Chapter Four

"Sorry"

I accepted the phone from my mother's outstretched hand and held it to my ear.

"Hello?" I said groggily as I watched my mother shut the door behind her.

"Patrick?" Kat's familiar voice floated from the other end of the connection and I mentally tried to wake myself up so that I would sound like a human being when I answered her.

"Kat," I tried to look at my watch but found my eyes were too bleary to see what it said so I gave up, "what's up?"

I tried to sit up in order to get my thoughts together. Judging from the sounds coming from the kitchen it was pretty early. My mother was only just making coffee and she is not one to sleep late.

"It's about yesterday," Kat said after a moment, "and the prom."

I did wake up a little after that and remembered the day before. The prom. The fight. Damn, it was all coming back to me. I wasn't really sure what to say next so I just nodded to myself and said, "right..."

"I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry I reacted so suspiciously," she launched straight into this speech and I'm sorry to say that due to the earliness of the morning I didn't actually hear most of what she was saying. I think I got the jist, thought, and I think she was apologising.

"It was wrong of me and I just wanted to say that I would really like to go with you. If you still want to go with me, that is," she added sounding as though it had just occured to her that I wouldn't accept her apology.

I thought for a moment. In a way I was glad that she had rejected me the first time. It had actually eased my concience a little as I would be able to say to Donner truthfully that it hadn't worked. For another thing, I didn't want to go to the prom. But she was apologising to me when I knew that I was the one in the wrong and I couldn't tell her I didn't want to go.

"Kat," I started, "It was my fault, dont apologise." She waited as a took a deep breath then continued, "I would very much like it if you would go to the prom with me. Please." I added. I waited in silence for her to speak and after a moment or two, she did.

"Okay," she said simply. The silence kind of took over then and I struggled to find something to say. Fortunately Kat beat me to it.

"Did I wake you up?" she asked me. Unfortunately sleep induced stupidity caused me to tell her the truth and she laughed.

"Sorry," she apologised again and I laughed too.

"Don't worry about it. I should be getting up at...what time is it?" I asked her.

"Nine o'clock," she told me casually and I groaned.

"It isn't normal to be up this early, you know," I told her solomnly and she laughed nervously. I kicked myself for making things so awkward between us. Even the period of time where she hated me profusely was better than this.

"Yeah..." she didn't exactly sound like she liked the silence either so I decided to save us both. Details. Everyone can talk about details. And tonight's were pretty important.

"Um, so, do you want me to pick you up tonight?" I thought about the money in my pants pocket. Well, at least I hoped it was in my pants pocket. My pants were crumpled up on the floor...somewhere. I vaguely scanned the room for my jeans as I began to tell her I'd rent a limo and everything.

"No," she cut me off quickly, "I'll meet you there."

"Oh," that took me by surprise. But then again, she was a surprising girl, "okay."

"Great, well I'll see you tonight then," she said cheerfully.

"Tonight," I echoed.

"Seeya then."

Click.

Okay, that was weird.

"Was that the girl you were trying to impress the other day?" Mum surveyed me over her cup of coffee as I wandered into the kitchen in search of caffeine.

"Yeah," I told her absently as I searched for the kettle.

"So?" she sounded expectant so I turned around from my venture.

"What?"

She sighed impatiently, "did it work?" she demanded to know.

Yes? No? Sort of?

"Sort of," I told her and she rolled her eyes.

"Am I going to get any sense out of you before twelve?" she wanted to know.

"Probably not," I told her truthfully, exclaiming happily as I discovered the kettle was full of already boiled water.

"Hmm...Well what are you doing tonight, Patrick?" she finished her cup of coffee and got up to pour herself another cup as I sat down at the table opposite her.

I mumbled something incoherent so that I could say that I'd told her and she wouldn't ask questions. It usually worked when i didn't want her to know where I was going, be it dangerous, forbidden or (much like this time) downright embarrassing. She didn't buy it though.

"What?" she fixed a beady eye on me suspiciously and I rolled my eyes. Fine. I'll tell her. I was only trying to save her years of therapy from hearing that her only son was actually going to get dressed up in a tuxedo and prance around at a prom.

"I said, I'm going to the prom." I told her a little more clearly. I waited for the laughter, the fainting or the crying but when I gained enough confidence to look at her she was just standing with her mouth open.

"You," she began when she got her voice back, "are going....to a prom?"

"Yes," I told her defiantly. Oh no. No no no don't do it!

"I knew you'd stop this rebellion thing eventually!" she cried, voice breaking as she enveloped me into a hug.

"Mum! Get off me!" I frantically tried to prise her off of me but she clung on tight. Finally I gave up and attempted to sip my coffee as she clung to me. She eventually let go, much to my relief, and looked at me critically.

"What are you going to wear?"

Crap. What was I going to wear? I shrugged and Mum dragged me out of my chair up towards her bedroom.

"Uh, where are we going?" I asked her as we went.

"There is a tux your size in my wardrobe that Cousin Louie left here last time he stayed.

I decided not to ask why Cousin Louie brought a tux last time he stayed. Best not to know.

A few minutes later I was standing in front of my mother's mirror in a full tuxedo. I looked like an idiot. Even Mum couldn't keep the grin off her face. I glared at her.

"It fits," she pointed out.

Well...so what? I still look like a complete moron.

"Try taking off the bowtie and just wearing the jacket," Mum suggested as she circled me like a vulture.

I did what she suggested and I had to admit that did soften the blow a bit.

"Perfect," Mum smiled happily and I shrugged.

I guess it would have to do. It's not like I have anything else to wear. Now, where were those shoes...

Wow, I didn't think that chapters could actually be that pointless but there you have it! Hehe. Thankyou to all those who have reviewed. I have NINE reviews now and I am stoked! Tell your friends to review! Tell your friends to tell their friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends to tell their- well you get the idea. Next chapter coming soon!