time to discussion soccer strategies. This is a detention hall right now."
"I know that, but I came up with a really good idea and I felt I should present it to you now instead of later."
Mr. Chapin rolled his eyes and turned his back on the class to make his way to the desk at the front of the room.
Kat glanced at Patrick, who motioned pointedly toward the bay of windows on one side of the room. Kat frowned and gestured that she was confused.
Patrick pointed at the windows and silently mouthed, "Go out the window!" before saying, "Mr. Chapin, it'll just take a minute," and entering the classroom.
Kat watched Patrick step up to Mr. Chapin and deliberately turn the teacher's back to the row of windows. Understanding now what Patrick was attempting to do, she began gathering her things together to make her escape.
She couldn't hear what Patrick was saying but it was obvious that Mr. Chapin was unhappy about the interruption, since he kept trying to turn away from Patrick and face the classroom. Kat moved quickly and negotiated quietly through the students to the windows. She was concerned that one of the students might turn her in before she even made it out the window, but luckily they were all on her side and didn't make a sound.
Since it was a nice warm spring day, the windows were fully open, and Kat threw her backpack out first and watched it land on the ground. Thank God this classroom is on the ground floor! she thought. Pausing only a moment to look back at Patrick and Mr. Chapin, she saw that Patrick was gripping onto Mr. Chapin's shoulders with determination so that the teacher couldn't turn. Without waiting another second, Kat slipped her body through the large window and let herself drop unceremoniously to the ground with a grunt.
Freedom!
* * *
An hour later, Kat and Patrick found themselves walking around an outdoor fair that had been set up in a nearby park. Enjoying in the mid-afternoon sun, Kat said, "I figured I had pissed you off so badly that night after Bogey's party that I had do something even worse so that it wouldn't seem so bad. So embarrassing you in front of half the school seemed like a good idea."
Patrick laughed. "Good call. Especially since it was really more embarrassing for you this time around."
Kat smiled to herself, recalling how she hadn't really been "So how did you get Chapin to not look?"
"I told him that I thought using the Jedi mind trick was the perfect way to win. I was attempting to show him how it worked."
"Nerd!" Kat guffawed. "That's a major geek check right there! You used 'Star Wars' as my getaway plan?"
"Hey, it worked didn't it?" Patrick said defensively, a grin letting Kat know he wasn't really offended at her remark. They stopped in front of an arcade game and Patrick laid down his dollar and quickly won a small stuffed animal, which he gave to a little girl who was staring at him from nearby. He tousled her hair and she rewarded him with a huge smile as she hugged the toy tightly.
Kat raised a surprised eyebrow. "A soft side? Who knew the dog was actually a butterfly?"
"Yeah, well, don't let that information get out to the general public."
"So what's your excuse?" Kat asked, digging her hands into her jeans pockets as they continued their walk.
"For what?"
"For acting the way you do - all gruff and rude and stuff."
"I don't like to do what people expect," Patrick responded thoughtfully, weighing each word. "Then they expect it all the time and they get disappointed when you change."
"So you'd rather just disappoint them from the beginning and you're covered?"
"Something like that."
Kat sighed dramatically. "Well then you screwed up, Stratford."
"How's that?" he asked, stopping their walk and facing her.
She smiled up at him, taking in his handsome features. "You never disappointed me."
Patrick immediately blushed, which delighted Kat tremendously. Slightly embarrassed, Patrick finally blurted, "Are you up for it?"
"Up for what?" she asked.
Patrick pointed behind her, and she turned and saw a sign listing the prices for paintball sessions.
Kat let go with an evil grin and said, "Oh yeah, it's on now."
A few minutes later they were decked out in coveralls and eye goggles, racing around the huge area blocked off for paintball participants. Kat and Patrick shouted and laughed as they aimed repeatedly at each other and splashed paint all over each other.
In what seemed like only a few moments, Kat found herself out of paintballs, and was approached by Patrick, wielding his paintball gun with one last blast of paint ready to fly.
Kat backed up, saying, "No way - you wouldn't dare! It's not right to fire on someone who is unarmed!"
"You know what they say, Verona," Patrick warned. "All fair in love and war." With that he rushed her and tackled her, causing them to fall backwards into a large bale of hay that was normally used as a hiding space.
Patrick took off his eye goggles and then reached out to flip Kat's up onto the top of her head. Kat gazed up at Patrick as they lay there. She could feel his hot minty breath on her face, could see his eyes glance at her mouth before he lowered his head to hers and ever so softly brought his lips to hers. Without a care in the world, Kat wrapped her arms around Patrick, pulling him closer to her, deepening the kiss.
When they finally broke apart, Patrick ran his fingers through Kat's hair and said, "Forget war, I'm much more in favor of the other thing."
Kat smiled and reached for Patrick again, but he didn't notice her other hand reach out to the paintball gun and carefully remove the last remaining paintball. With a flourish she raised her arm and brought it down on Patrick's head, causing blue paint to splatter over both of them.
Patrick yelped and flashed Kat a surprised look as he moved up into a kneeling position next to her. She lay there and laughed raucously, saying, "Yeah, but war can be fun when it produces that look on your face!"
Patrick contemplated his next move, and decided on the best course of action. He swooped down and gathered Kat in his arms and proceeded to kiss her with full abandon until her giggles ceased entirely.
