10 things I hate about you

The E.N.D.

Chapter 1

"I'm not leaving," her father said.

Kat wasn't sure how this had happened. One second she was feeling loved, the next moment she was half scared and half pissed off. Besides, she was sure her dad would be shipping her to a convent in a matter of seconds. The weird part was that now she wouldn't care about organized religion and her prejudices against it. She was more concerned about not seeing Patrick.

Patrick knew the feeling. Seconds before Walter had entered, he'd finally felt strong enough to tell Kat the whole truth. Now, he was pretty sure he would die, and Kat would never know.

"You have 30 seconds to get dressed."

"Turn around," Kat complained when she saw her father wasn't moving an inch.

"I don't see why. You're my daughter, and he doesn't have anything I haven't seen before."

"Dad, please?" She begged.

"Ok," Walter turned around, and started to count down. "30, 29, 28..."

Kat tried desperately to catch Patrick's eyes, but she couldn't. He got dressed by the time her father got to 10, so he helped find her T- shirt since it was one of the first things lost in the heat of the moment.

"3, 2, 1-"Walter turned "-Sit! Both of you."

Kat and Patrick sat on the bed next to each other. "First, you, man-boy, I don't want you anywhere near my daughter. She is far too good for you. I knew you would be a bad influence for her. I don't want you to destroy her future. She could lose Brown, and everything she has worked for. So you, womanizer with a stripper mother and a tattoo artist father, can..."

Kat grasped for Patrick's hand, partially hidden under the blanket. He squeezed it, trying to offer her reassurance. That was what she needed. He had just to promise Kat that he wouldn't break her heart. Now was a good time as any to prove it.

"Enough! Don't talk about what you don't know. All of those things I told you at dinner were lies. I knew you didn't like me from the moment I got here. You saw me and decided that all I would ever be good at doing would be breaking Kat's heart."

Patrick stood up from the bed. Standing, he looked even bigger and more dangerous than he ever did at school.

"I get that you're mad because she's your daughter and you care for her, but so do I. I know I'm not good enough for your daughter, but there's no way I would take her future away from her. All I want is to be with her every step of the way. Next time, why don't you at least try to get to know me first? She had a horrible day, ok?"

"Leave before I called the police," ordered Walter with his face beginning to turn a deep red. Kat was sure it was a shade she had never seen before.

Patrick hesitated, his confidence fading, so Kat took his hand and said:

"Please, Patrick, I don't want to bail you out of jail. It has been too long of a day for that, too." He knew she was just trying to protect him from her dad.

"Ok, love." He chose his word specifically to please Kat and make Walter explode. When he saw their reactions, he knew he had succeeded.

"Tomorrow, I'll be seeing the fire." He hoped she would get his message.

Patrick grabbed his bag and walked out. In the living room, he found Cameron and Dawn hugging Bianca. He was far to pissed off to care for their problems. Besides knowing Bianca, good chance it was something stupid like a party or cheerleading.

Meanwhile in Kat's room, Walter remained silent. She guessed her father didn't want to talk until he was sure Patrick was gone.

"And you, I can't even look at you." His words hurt more than she expected, but she tried to shrug it off.

"Why? Because I'm not your little cactus? Stop trying to control me for once in your life. I love Patrick, and there is..."

"Stop saying his name! I prohibit you from seeing him," Her father roared.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Kat asked in a tone far more confident than the way she felt at the moment.

"Don't worry. I have my methods. Starting as of tomorrow, I will be taking you to school, so you are confined to this house and school only. Since it would seem Bianca is the only one I can trust, she will start her driving lessons."

Kat started to feel all the tears in the world start to fall from her eyes. She didn't even dare to look up. She knew her father left, and she let herself fall back on her bed. It just wasn't fair. It was bad enough that everyone at school hated her, with the exception of Patrick. Now, she wouldn't even have him. How was it possible for someone to have the worst and best day of one's life all rolled into the span of a few short hours? She started replaying everything in her mind, lingering on the parts of the day that made her smile. Of course, all of them included Patrick. Patrick holding the sign, Patrick holding her, Patrick taking her home, Patrick kissing her, Patrick making love to her...

Walter was down in the living room and saw his youngest daughter crying, but there was a noticeable difference in the tears. She wasn't sad like Kat. Bianca was furious.

Walter asked neutrally, "Dawn and Cameron, are you staying for dinner?"

