Kat didn't quite know how to react. She spotted Saiorse in a corner talking to the lead singer with glasses from Spot's band. Chancing a glance at Spot, who was still talking to Blink, Kat started to make her way over to her.

God damn.Thought Spot, seeing Kat's panicked walk toward her tall friend. She had to have seen that. Excusing himself from Blink, Spot rushed to redeem himself before he lost Kat.

Kat yelped and jumped back when Spot appeared out of nowhere in front of her.

"Going somewhere?" He asked, narrowing his eyes without a trace of a smile.

"Yeah…uh… I have this thing that I need to talk to Saiorse about. Very important. So if you'll just excuse me…" Kat backed up a couple paces while she stammered out a bad excuse to escape.

"I'm sure that she'd appreciate it more if you just left her and Specs alone." Spot could hardly keep from laughing, because Kat looked so terrified of him. She loved to pretend she was tough and badass, but when it came down to it, she was the type of girl that wanted to fly into someone's arms at the first sign of danger, Spot thought to himself, falling back on his familiar habit of reading people. In the back of his mind, he promised himself that one day, he would be that person for her. The challenge of getting commitment-phobic Kat Kaylor to feel for him just became much more interesting for him.

"But…uh…" Kat's eyes widened. She wished Racetrack were there. When they were kids, Racetrack was the brave one that watched her back.

"I have some explaining to do." Said Spot, taking her hand and leading the speechless Kat to the back stairs where they kissed a few moments ago. "So I take it that you caught the 'transaction'?"

Kat Kaylor's Apartment: 12:38 pm

Kaya, Saiorse and Kat sat on Kat's living room floor, which they cleared of furniture and threw down every blanket and pillow they could find. Crowded around a pint of Ben & Jerry's cookie dough ice cream and armed with a spoon, they chewed over the night's events in their pajamas.

"Ugh!" said Saiorse, as Kat beat her to a huge cookie dough chunk, "you steal my cookie dough and you make me listen to people whining to guitar!"

"Hey!" exclaimed Kat with her mouth full, voice raised above Timberwolves at New Jersey, "Taking Back Sunday just so happens to be one of my favorite emo bands, so be nice!"

"Speaking of being 'nice'" said Kaya, "you looked like you were being pretty nice with ol' blue eyes!"

"Ooh, I forgot all about that!" Gasped Saiorse, jabbing her spoon excitedly at Kat.

"Oh, you mean Spot? Psh… it's nothing!" Kat tried to hide the grin that was creeping to her lips.

Just then, Kat's cell phone beeped twice the back pocket of the jeans she had left discarded in a heap on the floor. Crawling from the ice cream to the beeping laundry, she pulled out the phone.

MESSAGE RECEIVED: SPOT

Having exchanged numbers with Spot before she left the venue, Kat barely expected him to contact her at all, much less only hours later. For some strange reason, she felt her heart beat quicken as she checked the new text message.

Got plans 4 2nite?

Giggling a little, Kat looked at her friends, who were looking at her anxiously to find out who her midnight caller could be. The phone beeped again in her hands, and Kat opened the message screen again.

Can't sleep, need ur company, can u come out?

"So what does he say?" Asked Kaya, digging into the ice cream.

"Uh…who?" Asked Kat, blushing a bit.

"Oh, come on!" said Saiorse in her signature 'no bullshit' way. "We were watching you. I gotta give you credit, Kat. I didn't think you'd gather the guts to talk to him tonight."

Kat glanced at the clock on her wall, then at her two friends.

"Do you two think you could hold down the fort for a couple hours?" Kat asked tentatively, not wanting to give up too much information.

"Of course!" laughed Kaya, " Where are you two going anyway?"

Kat shrugged. "That's not really the point, I guess. I kind of just wanted to go to be around him."

"Oh don't tell me you've grown fond of a member of the opposite sex, Kathryn Kaylor. What happened to your 'no-strings' policy?" questioned Saiorse.

"Me? Feelings? Get real! Guys screw over your heart, they're only good for sex anyway." Laughed Kat, as she rattled off her familiar maxim with assuredness.

"Thought you were going soft on us for a second there, Kat! But if this 'Spot' can get through to a sensitive nerve, by all means let him." advised Saiorse.

Kat opened the message screen on her phone to answer Spot.

Can u pick me up?

Holding the phone close to her and watching her friends attack her ice cream, Kat waited tensely for the return text. Surely enough, it beeped again, scaring Kat senseless for a second.

Wat's ur address?

Kat returned it, wondering where he lived so she could give adequate directions.

K, I'll see u in 15.

…obviously he wouldn't be needing them

Realizing she wouldn't want to be caught in pajama bottoms that had pink shooting stars all over them, Kat ran to her room and pulled on a short, black, flippy skirt that was hanging in her closet. Pulling her black camisole off, she realized that the window behind her was wide open, and Racetrack could just peek over his balcony into her window and catch her in her bra. Spinning around and crouching by her window in one movement, Kat peered over the windowsill into Race's lit room. Luckily enough, Racetrack had his back to her playing his guitar, and scratching tabs on a sheet of paper.

Still aware that she was wearing no shirt, Kat looked through her dresser drawers again, and pulled out the first top she saw. Tugging the thin, maroon sweater over her head, Kat made a quick check to make sure she wasn't spotted by her neighbor.

Kat ran into her bathroom and quickly dragged a brush through her long, messy hair. Having already removed her makeup, Kat quickly applied mascara to her large eyes, and swirled blush onto her cheeks with the large, soft brush that she loved to use.

Looking in the mirror, Kat was glowing with excitement.

"Kat, your phone's ringing" a yell from the living room summoned her, racing, back down the hallway. Kat flipped the phone open.

"Hello?"

"Come outside. I think I've got the right place."

"Alright. Bye."

Pulling her shoes over her little blue ankle socks, Kat grinned animatedly at her two friends.

"Bye, you guys!" she squealed, flying out the door and accidentally forgetting to close it all the way.

Saiorse got up from where she was sitting, and shut the door all the way quietly, sliding the locking bolt into place.

"Them young'ns." She said to Kaya.

Kaya nodded from behind the ice cream.

"Can never keep 'em home"