-FOUR-

The following morning, Kate simply went through the stages of getting ready for school and hardly looked in Damien's direction. The car ride to school was tense between Coach and Damien while Kate sat in the back seat not wanting to get involved between the father and son, her thoughts were rather occupied with another basketball player.

When she arrived at school parking lot, she didn't bother waiting for either her father or Damien. She made her way straight to school building, not bothering to stop for anyone in the hallway until she reached her locker. It wasn't long until an appease in the hallway began when Richmond basketball team walked down the hallway. Most students stopped to congratulate them or cheer them on, Kate kept her back turned and hurried to get her books out of her locker.

"Hey Katie!" Worm suddenly appeared beside her, leaning against the locker behind her own with such confidence that it made her angry. "What's up with you?" He asked when she didn't greet him.

"Heard you guys went out after the tournament." Kate answered, leaving it open for him to actually say something, maybe a sorry or admit that he'd done wrong.

"Yeah, we went to a party" As Worm said the words, his gut twisted at her sour facial expression.

"And you slept with one of the girls." She stated when it was clear he wasn't going to say anything further.

Silence stretched between the pair as they merely stared at each other, each looking for answers. Slowly, almost hesitantly Worm finally nodded his head to answer her question, his own mind running on full as he tried to figure out the woman in front of him.

"So what we're doing means nothing to you?" She asked, trying to keep the hurt from her voice.

Worm signed as the dots started to connect. "I don't even know what this is." He indicted between the two of them with his hand. He didn't do relationships and yet, he'd managed to get himself into one without fully knowing it.

"Give me a call when you find out what this is." Kate said harshly, leaving him in the hallway to get to home room.

Home room went through its normal routine, nothing catching Kate's mind meaning her thoughts were free to wonder about Worm. The stupid basketball player had made her feel something for him, and it wasn't the fact that he was in a basketball team. She'd been around the whole Richmond team and never felt anything for the players and same applied for the St. Francis team. Somewhere between basketball practice and hallway talks, they had crossed the line and Kate wasn't sure she could, or wanted to move on and forget about the man.

The day dragged on, Kate spending much of her time with her head in a novel to distract herself from the thoughts of this morning. It didn't help that she didn't have drama practice that afternoon, their teacher had been called away for family issues and promised to be back in three days' time to continue with the play. Instead she reluctantly made her way to the gym to watch the basketball practices until her father would be ready to drive her home.

It wasn't until she got to the gym door that she felt an emotion of shock run through her. There was a note sticky taped onto the door – practise is cancelled. She believed her father must seriously be angry with the team for their stunt at the tournament for this to be his reaction. With a shake of her head, she followed the further instructions on the note, stating for the team to head to the library.

Kate walked into the library to hear her father talking, she paused to listen to his speech and found that she'd only been half right in her assumptions. Her father was angry though it was a result of the player grades more so than their actions the previous night.

The teachers who stood with her father moved forward to the basketball players' when he finished his speech about needing to achieve a higher grade score before the gym was to be reopened.

Kate was hesitant to move forward, she didn't want to be in the presence of Worm but she couldn't let her feelings for him guide her relationships with the other team members. Letting out a small sign, she moved forward to her father. "Sir, I'd like to help the team." She said to the Coach once standing beside him.

"And your own studies?" He questioned, wanting the team to improve but not at the chance it could affect his daughter's grades.

"I'm up to date and ahead." She answered, which was mostly true. She did have an assessment to re-read before she submitted but she'd already done the hard work.

"Very well." With the nodded of his head, Kate moved forward to the team.

She stayed away from Worm which meant she couldn't help Lyle with his grades, instead she sat down next to Battle, remembering the conversation and visit to the family store.

"Hey Battle." She greeted, pulling the seat closest to him out to take the spot.

"Where do you want to start?" She asked. At her question, his eyebrows shot up, an unsure expression on his face crossed it. "How about English?" She pulled over the book when he gave her a slight nod.

She understood that everyone struggled with something, some people were better at sports than English while her weakest area was maths. She just tried to not let it affect her, meaning she spent more time on that subject than her others.

