After Marissa had dropped Kathryn off, she began to wonder. Kathryn could be a threat to hers, Summer's and Holly's positions as prettiest in the school. All day guys had been hitting on her, and even Ryan liked her – it was definite. She was a threat.
"Kathryn's a threat. Soon she could be more popular than us! Did you see the guys hitting on her all day – it's obvious even Ryan likes her!" Marissa slowly drove the car up her driveway in shock, as Summer voiced the exact words that Marissa had been thinking only moments before. It was a good thing that Holly didn't need a lift, and Summer was staying over that night, because if she had had to drive any further, they would have crashed, because all thought drifted out of her brain as soon as Summer spoke.
As soon as Kathryn walked in the door, she was bombarded with questions. None were about her first day. All were about the excitement of spices and cooking.
"Kathryn, darling, could you run up the road to...number seventeen, I think it was. A lovely lady lives there – Kirsten. Could you go and ask her for some rosemary? Daddy hasn't unpacked the spice rack yet, and I need some ASAP!" her mother sang.
"Sure...whatever, Mom." Having been in the house for barely a minute, she wandered out again, looking for the house that was number seventeen.
As she approached the house, she saw two cars in the driveway, which was odd, seeing as she expected to find a little old lady living there. Oh well, maybe she had visitors! She took a breath, and rang the doorbell.
"Mom!" Seth yelled. "Bell! Door! With the ringing!"
"Uh-huh? Yes Seth, send a woman twice your age for the door." Kirsten Cohen continued to rant until she opened the door, only to find a red- headed girl, no older than Seth, looking a little surprised.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I must have the wrong house – do you know where a...Kirsten lives?" she asked.
"You're looking at it! I'm Kirsten." She held out her hand for Kathryn to shake. "Come in."
"Oh!" Kathryn laughed, feeling like a complete jackass. "I was expecting a little old lady!"
"Well that certainly makes me feel younger." Kirsten grinned. "So, why are you looking for me?"
"Oh...uh...my mom wanted some rosemary, so...she sent me here..." she suddenly realised how ridiculous she sounded.
"Oh, right!" Kirsten seemed to understand. "I think I met your mother this morning? Well anyway, I'll go and find the rosemary. If you want to look around, then my son is playing video games in the living room, I believe."
"Thanks!" Kathryn set off in search of the living room.
"Muahahaha! Yes, die you evil Agent Scum!" Seth yelled at the TV screen. He was on the last level of Enter the Matrix, and he only had one run left to do.
"Okay, a) you can't kill agents, b) you have another level to go after this and c)..." she gasped. "Hey Seth!" Seth looked at the figure standing in the doorway. She stepped into the light and he recognised her as the girl he had met that morning.
"Kathryn? What are you doing here?" he was shocked, but happy to see her. "Okay – wait right here!" and he ran out of the room. He ran down to the poolhouse, where he found Ryan unpacking some more of his things. He looked up.
"Ryan, come on! You gotta see this!"
"See what? Seth!" Ryan grabbed Seth's arm to stop him running any further.
"Ryan. Note this down. It is a huge historical event. There is a girl at my house Ryan."
"And..." Ryan needed something more. "Marissa's been here lots of times!"
"Ah, small grasshopper, but that was to see you. However, this girl does not even know that you live here – so she cannot be here for you. Therefore, there is only one other option. She must be here to see me! Now come on – we cannot keep her waiting!" but before they could go any further, they were stopped in their tracks by Kirsten, who wanted them to give Kathryn the rosemary.
Seth walked into the living room, holding the rosemary, to find Kathryn sitting on the sofa, reading the comic version of "Yu-Gi-Oh! Enter the Shadow Realm", and he immediately knew she was special.
"Another Seth Cohen masterpiece?" she asked him, smiling slightly.
"Nope – just a regular, boring graphic novel."
"You call them graphic novels too?" Kathryn gasped. But then she sobered up. Because she had seen Ryan.
"Hi Ryan." She smiled coyly.
Seth was crestfallen. Sure, she hadn't been here to see Ryan – it was impossible. But she hadn't been here for Seth, either. She came for some stupid herb.
"Oh, hey! Great, you've got the rosemary my mom asked me to get!"
"Yeah, sure. Here." Seth threw the small bottle at her, but she had to run to get to it. She bent over, fully aware that her mini was riding up her waist, and she knew that they would be able to see her knickers, which had tiny mirrors all over them, saying "Can you see yourself in these?". Ryan and Seth stared at her. Seth, in particular. She stood back up, shook out her hair, and then smiled at the two boys confusedly.
"What?" she pretended not to know that they had been staring at her ass.
Ryan shut his mouth, and poked Seth.
"Seth," he said out of the corner of his mouth, "say something!"
Seth slowly opened his mouth, and babbled:
"Uh...we were amazed by your great...flexibility! Yeah...flexibility. Uh well...yeah, look at the time! Shouldn't you be giving your mom the rosemary? I'll walk you to the door."
"Okay...thanks." Seth walked Kathryn to the front door, but before she left, she said – "Listen, before I go, I want to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry for blowing you off about the Spiderman thing. It's just...I need all the friends I can get...and I'm sorry. And I was wondering if you wanted to come over and look at my set sometime."
"Your set?" Seth could only think of one thing that she meant.
"Yeah – my set of graphic novels. I live at number nine, so come over anytime...oh, except for Saturday mornings. I have kickboxing classes...but any time other than that!" she knew she was asking him out, even though she didn't think of him that way. "Okay, so thanks for the rosemary and uh...I'll see you at school tomorrow!" She kissed him on the cheek, and ran off down the road. She didn't notice Summer standing in Marissa's balcony, having witnessed the whole scene.
