Chapter 4
Patrick Verona had never been nervous when picking up at date. He had been going on them for three years, and even on his first, when he was fourteen, he hadn't sweated it at all. Chics liked him. Always had, always will. So while riding his bike towards the Stratford house, he felt no fear. He knew he looked good in his costume; no one would be able to question his masculinity after tonight. Not that any one had before. I should have given that Cameron kid some advice about what to wear tonight. Would have been a great opportunity to show Kat's sister he wasn't gay.
Right when he was about to pull into the Stratford driveway- behind the hedge so his bike wasn't visible- he noticed a car in the driveway with a middle-aged woman at the wheel. Not wanting her to see him, he turned off his bike and shut off his light. He figured Kat would realize his reason for being a couple minutes late. She didn't want her dad or sister knowing about the mode of transportation to the dance. He didn't even think her sister knew she had a date. According to Kat, Bianca thought she was driving herself to the dance later on, after the dance was mostly over.
"I told her I didn't want to spend any more time than necessary with our peers. She tried to convince me that I didn't have to go at all, just get out of the house, but I told her that wasn't happening in this lifetime."
"How are you going to explain being in costume so early and waiting eagerly by the door?"
"In concern to being dressed, I'll just tell her it doesn't matter what time I get ready, I'll still need to be in costume at some point. As for waiting eagerly by the door, don't flatter yourself. I'll be lounging on the couch, mocking her having dad take pictures of her and Cameron."
"Poor guy. He really needs to man up and show her what's what."
"'What's what' is that the guy is in love with a façade. Bianca acts a certain way in order to be popular. I've tried telling her being herself was enough, but she doesn't believe me. Until that changes, Cameron is better off in the best friend department. He likes who she is now, amazing as that is. Once he sees her as she truly is, I think he'll be able to get the guts to tell her how he feels. Unfortunately for both of them, I think she believes popularity is more important in high school than being real."
"I've never spoken to your sister, so I don't really have an opinion about her. Cameron seems like a good guy though. Almost too good, you know?"
"I hear you loud and clear. I would never go for a guy like Cameron, but Bianca would in a heartbeat, if only he were popular."
"He's not your type of guy, huh? What kind of guy is that, Katerina?"
"None of your business, Casanova. Besides, I don't date."
"Just because you don't date, doesn't mean your blind. Unless, of course, my outrageously good looks prevent you from seeing any other male."
"You caught me. I want you, I need you, oh baby, oh baby."**
"Glad you finally admitted it. It only took you three months."
"It only took me three minutes with you to realize your ego was quite a few times larger than it should be. If anything has blinded me, it's that. Luckily, I have excellent eyesight, allowing me to see all the guys around me. Let me tell you, there's not much to see. But back to the reason I called you in the first place."
"Of course, we wouldn't want you to get too excited thinking about me when I can't see it in person."
She had ignored that comment and went straight to her explanation of where to hide his bike and why he was doing it in the first place. So he kept hidden while Cameron picked up Bianca. Mr. Stratford must be taking pictures of the lovely couple. He would have a conniption if he knew about his younger daughter's real date and plans for the night.
It struck him like a lightening bolt. Patrick had never been seen as a good catch when it came to nice girls, and Kat was definitely one of those. He wondered what her dad's reaction would be when he finally saw Kat's date. Would he refuse to let her go with him? His costume didn't make him look any more respectable than his leather jacket.
When he finally stopped thinking frantically about the moment he met her dad, he realized the car had already backed out of the driveway and was heading down the street. Rolling his motorcycle behind the meticulous landscaping- Kat's doing for sure-he started to make his way to the front door. Taking a deep breath, he rang the doorbell, ignoring his shaking finger.
He could hear movement inside, then voices.
"Dad, would you relax? He is a seventeen year old guy taking me to a high school dance, not a twenty-five year old taking me on a romantic weekend get-away."
"Neither of those descriptions sounds appealing to me."
"Too bad."
And the door flew open.
Patrick looked Kat up and down, not believing what he was seeing. Her hair cascaded down her back in waves. She had spray painted the roots of her hair white and was wearing a green headband across her forehead. It was the only part of her costume that didn't make his mouth dry. Her knee length boots were black, which while out of character, still made her legs look great. Yeah right, Patrick. The fact that she is wearing tights is what's got you looking at her legs, not her shoe choice. The green leggings matched her headband perfectly, while her yellow long sleeve shirt was formfitting, but made from a light material. She had even sketched an "X" on the upper left side of her shirt. To complete the outfit, she wore a brown belt loosely tied around her waist. It matched his trench coat perfectly.
Kat looked Patrick up and down and tried not to sigh in appreciation. The guy knew how to pull off a pink vest and tight blue jeans. He was also wearing boots, though his were khaki, not black. His blue undershirt and headband matched, and the front of his hair hung over the band softly. His trench coat completed the costume perfectly. It even matches my belt.
Larry Stratford looked Patrick Verona up and down and sighed in consternation. Of course Kat would go with a young man who looked like a hoodlum. Where did I go wrong with her? She might be a cactus, but her date was probably a porcupine.
"Hello Mr. Stratford. Katerina."
Kat blushed and gave Patrick a glare, while Larry looked with surprise at his daughter.
"Patrick, this is my dad, Dr. Larry Stratford. Dad, this is Patrick Verona."
"Hello, Patrick. I hope you don't plan on getting frisky with my daughter."
"Dad! Could you please stop. Or are you trying to give him even more ideas?"
Before he could reply, Patrick stepped in.
"I have no ideas, sir. Kat will be home at midnight, safe and sound."
"And not pregnant."
"Of course, sir. I promise to take good care of her."
"As if I need to be taken care of just because I'm a woman. So sexist."
Larry and Patrick shared a she's-so-adorable-when-a-feminist look. Larry was surprised he could share a male bonding look with his daughter's date. Maybe he's not so bad.
She grabbed Patrick's hand and started leading him outside, but Larry stopped them.
"Wait! I need a picture first."
"Oh great. Proof of me wearing tights."
"Sounds good to me," Patrick whispered in her ear as he brought his arm around her waist. He didn't take his arm from her back as he led her out the door.
"Hope you made sure your police walkie-talkie has fresh batteries. Bye!"
When her dad rushed to check that he would be able to hear about all car accidents, she closed the door and walked quickly to the hedges.
"I can't believe you're wearing tights."
"I can't believe you're wearing pink."
"Tonight's going to be full of surprises."
"I could have told you that the moment you asked me, Sherlock. Or should I call you Gambit?"
"For looking so beautiful, you can call me Remy."
She looked at him in surprise, then smiled.
"I hope Padua High is ready for a couple of superheroes."
AN: There you go, hope you enjoyed it. I had to add the quote from the movie "10 Things I Hate About You". It was too perfect. Let me know what you think.