It wasn't until Kate got home that she realised the rumours of the school, the local camera crew had interviewed her dad, even more so when the game had been cancelled. Her mother was sitting on the couch watching the news, Kate merely frowned before making her way upstairs. She knew it was a big step cancelling the game but she was also aware that Coach was doing it for a good reason, a reason that didn't seem to matter to other people, even the parents.

X:X:X:X:X:X

Kate soon realised that she was stretching herself thin with her afternoons between working at the family store, drama practice and the library with the basketball team. It meant that she was constantly busy, never leaving too much time to herself to think. Let alone think too much about the basketball player who always seemed to be present in her mind.

It wasn't until Kate was in the dressing room with Rebecca that she actually talked about the situation with Worm. "Can you stop sulking?" Rebecca moaned, trying to find the right costume for Gertrude. "We're actually going to perform!" The red head tried to keep her excitement low but it was impossible with the thought that their hard work was finally going to pay off.

"Does that mean you'll do my hair?" Kate asked, steering the conversation further away from Worm.

"Of course!" Her friend answered with a smile, her eyes lighting up at finally finding the right dress for her character. "So is Worm coming to the show tomorrow night?"

"I don't think so." Kate answered truthfully. After their talk in the hallway, they hadn't spoken since making Kate believe that he probably wasn't interested in their performance. ,

"Well invite him again." The red head suggested. "One of you have to make the first step." She didn't know what was happening between Kate and Worm but she knew it had to do with the gloomy mood her friend had been in recently.

Kate let out a small sign, she moved from her chair and walked towards Rebecca to the costumes. "Help me pick out an outfit for Laertes."

"Can't believe I'm saying this, I'm actually excited to dress you up as a boy." Rebecca joked, trying to lighten the mood.

The next evening, it was the performance night and an avenge amount of people had arrived to watch Hamlet. It was interesting watching Rebecca cursed under her breath at the large corset dress. The hype of dressing like a man slowly died down for her as well, the hair spray holding Kate's hair in the bun was getting itchy. "Let's get this show on the road."

Rebecca got up from her seat, dressed with the corset and full gown with her hair piled into curls. She seemed eager about getting on stage though Kate believed that the costume would have to be baking her with the layers. "Let's break a leg!" Rebecca said happily.

Kate raised an eyebrow at the expression. "I'd rather not."

"Girls!" Michael joined them, dressed in his suit and dress pants as Hamlet. "Mother, you ready to begin?" He said towards Rebecca with a cheeky grin.

"Don't ever say that again!" The red head pointed a finger at Michael, her face stern. "I am not into incest." She pointed out with a small smile on her face.

"Christ, you're already fighting like a married couple." Kate joked, grabbing her written scenes and leaving the room to join the rest of the crew at the stage.

Kate had sat on the edge of the stage away from eyes of the audience for most of the performance. She had defiantly gotten a few laughs with the audience and amusement at some of the crew's over dramatic acting skills. It had gotten to the last few Acts, meaning she'd be coming into the performance for the rest of the show.

She stood on the edge of the stage, listening to Michael play his role as Hamlet. She was waiting for her part to enter the stage when she caught sight of the audience. Seated in the middle of the audience was her father and mother, she searched for her brother and found him in the back row but he wasn't alone. Sitting beside him was a few basketball players – Worm and Lyle.

She felt taken back from the sudden appearance of Worm, she hadn't expected him to come as she never spoke to him about the final date for the performance. The answer to how Worm knew about the date and time was sitting beside him – her brother. Kate didn't know whether she was grateful or annoyed that Damien was still mates with the basketball player.

"You're on next Miss Carter." The drama teacher reminded the student.

Breaking Kate from her thoughts of the crowd, she took a deep breath to clear her mind and pulled out her folded piece of paper that held her lines for the next Act.

She glanced quickly at her paper, refreshing her lines for Act 4, Scene 7 and walked onto stage with another student who was playing Claudius. He launched into his lines while Kate stood beside him with the scene of the state room of the castle behind them. "Now must your conscience my acquittance seal, and you must put me in your heart for friend, sith you have heard, and with a knowing ear, that he which hath your noble father slain pursues my life."

