Chapter Eight:

"A Resolution In Itself"

We broke away from each other and smiled. Ignoring the rude remarks we were getting from some of the students about us being in the way or even some of the 'get a room' variety Kat picked up her new guitar and looked it over in marvel.

"You like it?" I asked her. I knew she did but I just wanted to clarify that this would make up for the total bastard-like behaviour I had been exhibiting over the past few weeks.

"Are you serious?" Kat sounded incredulous that I even had to ask and I laughed.

"Just making sure," I told her with a smile.

As Kat ran her hands over it for the eighteenth time since she found it in her car's front seat, her expression changed as she felt the back of it. As she turned it over I could already feel the heat creeping up my neck and into my cheeks. I'd forgotten momentarily about the inscription I'd paid for the previous day. Kat's eyes ran themselves over the small area on the back of the guitar, flicking back and forth over the words as I felt my cheeks reddening more and more by the second. Finally she finished reading and looked up at me, a happy smile playing across her lips. Compulsively to cover my embarassment I leaned over and kissed her on the mouth again.

"What are you doing tonight?" she asked me when we broke apart.

I scrunched up my face and thought about that, "the sonnet for lit class," I told her with a grin and she laughed.

"You didn't finish it on the weekend?" she asked me, strumming on a few strings of the guitar.

"No," I admitted, "my mind was pretty full."

Kat nodded and bent down over the guitar once more to hide the happy blush that had creeped into her cheeks.

"What about tomorrow night?" I asked her. Kat looked up from her strumming and smiled.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked me.

I shrugged, "how about going to see the Corn Dodgers?" I suggested, "they're playing tomorrow night in the park."

Kat nodded, "all right. I have to be back by eleven, though."

I brushed some hair out of her face, "I can arrange that."

"What are you doing now?" Kat asked me as she put the guitar back into her car. I shrugged again. Truth be told I was meant to be helping my mother with a little 'spring cleaning' but I was not about to admit that.

"Nothing, why?" I asked her innocently.

Kat shrugged and indicated to her car, "wanna come over?" she asked me, pulling her car door open and ducking to sit in the front seat.

"Sure," I nodded, pulling out my keys. Most of the student population had left by now and only a few cars belonging to those with after school extra-curricular activities remained.

"See you soon then," Kat smiled and pulled her door shut behind her with a lous creaking noise. She shuddered, "I hate it when it makes that noise," she remarked with a smile.

"I can identify with that," I told her.

During the ride to Kat's I had a small attack of concience take over my brain so I made a u-turn and drove quickly back home to tell my mother that I wouldn't be able to help her clean the house today.

"But, Patrick, you promised," mum whined. I couldn't believe it, she's meant to the the responsible, mature one.

"Yeah, I know," I told her guiltily, "but you remember Kat?"

"The one who's heart you stomped all over?" mum asked nonchalantly.

Ok, I may have done that but it wasn't on purpose and I so did not deserve that.

"That hurt," I told her forlornly. She smiled.

"It was meant to. Go on then," she said, whacking me on the rear end with her broom, "before she dumps you again."

Scowling at my mother I walked back out of the house to my car and sped (well, clunked) over to the Stratford's house. As soon as I pulled up in front of their house I felt an unfamiliar fluttering in my stomach that had nothing to do with the jolting ride over here. If Mr. Stratford was as overprotective as everyone claimed him to be, I certainly hoped Kat hadn't told him about prom night. As I rung the doorbell I could hear a guitar being tuned from somewhere above my head and smiled. Bianca answered the door with a big smile on her face that faltered a little when she saw me.

"I thought you'd be Cameron," she told me as she let me inside.

"Yeah, well, sorry to disappoint," I told her, rolling my eyes behind her back.

"Kat!" Bianca yelled up the stairs.

"Down in a minute!" I heard Kat yell back.

Bianca turned to me, "she'll be down in a minute," she said to me unnecessarily.

"So I heard," I remarked as I looked around the house. Like many Seattle homes this one was not all that dissimilar to my own. As I looked around I saw Bianca open her mouth out of the corner of my eye.

"What?" I asked her, turning to face her. She closed her mouth.

"How did you know I was going to say something?" she asked me, confusedly.

"You opened your mouth," I explained with a shrug, "generally that means someone is going to speak."

"Oh," Bianca said shortly, "well I was just going to say...thankyou, I guess."

"Oh yeah?" I looked at her in surprise, "for what?"

