LOVESICK {Cameron James}

CHAPTER FIVE

Downtown, Kat was leaving a record store, ready to peacefully return home when she was met with Patrick leaning against her car's front fender. "Nice ride. Vintage fenders." Patrick smiles out, in an attempt to flirt with her.

Unamused, Kat gives a, "Are you following me?"

"I was in the laundromat. I saw your car. I came over to say hi." Patrick said, a hint of his Australian accent coming out.

"Hi." She sneered, moving to open her car door when she was stopped by Patrick blocking her.

"Not a big talker, huh?"

"Depends on the topic. My fenders don't exactly send me into a verbal frenzy."

Patrick was intrigued by her resistance, he'd never had problems with getting girls before. "You're not afraid of me, are you?"

"Afraid of you? Why would I be afraid of you?"

"Well, most people are."

"Well, I'm not."

In an attempt to be "smooth", Patrick makes the conversation a bit more risque. "Well, maybe you're not afraid of me. But I'm sure you've thought of me naked, huh?" He gives her a wink.

Sarcastically, Kat smiles and tilts her head to the side. "Am I that transparent? I want you, I need you. Oh baby, oh baby." Annoyed with this conversation, she grabs the door, forcing Patrick out of the way. Just as she was about to leave, she was blocked by Joey Donner's obnoxious red convertible. "What is it? Asshole day?" Kat says to herself. "Hey! Do you mind?" This time, she directed this at Joey, and as she turns to say it to him, she sees Julia emerge from the car as well. She sighed and rolled her eyes, this is not what Kat needed today.

"Not at all." He winked at her, holding Julia in his arms like she's a fancy toy. Kat absolutely hated how he showed her off in the halls like she was an object. She couldn't fathom what the female sex find remotely attractive about him. Kat couldn't care less about his douchey red car, so without thought, she backed into it, preparing to make her way back home.

"You bitch!" Joey whined.

"Kat!" Julia chimed in. She knew Kat was extreme, I mean she'd had a million sleepovers at the Stratford residence. But this, this was flat out insane.

Innocently, Kat shrugged her shoulders. "Whoops."

一一一

"Did you maim Joey's car?" Bianca yelled at her older sister's face.

"Yeah. Looks like you and your friends are gonna have to take the bus."

"Has the fact that you're completely psycho managed to escape your attention? I mean, Julia is so mad, and if she never speaks to me again, I swear I'll go on a hunger strike till you apologize!" Unable to care, Kat walked away. "Daddy!"

一一一

Nervously, Michael and Cameron bickered amongst themselves, deliberating on who should approach Patrick Verona, and initiate phase two of their plan. "Go." Cameron nudged Michael's shoulder.

"No, you go."

"I went before," Cameron whined. But, after a bit of nudging and smooth-talking, he made his way over to Verona's desk. "We know what you're trying to do, with Kat Stratford."

Amused by the two boys' nervousness and serious faces, Patrick asked, "Is that so? And what do you plan to do about it?"

"Help you out," Cameron responded.

"Why's that?"

"The situation is, my man Cameron here has a major jones for Joey Donner's girlfriend, Julia Chalamet." Michael chimed in.

"What is with that chick? She have beer-flavored nipples?" Finally, someone who understood what Michael's been preaching to Cameron. Julia is nothing but a self-entitled, airheaded, ditzy blonde. Well, brunette.

Unhappy that someone could say such crude things about Julia, Cameron chimes in with, "Hey!"

"I think I speak correctly when I say that Cameron's love is pure. Purer than say... Joey Donner's."

"Well, he's the one dating her, isn't he?" Verona couldn't help but laugh at these boys' words.

"Well, see he is right now..." Cameron started to explain the situation, but Patrick couldn't care less.

"Look. I'm in on this for the cash. Donner can set his friend up with whoever and plow whoever he wants."

"Okay, there will be no plowing!" Cameron yelled.

Patrick started to walk away, unimpressed by their arguing skills. Michael quickly followed behind him, wanting to convince him more for Cameron's sake. "Patrick, uh, Pat. Let me explain something to you here. We set this whole thing up so Cameron can take out Bianca while getting closer to Julia. Cameron. Joey's just a pawn."

Starting to be convinced, Patrick confirms their plan once more. "So you two are going to help me tame the wild beast?"

Grinning from ear to ear, Michael nodded, happy that his genius plan was working. Even if he didn't exactly like Julia, he was happy to waste his senior year helping Cameron get into some girl's pants. And, if Cameron really does fail in trying to pursue Julia, he'll always get to deliver a rewarding "I told you so". "We'll do some research. We'll find out what she likes. We are your guys."

"And he means that in a strictly non-prison movie type of way," Cameron added, trying his best to humor Padua's notorious convict. Confused, both Michael and Patrick shot him a "seriously?" look.

"Let's start here. Now, Friday night. Bogie Lowenstein is having a party. It's the perfect opportunity." Michael proposed.

Patrick, not following nor fully paying attention, asked, "Opportunity for what?"

"For you to take out Kat," Michael said, annoyed that Patrick couldn't keep up with the plan.

"I'll think about it." And with that, Patrick walked away. Of course, this wasn't a definite answer, but Cameron and Michael were grinning at each other.