Bianca whispered something to the couple that resulted in them both excusing themselves and leaving.

When they were finally alone, Walter dared to ask, "What happened, honey?"

"Joey... made out... with a model," she choked out between snobs, "...and on national television. Tomorrow will be the worst day of my life. Not only will I not be a cheerleader, I will be the girl who got dumped for a hot model."

Walter felt a spark of hope. Maybe he was too late to control Kat, but there was still a chance to protect Bianca from further dangers of the teen world.

"Bianca, I'm sure it's..."

"Don't you dare to say this is nothing! I need Kat, where is she?" Bianca near screamed, obviously more upset than her father had anticipated.

"In her room, and grounded for life." Walter couldn't help but smile pleasantly at the thought.

Bianca asked with a raised brow, "Why?"

"I found her and the man-boy...," Walter couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

"...having sex?" Bianca finished. Her crying had suddenly stopped.

"Yes." Walter gulped nervously, despising the mental picture of his oldest daughter and the man-boy

"Thank God! At least one of us is having luck in the love department. I never did quite picture her to be the one. Well, maybe now her children can be the ones to take care of me when I get old and turn into a cat lady," Bianca mused.

"Bianca, she won't be seeing Patrick again. Your sister broke the only rule that I gave you."

"I know, Dad, but do you have any idea what kind of day she had? Believe me you would forgive her." Bianca smiled innocently at her father. She knew just how to pull his strings.

"I'm sure it is not as dramatic as you want me to believe." Walter said. He was starting to feel a little bit curious and guilty at the same time. It was the second time he heard that, but he was too proud to admit that maybe he had been a little too harsh with his eldest daughter.

"Whatever you want to believe. I'm going to go check on her." Immediately, Bianca disappeared up the stairs to Kat's room.

Bianca knocked at the door gently. Kat's sobs penetrated through her door, and Bianca could safely say she felt sympathy for her.

"Can I come in?" Bianca poked her head into the room.

Kat avoided looking at her as she answered, "Bianca, leave, please."

"I need to ask you for advice."

"Ok," Kat replied after a few seconds. Maybe if she distracted herself with someone else's problems, she might feel better.

Bianca cautiously entered her sister's bedroom. She had never seen her so upset. It was heart breaking really. It was even worse than when she confessed about not wanting to go to Nepal. She gently lied down on the bed next to her sister.

"So what's the problem this time?" asked Kat, trying to resume her more sarcastic but goodhearted nature.

"Joey kissed a girl on the Biggest Poser," Bianca confessed.

"I'm sorry, Bianca. He's a jerk. I'm sure that girl is not half the girl that you are."

Kat held her sister. At the moment, she wasn't sure who needed the hug more, Bianca or her.

"Thanks, but what should I do?" her sister looked at her like some grand revelation was about to fall out of Kat's mouth.

Kat stuck with simple and to the point. "In my experience, let him show you how much he cares about you."

"And what if he doesn't call?"

"Then you'll know he isn't worth it."

Bianca seemed to accept the advice, but she was overly perceptive of Kat's problem avoidance tactics. "And what about you?"

"I'm screwed for life. I just hate that dad wouldn't even let me explain anything."

"When he told me, I tried to explain for you, but he really can't get past his hatred towards Patrick," Bianca explained.

Bianca had promised herself that she would be sensitive. It was what her sister needed after her father's rather abrasive conversation, but her curiosity got the best of her.

"Was it worth it?"

"Every single second of it. From the moment, he held up the sign that said 'I voted for Kat Stratford' to the second before dad caught us." Kat smiled for the first time in the past few minutes.

"He did that?" Bianca asked amused. She hadn't expected that sort of sincerity from bad boy Patrick.

"Yeah, and then... ok that's all you can know." Kat couldn't finish before she began blushing her own deep shade of red.

"Kat!" screamed Bianca hysterically.

"Don't worry. When I get to the convent, the only interesting thing I'll have to tell you is what happened today. Trust me. You will know every little detail by heart." Kat smirked.

Bianca joked light-heartedly, "I'm not going to let Dad send you to a convent. Besides, Patrick will help me break you out."

"Thanks."

They were silent for a while until Kat confessed, "Bianca, I'm scared."

"Don't worry, Kat, if there's someone who can make it through this mess, it's you," Bianca promised.

As their long day finally came to an end, the two sisters fell asleep together.