Either the lighting in this room was really bad or Bianca Stratford was blushing.

"For, you know, picking up the pieces, so to speak. Kat seems a lot happier than she was a day or two ago."

"Oh," I wasn't sure of what to say. Sure, I may have made it up to Kat but then again, I was also the one who upset her in the first place.

"It was nothing," I told Bianca glumly.

Bianca nodded and looked up the stairs expecting to see Kat. She was obviously getting as uncomfortable as I was.

"Just go on up," she suggested to me as the doorbell rang again. Bianca smiled and practically broke a speed record to answer the door. When Cameron stepped over the threshold I smiled at him before ascending the stairs in search of Kat. When I got to the top of the stairs I looked around for Kat's room. It wasn't hard to find. All I really had to was follow the sound of the guitar. Kat's door was slightly open so I didn't feel as bad walking in on her as I might have if it were closed.

"Hey," I said with a smile as I closed the door behind me. Kat looked up from her bed where she sat, strumming away on her new guitar, her old, accoustic one sitting beside her.

"Hey," she answered, returning the smile and putting the guitar on the bed as she leaned over to give me a kiss. Sitting down on her bed I looked around her room. I'd been in a lot of girls rooms in my time but I had to say this one was the most interesting. Posters and used concert ticket stubs covered every available space on her walls and even on her wardrobe.

"What are you looking at?" she asked me warily, following my gaze around her walls.

I stopped my little tour and looked back at her, "everything," I told her simply. Kat continued to look at me strangely but got up off her bed and started to walk over to her door.

"Come on," she said to me, "I'm hungry."

I shrugged and followed her down the stairs and into the kitchen where Cameron and Bianca were. Walking in, I immediately wished we had stayed upstairs. Kat cleared her throat and Bianca, red-faced and embarassed, pushed Cameron away who was, if possble, even redder-faced.

Giving Cameron a nod of approval he glared at me and I laughed as I helped Kat get some munchies out of the cupboard.

"Want anything?" Kat asked her sister behind her shoulder. Bianca, still looking reasonably scandalised at being caught nodded and took a place at the breakfast bar. Cameron, however, excused himself and headed for the nearest bathroom.

"I wonder where he's going," I mused to Kat who grinned at Bianca who turned an even darker shade of crimson.

When the chips were in a bowl and the dip had been opened, Cameron had returned from the bathroom looking a litle more normal, I sat back and asked Kat what she was going to call her band.

Kat thought for a moment, "I don't know," she admitted, "I suppose I'll need to form one before I actually think of a name for it."

I nodded, "fair enough."

"Are you going to start a band?" Cameron asked hesitantly. I wasn't sure but I thought Cameron still showed signs of being quite terrified of his girlfriend's sister.

Kat looked at him strangely then nodded, "well, I have a guitar now. A proper one," she smiled at me and I smiled back, ignoring the looks Bianca gave us both.

Bianca, who had apparently overcome her previous discrepencies, was looking at Cameron with a face full of disgust at seeing her sister act like she does. Although I wasn't really sure Bianca noticed that she herself was a great example of the way Kat was acting for the first time. As I smiled at Kat I let my gaze wander over to the clock that was hanging over the refrigerator.

"Shit!" I said, jumping out of my seat, "I gotta get home!"

"Already?" Kat looked disappointed and I felt a little guilty at leaving in such a hurry.

"My mum really wants me home," I told her regretfully.

"Well, let me walk you to your car then," she suggested to me, taking my hand and leading me towards the front door. I nodded and walked with her. When we got to my car I turned to give Kat a goodbye kiss which she let me do before turning it into a hug.

"Thank you," she whispered into my ear and I smiled at her before kissing her on the forehead and climbing into my car, hoping it wouldn't disgrace itself by not starting. Luckily it started with very little effort and I gave Kat a wave as I drove off. Once I had rounded the corner I smiled to myself about what I had gotten engraved on the guitar. The message was still fresh in my mind as I drove along.

Kat, it had read.

I know I am not the best guy in the world,

and that guitars don't fix everything.

But for now, let me say that I am sorry.

Good luck with your band.

I'll always be there for you.

Patrick.

IT'S FINISHED!!! Haha, you don't know how long it took me to write that chapter. Next chapter should be on the way soon. Please review. Just for Elijahbeth, that was a little more Cameron but more is also on the horizon. Even though the horizon is an imaginary line that recedes as you approach it. Meh.