"Kathryn's a threat. Soon she could be more popular than us! Did you see the guys hitting on her all day – it's obvious even Ryan likes her!" Marissa slowly drove the car up her driveway in shock, as Summer voiced the exact words that Marissa had been thinking only moments before. It was a good thing that Holly didn't need a lift, and Summer was staying over that night, because if she had had to drive any further, they would have crashed, because all thought drifted out of her brain as soon as Summer spoke.
As soon as Kathryn walked in the door, she was bombarded with questions. None were about her first day. All were about the excitement of spices and cooking.
"Kathryn, darling, could you run up the road to...number seventeen, I think it was. A lovely lady lives there – Kirsten. Could you go and ask her for some rosemary? Daddy hasn't unpacked the spice rack yet, and I need some ASAP!" her mother sang.
"Sure...whatever, Mom." Having been in the house for barely a minute, she wandered out again, looking for the house that was number seventeen.
As she approached the house, she saw two cars in the driveway, which was odd, seeing as she expected to find a little old lady living there. Oh well, maybe she had visitors! She took a breath, and rang the doorbell.
"Mom!" Seth yelled. "Bell! Door! With the ringing!"
"Uh-huh? Yes Seth, send a woman twice your age for the door." Kirsten Cohen continued to rant until she opened the door, only to find a red- headed girl, no older than Seth, looking a little surprised.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I must have the wrong house – do you know where a...Kirsten lives?" she asked.
"You're looking at it! I'm Kirsten." She held out her hand for Kathryn to shake. "Come in."
"Oh!" Kathryn laughed, feeling like a complete jackass. "I was expecting a little old lady!"
"Well that certainly makes me feel younger." Kirsten grinned. "So, why are you looking for me?"
"Oh...uh...my mom wanted some rosemary, so...she sent me here..." she suddenly realised how ridiculous she sounded.
"Oh, right!" Kirsten seemed to understand. "I think I met your mother this morning? Well anyway, I'll go and find the rosemary. If you want to look around, then my son is playing video games in the living room, I believe."
"Thanks!" Kathryn set off in search of the living room.
"Muahahaha! Yes, die you evil Agent Scum!" Seth yelled at the TV screen. He was on the last level of Enter the Matrix, and he only had one run left to do.
"Okay, a) you can't kill agents, b) you have another level to go after this and c)..." she gasped. "Hey Seth!" Seth looked at the figure standing in the doorway. She stepped into the light and he recognised her as the girl he had met that morning.
"Kathryn? What are you doing here?" he was shocked, but happy to see her. "Okay – wait right here!" and he ran out of the room. He ran down to the poolhouse, where he found Ryan unpacking some more of his things. He looked up.
"Ryan, come on! You gotta see this!"
"See what? Seth!" Ryan grabbed Seth's arm to stop him running any further.
"Ryan. Note this down. It is a huge historical event. There is a girl at my house Ryan."
"And..." Ryan needed something more. "Marissa's been here lots of times!"
"Ah, small grasshopper, but that was to see you. However, this girl does not even know that you live here – so she cannot be here for you. Therefore, there is only one other option. She must be here to see me! Now come on – we cannot keep her waiting!" but before they could go any further, they were stopped in their tracks by Kirsten, who wanted them to give Kathryn the rosemary.
Seth walked into the living room, holding the rosemary, to find Kathryn sitting on the sofa, reading the comic version of "Yu-Gi-Oh! Enter the Shadow Realm", and he immediately knew she was special.
"Another Seth Cohen masterpiece?" she asked him, smiling slightly.
"Nope – just a regular, boring graphic novel."
"You call them graphic novels too?" Kathryn gasped. But then she sobered up. Because she had seen Ryan.
"Hi Ryan." She smiled coyly.
Seth was crestfallen. Sure, she hadn't been here to see Ryan – it was impossible. But she hadn't been here for Seth, either. She came for some stupid herb.
"Oh, hey! Great, you've got the rosemary my mom asked me to get!"
"Yeah, sure. Here." Seth threw the small bottle at her, but she had to run to get to it. She bent over, fully aware that her mini was riding up her waist, and she knew that they would be able to see her knickers, which had tiny mirrors all over them, saying "Can you see yourself in these?". Ryan and Seth stared at her. Seth, in particular. She stood back up, shook out her hair, and then smiled at the two boys confusedly.
"What?" she pretended not to know that they had been staring at her ass.
Ryan shut his mouth, and poked Seth.
"Seth," he said out of the corner of his mouth, "say something!"
Seth slowly opened his mouth, and babbled:
"Uh...we were amazed by your great...flexibility! Yeah...flexibility. Uh well...yeah, look at the time! Shouldn't you be giving your mom the rosemary? I'll walk you to the door."
"Okay...thanks." Seth walked Kathryn to the front door, but before she left, she said – "Listen, before I go, I want to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry for blowing you off about the Spiderman thing. It's just...I need all the friends I can get...and I'm sorry. And I was wondering if you wanted to come over and look at my set sometime."
"Your set?" Seth could only think of one thing that she meant.
"Yeah – my set of graphic novels. I live at number nine, so come over anytime...oh, except for Saturday mornings. I have kickboxing classes...but any time other than that!" she knew she was asking him out, even though she didn't think of him that way. "Okay, so thanks for the rosemary and uh...I'll see you at school tomorrow!" She kissed him on the cheek, and ran off down the road. She didn't notice Summer standing in Marissa's balcony, having witnessed the whole scene.