Day 1

Kat Stratford has just died. Now was the part when everyone was giving their eulogies, telling what they really thought of her. The thrown food and crap on her car were the flowers. The evil eyes and hateful glances at Kat were the looks people give to the deceased and the deceased's family and friends.

The video of her mocking and belittling everyone had been the bullet to her head. The assassin? The most likely suspect is her fellow class presidential candidate, William "Blank" Blankenship. I know, I know, it's not him, but, for now and for all intensive's purposes, let's just say that he's Lee Harvey Oswald.

The crime occurred precisely at 12:30-ish in the school's courtyard. Following her assassination, the victim, Kat Stratford, immediately left the courtyard, with Mr. Blankenship hot on her heels, telling her that he had "nothing to do with it". She replied with a very sarcastic "right". Among the spiteful and hurtful stares of her fellow peers were the sad and comforting glances of the victim's sister's, sophomore, Bianca Stratford, the victim's sister's best friend and campaign manager, sophomore, Cameron James, and the victim's sister's other best friend, sophomore, Dawn Something (I don't know her last name; I would go ask her—again—, but I just asked her twenty minutes ago and she hasn't mentioned it amidst her blabber).

Subsequently after this, Kat Stratford hid in the girls' bathroom, for the rest of the day, listening to the bathroom users' "eulogies" of her. She was not happy, to say the least, and it was quite a struggle for her to control her screams and screeches. She left the bathroom at around 3:15, school being over at 3:00. Along the way to her car, she received many death looks. Once she arrived at her car, at 3:20 or so, it had been vandalized by her peers.

Very sad really.

It's going to be a real pain to clean her car off.

Anyways, while Kat was standing there, baffled at what had happened to her "baby", the last bus of the day left, exposing the victim's ex-boyfriend, and resident "bad-boy", Patrick Verona, on his motorcycle, holding up one of the victim's campaign posters—with "KAT STATFORD FOR PRESIDENT" in big, printed, green letters—with his addition of, "I VOTED FOR" in black, blocky letters. They then hugged with Mr. Verona telling Kat that it looked like she "could need a ride home".

They both got on Mr. Verona's motorcycle and he drove her home. I'm not going to go into detail of what happened next, but let's just say that the victim and Mr. Verona hugged again—and again—and again, the narrator said knowingly. After that, they talked about it being "fun" and the victim asked Mr. Verona a "favor". The "favor" turned out to be asking Mr. Verona not to "break her heart". He said okay and, soon thereafter, asked her for a "favor", but was interrupted by the victim's father, Dr. Walter Stratford, OBG/YN, yelling out, "I hear someone could use a hug!"

This is where it gets really, really awkward. It's about as awkward like when Luke told Leia that she's his sister, and all the memories of them kissing come back and slap her in the face.

I wasn't even there when it happened and it's just plain awkward for me to write about. Basically, the victim becomes Ms. Stratford and Mr. Verona, now, becomes the victim. It sucks because Mr. Verona had just gotten business cards that said, in bold, grand calligraphy, "PATRICK VERONA- Resident bad-boy, deep voiced man-boy". Now, he has to order new ones and add "comma Victim", and I hear redoing business cards can be very expensive.

Sorry, but as I said in the prologue, Patrick Verona "died" and jumped on his motorcycle and drove off, not into the sunset, unfortunately.

Ms. Stratford then got an hour-long lecture from Mr. Stratford. I can't really tell you what exactly happened 'cause I kind of turned out when Ms. Stratford told exactly what he and she said. Basically, the gist of it is:

"Blah, blah, blah! I told you not to have sex!" Mr. Stratford yelled at her.

"We got tested, it came back clean, and we used a condom! Blah, blah, blah!" she yelled back at him.

"I still don't want you having sex yadda, yadda, yadda. You're my cactus!"

"The Gilded Flicker builds nests in Saguaro cactus!"

"He's more like the Cactoblastis cactorum!" That's type of moth that eats cacti. I had to Wiki that.

