Monday mornings always sucked. It didn't matter what time you got up at, it always felt the same- tired and groggy. Kat and Patrick were both on different sides of town, but their morning routine was similar. Get up, get dressed, eat some food, brush teeth, go to school, and try to make it through another day of living hell. It was annoying, to have to come here repeatedly. It was like school was a shampoo that is stuck in your hair- it just won't let you rinse and repeat.
This Monday, though, was slightly different. Both Kat and Patrick were looking forward to going to school today, just so they could see the other. Not like either of them would admit that to the other, but it was apparent to every one around them that they weren't getting up for themselves today, but for someone else.
Kat had fun, that morning, trying to pick out something to wear that would impress him, but look like she wasn't trying. She didn't want to turn into one of his stupid bimbos, and she knew she never would, being her feminist self. She just didn't want to start dressing like one of those girls either. She ended up picking something she would wear on any normal day, and left the house with some lip-gloss on and a bounce in her step.
Unlike Kat, Patrick didn't care about the clothing. He looked at himself in the mirror that morning and asked himself, "What the hell am I supposed to do with this hair?" He knew that most girls loved his hair, but he never understood why. It was just so unmanageable and unruly- he could never to anything he wanted with it. He stood in front of the mirror for ten minutes trying to tame it, but his trials failed miserably, and he had to leave it like it was.
He got to school, and people did what they usually did when he approached. They gave him a scared look before running in the other direction. The only time that they didn't cower was when a girl wanted to get laid, and they assumed that they could get into his pants. It was funny that he had that reputation, when he had only ever slept with two other girls in his whole life. He hadn't ever slept with anyone else, or really had the desire to (with the exception of a certain luscious brunette). He parked in his normal spot. By now, everyone knew that this spot was off limits. From here, he could see the whole parking lot, and waited for Kat to pull in with her monster Volvo.
When Kat did pull up, she wasn't even concerned about where she was going to park today. She was just looking for him. She parked, ignoring Bianca's complains about today and how she is going to have to go suck up to Chastity some more. She slammed the door and sulked off to the front doors of the school. Kat locked the car and slammed the door as well, caching Patrick's eye and walking over to his spot. Both were smirking at each other, him standing up off his bike to give her a small kiss before grabbing her hand to walk into school for another wonderful day in hell.
Rumors spread fast. True or not, by second period, the whole entire school knew of their kiss in the parking lot. The real question was, Is she the new flavor of the week, or is she here to stay? It was very interesting for both Patrick and Kat to be rumors of a relationship. They were used to and could handle rumors about their families, that they were adopted, or that they slept around or were a slut. This was a new experience for them both.
By lunch, people were giving them knowing looks as they passed the two of them in the hallway. But like always, Kat and Patrick ignored them. What else could they do? They knew that them being together would bring some publicity and some talk. It's not everyday that the school shrew and bad boy get together, and plan to stay together. Throughout the day, a few brave souls came up and asked them what was really going on. The response was always the same between the two of them, a glare and a smirk. That always kept them away them minute they said, "I was wondering..."
It was fun, they found, playing "the couple". They went through school the normal way. No extra cuddling or smooching, not giving any wiggle room away. These mouth- breathers of Padua High were not going to simply "get" anything from them. They were going to have to wait their turn, to see if thing was really going to last.
When school was over, Pat followed Kat home in her car. Her sister had practice and was caching a ride home. They got home and ate. It was silent, tension building up in the room. It was weird, knowing that the other one was watching them, memorizing. Making sure that they knew each other even if their eyes were closed. Kat migrated to the living room, where Patrick soon followed. Shoes were taken off, soon where jackets and sweaters. Snuggling was an automatic no-brainer. He stretched out on the couch, and she saw the perfect opportunity to lay down on him. The TV was turned on and changed around until something bearable could be found to watch. She pulled down the afghan on the couch over them. Her head nested into the crook of his neck, and his arms wrapped around her.
The only sound was the announcer on the TV, talking to them about the new product to look for in stores. Neither of them where watching the TV though. He was playing with her dark, silken hair, and she was tracing aimless patterns on his muscular chest. They just wanted to be near each other, and both were emotionally exhausted, so no words were exchanged between the two of them.
When the TV special ended and the TV turned off, she lifted her head up, lightly kissing him on his neck, making her way up to his lips. He waited patiently, eyes closed, not breathing, waiting for her mouth to meet his. When it did, he immediately took over, sinking into the couch. The kisses that were exchanged were soft and gentle, neither of them up for a heavy make-out session. Her hands were now clutching his shirt while his hands pressed her closer to him, trying to deepen the kiss into more than the soft, gentle caresses that they had been giving each other.
The door that quietly shut was not heard by them, but the loud, "Honey, I'm ho--- whoa!" by her father was heard. It was heard loud and clear.
Kat had quickly jumped off Patrick, both sitting on opposite ends of the couch, making sure that there was no physical contact between them to set her father off even more. They soon found themselves taped to kitchen chairs, the backs of the chairs facing each other. Her father had been ridiculing them for a while now, and it had become late enough that Bianca had bounced through the door, squealing, "Daddy, you couldn't even believe what happened at practice today..."
She stopped abruptly at the sight of her sister and her sister's boyfriend taped up to kitchen chairs, her red-faced father talking to them about the consequences of having sex.
"Hi Bianca," Kat said casually, causing a distraction for her father.
"Bianca, not now honey, I'm in the middle of a lecture," her father said sternly, making her sister scamper upstairs- knowing well enough not to get involved.
Kat was used to this, so she knew that she just had to bear through it until it was over with. She had heard everything that was being said before, and she was humiliated that Patrick had to sit and listen to this as well. Patrick, on the other hand, was more or less bored. It wasn't as if the stuff that Mr. Stratford was saying wasn't important, it was. Sure, AIDS is a disease that can kill you. Thanks for the heads up, Mr. S, I really needed to be reminded of that one. He didn't need to hear any of the stuff that was lectured because it only made him feel the need to work to impress her father. The blow to his ego was small, but it was still enough to know that he was going to have to work harder than usual to get along with her father. He was already in this relationship too deep to take a step back to get on better terms with daddy dearest anyway. It was like Walter was his father- in- law, and hated him, but decided to tell him after the marriage.
Don't get him wrong, he loved Kat, and meant it too. Her father on the other hand, would be a hard egg to crack. There would have to be some boiling in order to crack Wallie's shell. He already knew he needed some water, some salt, and a nice, steady, hot flame. What he didn't know was the time that it would take to even make a single crack.