For a moment, Kate wasn't sure what her lines were until she closed her eyes for a brief moment to collect herself. "It well appears. But tell me why you proceeded not against these feats, so crimeful and so capital in nature, as by your safety, wisdom, all thing else, you mainly were stirred up." She spoke loud to the crowd with a clear voice and listened to Claudius speak once again in answer.

"Oh for two reasons, which may to you perhaps seem much unsinewed, but yet to me they're strong. The queen his mother lives almost by his looks, and for myself, my virtue or my plague, be it either which, she's so conjunctive to my life and soul, that as the star moves not but his sphere, I could not but by her." Claudius reached forward towards Kate, Laertes. "The other motive, why to a public court I might not go, is the great love the general gender bear him, who, dipping all his faults in their affection, work like the spring that turneth wood to stone, convert his gyves to graces, so that my arrow, too slightly timbered for so loud a wind, would have reverted to my bow again, and now where I had aimed them."

Kate moved away from Claudius in anger, playing the character of a grieving Laertes. "And so have I a noble father lost, a sister driven into desperate terms, whose worth, if praises may go back again, stood challenger on mount of all the age for her perfections. But my revenge will come." She swore to Claudius, to which the performance continued until Laertes did get his revenge with a sword play against Hamlet.

She came out of the dressing room to be greeted by her family, a large smile on her face as her mother pulled her into waiting arms. "So proud of you honey." Her mother kissing the side of her cheek before pulling back.

"You did well." Her father said beside her mother, a smile on his face at his daughter's achievements. He glanced behind him to the guys gathered waiting to address Kate. "We'll see you out in the car." He said, taking his wife's arm and heading outside to the vehicle.

Damien was the first to reach forward and pull his sister into an embrace. "You rocked your part." He complimented, remembering the times he'd heard her rehearsing at home whether it be trying to remember small parts while washing the dishes or snuggled up in her blanket with the book.

Lyle reached forward, coming to her side. "Yeah, though for a male you sounded like your balls had dropped."

Lyle's words erupted a laughter from her, she shouldn't have been surprised at his words. After the last couple days it was nice to hear his joking attitude. "I'll try to remember that next time." She promised.

"I think you played the part." Worm joined in, trying to ease some of the intense air between them.

"Thanks." Kate said quietly, not sure where to take their conversation as they weren't really talking. She noticed that Lyle and Damien silently moved away from them to give the pair privacy to which she rolled her eyes at their actions.

Worm cleared his throat, catching her attention. "I realised what I did was wrong, and I'm so sorry." He was aware that he was sounding out of character. "I don't usually do relationships," He said somewhat unsure. "I'd like to see where this goes between us."

She considered him, he seemed genuine and truthfully she was missing his company. "How about we start with working on your grades." She answered, not letting him off that easy before leaving him to catch a ride home with her family.

The pair were taking steps slowly, Worm actually walking her to home room and spending lunch time with her. At every chance, Kate tried to quiz him or bring out a text book to teach him something new to help with his grades, to get the basketball team back on the court.

It was one particular morning, the basketball team was taking their terms to heart as they showed up to school in suits and ties. Not all of the team looked impressed about the development and other students noticed the sudden change, some girls even showed more interest in them to which Lyle was smiling about as he walked the corridor.

Kate had to admit that Worm, to his credit hardly gave the other female students a glance and continued talking to her as the pair made it to her home room. "I don't get why we have to wear a suit and tie." He complained, pulling at the tie around his neck and loosening it. "What does it have to do with our grades?" He questioned once again.

She couldn't help but smile at the tone of his voice as an interesting thought came to mind. Reaching the doorway to her home room, she turned to Worm to answer his question. "Truthfully," She reached forward and slightly fixed the wrinkled tie. "There is defiantly a sexy appeal to a man in a suit and tie." She looked up at him from his tie with a small smile and placed a tiny kiss on the side of his mouth before turning away to head into home room. She quickly glanced over her shoulder and noticed that his face wore a satisfying smile at her answer.