"Okay, whatever, me having sex is bad!"

This went on for about another thirty minutes before she gave up and he gave her the punishment, door's being taken off, window's being bolted, and car's being taken away, and limited to the house and school.

She accepted her defeat and he left, to try and soothe Bianca and her pain.

She spent the next twenty minutes thinking about the situation before she took a shower. So it was about 9:30. She sat on the edge of the bed, toweling off her hair, and then started brushing it, a rough tearing sound crashing throughout the room with each stoke of the brush in her hair.

She heard her window open so she stopped brushing her hair and glanced over to her window as Patrick snuck in. "Patrick", Kat said, as she stood up.

"Someone looks as giddy as a school girl", his velvety voice teased.

"You need to go. We're in deep trouble, like we just assassinated the President trouble."

"Yeah, but wasn't it fun while it lasted Booth?"

Kat rolled her eyes at Patrick, "Lincoln"—she pointed towards the door—"didn't think so in the slightest bit."

"Oh, c'mon, can't I just stay over for a little while?" Patrick put on his best little boy face, "It's so cold out there."

"Where do we live? Antarctica?"

Patrick revealed more of his bottom lip, to give the full little boy face. "Fine", she said, sharply and then pointed at him, "just stop giving me that dumb look. But this time, you're staying with me."

"Whatever you say", he smirked at her and she got goose bumps, and her insides melted, and her face turned hot so she couldn't help but smile at him. She threw him a sheet, blanket, and pillow and pointed the rug right next to her bed.

"That's where you sleep, any complaints?"

"No, no, not at all", he said, placing the sheet down on her rug. He started to get undressed while Kat got into the right side of her bed grabbing Atlas Shrugged, and then he said, "This will be the second time today that I'm in my skivvies in here."

"Yeah", she said, reading, "and if you keep it up, it'll be the first time today that you'll be in your skivvies out there", she motioned her head to outside the house, still reading.

"Ah, you like it", he threw the pillow on the ground.

"I'd rather see Robert Downey Jr. in his skivvies than you!"

"That's not how you acted earlier", he flashed a cocky, charming smile that would make Tony Stark proud.

She glanced up from her reading and pointed, lowly, at Patrick, "Let's not talk about that. Well"—Kat places her book back on the nightstand and moves her hand towards the lamp switch—"good night."

"Yeah", Patrick mumbled as he laid down on her sheet-covered rug, "good night."

Night engulfed the room. Kat laid on her back, staring at the ceiling. She flipped over to her side, her back facing Patrick. She then flipped over onto her other side, her fount side facing Patrick. Kat peered over the edge of her bed to glance at Patrick. His eyes were closed, but he wasn't sleeping. His breathing wasn't even, yet. "Patrick", she called out, quietly, "if you want, you can come into my bed."

She laid back on her left side, with her back facing Patrick. She didn't know if he heard her or not until she felt the bed shift and creak under his weight. "You sure?" he hoarsely whispered into her ear as he moved closer to her.

"Yes", Kat glanced at Patrick. "Just no funny business or I'm kicking you out." She laid on her back as Patrick inched his hand to meet with hers on her stomach.

"No funny business, I promise", he whispered. It was silent for a few minutes before Patrick spoke again, "What was the sentence?"

"Door's coming off, window's being bolted, car's being taken away, and can't go anywhere, but school."

"This stinks", Patrick couldn't think of anything else to say, but it was the right thing to say. "Well, we'll always have school."

"I doubt that. We'll most likely be on 'Tharp Watch'."

"What?" Patrick glanced at Kat in confusion.

"My dad's dating Miss Tharp", she said abruptly.

"Oh. Can't she help?"

"I don't know. I don't think she'll accomplish anything."

"Never know. People can surprise you."

"You have experience", they both smiled at each, their smiles radiating by Kat's glowing tree.

Next chapter, most likely, you'll find out who the woman was on Day Nine (Ch. 2) was.

Read, review, and do tell.

I'm out.

-Ellie Bocanegra