Everybody Wants Somebody [Patrick Stump High School AU]

Chapter Two; Spotlight (New Regrets)

Kay had hoisted herself onto the kitchen counter and was sat there eating a tube of go-gurt, a bad habit Uncle Ward hated. But he always caved in the end and bought more. This morning routine she had created was odd, but it was perfect. As she emptied the tube she stared at the door, beginning to look back over the past year and a half in Glenview. She couldn’t lie to herself, it had been quite eventful despite the fact it seemed so boring.

The first week she had arrived all she had done was sleep and moved things around in her new room. Then once school had started, that and homework were added into the mix. But a few weeks in people began to notice that she was new to the community and took their stances on whether she would be a target or not. She made acquaintances yeah, but friends were far and few. She remembers the first person to approach her on their own free will and start a conversation about her Nirvana shirt was Carson. She was an odd addition to Kay’s life, because with friends came the addition of nicknames and inside jokes and something Kay hadn’t felt in a long time. Actual. Friendship.

She was thankful for Carson, and especially thankful that Carson was out one day during their history class.

That day she met Patrick. That day, their teacher decided to give a small partner project and left the students to find their own partners. Patrick’s two other friends had already chosen each other, leaving Patrick to look on until Mr. Dun threw together those left over. He was, like Kay, hesitant to be partnered up with someone who they’d never spoken to.  But as they sat there in an awkward silence, a sort of bond was formed from small comments and statements about Kay’s doodles, to Patrick’s humming and tapping. Almost instant friends. And friends have each other’s backs, right?

Kay thought so. Especially the day she stood up to Brian Hemmings, this kid in their grade who decided it was alright to treat those who were different than him like utter trash. Kay was lucky and stayed under his radar, but Patrick was not. Because one day during their lunch break, many people looked on as Brian followed him around, slipping in different insults from the way Patrick walked, to the fact he wore glasses, or the fact he liked to play trumpet in the band. Everyone tried to steer clear and stay quiet about the current affair, which Kay was doing perfectly. It was until Patrick stood up to leave and Hemmings tripped him and “accidently” stepped on his hand. Just thinking of the noise his bones made sent a shiver through her spine.

Brian left after that, to entertain his gang of self obsessed friends. Carson watched something change in Kay’s demeanor as she excused herself and walked to where Patrick sat in the floor, holding his hand and holding back tears. She offered her hand and helped him up and left him with his friends, slowly but confidently striding across the cafeteria. She doesn’t really remember what happened once she made it over to Brian because whatever she said made him so mad he punched her out. When she woke up in the nurses office, Patrick was sitting in the next bed with his hand wrapped up waiting for his mom. He told her that Brian was suspended and that another referral would earn him an expulsion. Before he left, both he and his mom thanked her and the next day Patrick’s mom dropped off a small ‘Thank You’ gift basket that had a card and a bag of cookies in it. It was all worth it though.

Kay looked down at her watch and wondered where Patrick was, considering he only lived 3 minutes away. She slipped off the counter and began to grumble about how she was going to be late if he didn’t hurry up. She had just opened the fridge when there was a light rapt at the door.

“HEY PAT IF THAT’S YOU, YOU CAN COME IN” She hollered over her shoulder to the door.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you but it’s me, not my mom.” Patrick pointed out as he slipped in the door.

“Oh yeah, sorry. Uncle Ward calls the two of you Pat and I guess I kind of picked it up.” She closed the fridge and put the bottle of water inside her bag and threw it onto her back. “Let’s go.”

Kay locked up the house and joined Patrick on the sidewalk to begin the same journey to  school they take every day. “So where were you?” She eventually asked.

“Since my brother Kevin - you remember him, right? Went off to college this year? Well, because of that and the fact Megan’s off at that academy in Chicago, my mom’s been super clingy and today she was offering to drive and saying she didn’t mind if she was late, and yeah. I had to convince her it was fine. Plus, I like our walks,...gives us time to catch up before and after school.” Patrick sighed and looked to the sky as the first snow flurries of the season began to fall early.

“Yeah, I guess it sucks we hardly get to see each other during the day. Why can’t you be in my classes. They’re not that advanced.” Kay lied. They were only in ninth grade and were already reading the Odyssey, and hey if Kay couldn’t get it, neither would Patrick. But you never know.

“Yeah, but you’re forgetting I’m stupid.” Patrick pointed his finger to the air.

“No you’re not.” Kay emphasized by bumping into him.

“Um, yeah.” He pushed back.

“Uh, no.” She put her arm around his shoulders, brought him closer, and then hip bumped him away. They both erupted in laughter and stayed that way most of the rest of the way.

Kay watched their breath cloud up around them in the crisp October air as they crossed the road and are nearly ran over for about the sixteenth time this year. She began to ponder about their walks. About their friendship. To be 100% honest, Kay held no romantic feelings for Patrick, but did find comfort in their friendship. They could confide things in each other, and share their passions, dreams, and what they thought about the world. And the two of them wouldn’t give it up for anything. Without each other, life wouldn’t be the same, and they couldn’t make it on their own.

She watched Patrick murmuring words from his favorite Michael Jackson song which turned into David Bowie and a smile slipped onto his lips. She hadn’t realised how long she had been lost in his movements until she tripped over the train tracks. Smooth. Real platonic and real smooth.

--

“You know what we should do later? We should go into town, buy a really stupid board game, make our own rules to it and go hang in Southgate.” Patrick announced as they stood waiting for the crosswalk to change.

“The park? Dude, we’d freeze.”

“Well, we should do it one more time before it gets even colder and we’re stuck inside for months.”

“Well who says that’s a bad thing? Think about it, the sweaters, the movies, the smells, the hot chocolate...boy, hot chocolate.” Patrick decided the cars that we’re watching Kay talk thought she was insane considering how much she talks with her hands. So, he just let her continue, enjoying the company of her thoughts. "But fine, if you wanna go to the park and play Guess Who or something we can,” she stopped as they reached the other side of the street, “ on one condition.”

“And what would that be?” Patrick said through the biggest grin.

“Say we do get Guess Who, or maybe Battleship or something...but for every wrong guess, you have to do a part of your homework.” She turned and started walking toward the school’s driveway, smiling to herself knowing she has bested Patrick.

“Aw come on,” Patrick followed up “that’s no fair.”

“Patrick I’m telling you you need to start doing your homework or your gonna continue to fail. It’s not that hard. Honestly.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“I’m serious. And I’m just trying to look out for you.”

“I know, I know….”

“Come on Grumpy, if we don’t hurry we’re gonna be late.” Kay hooked her arm around his and began to drag him toward the front of the school, whether he liked it or not.