Katherine arrived at Wheaton Academy at seven-thirty on the dot every single morning that school was in session. This included Mondays. While the entire school, teachers included, seemed to need the Board of Education approved hangover recovery time, she did not. She did, however, appreciate the peace and quite she found when the building wasn't filled with hundreds of idiotic teenagers chattering about their meaningless lives.

After several weekend sessions with Garrett, annoying bastard that he was, Katherine was feeling pretty confident where the SATs were concerned and put aside her meticulous studying, opting to read for pleasure instead.

Carefully lowering herself onto a small towel she'd laid out on the ground, she settled herself beside the door to her first class of the day. It had been a while since she'd read anything without trying to memorize it word for word and it felt strange not to be so focused as she began to pick her way through the first couple of pages in The Taming of the Shrew.

Though strange a first, the book was one of her favorites and she was soon completely lost in it's pages, paying no attention to her surroundings. She had, at least, another half hour before the school filled with the cretins and she intended to take advantage while she could.

Katherine wasn't the only one who liked to arrive at school before the other students. It was ridiculous to waste an entire morning before coming to campus, especially when it was so rarely quiet in these halls. He'd spent a little extra time with his father this morning, hanging out with him until he had to get to the bank and then he'd made his way to Wheaton Academy, settling himself in the library and picking up the morning paper.

After catching up on current events, he read over the research paper he'd written over the weekend a few times, pulling it up on the screen to make a few last minute adjustments.

Satisfied that he was prepared for the school day, Garrett left the library to take a leisurely stroll on the grounds. A smirk moved over his face when he spotted Katherine there, obviously deep in thought.

"Taming of the Shrew, huh?" he teased her, unaware of the truth in his question. "Reading about yourself, Katie?"

That voice. Ugh. That voice.

While it was silky smooth and almost charming, it could be likened to the sound of fingernails scraping down a chalk board. It grated every single one of her nerves and sent a chill of disgust down her spine.

How could he do that? How could he affect her so strongly? How could he get on her nerves by merely existing?

"Katherine," she corrected with an annoyed sigh before she even acknowledged his question. "Hardly." She snapped the book closed and looked up to him as she spoke. "I would starve to death before I was tamed by an unintelligent, egotistical pig who is simpleminded enough to confuse insult with sexual innuendo."

It was even more annoying that he'd hit the nail on the head. While she didn't fully understand it, she'd always identified with Katherine. It was why she enjoyed the story so much. She and the fictional Katherine were alike in so many ways. In her youth, she'd hoped for own personal Petruccio. The Taming of the Shrew was the most realistic and appealing love story she'd ever read.

"Oh, I don't know, princess," he countered, "I can definitely see some similarities. Beyond just the name, of course." He couldn't help the smirk that spread over his face as she reacted to his presence and his words.

He knew she'd never admit it, but he was certain she found him attractive. How could she not? If his ego wasn't enough to assure him, she'd requested a number of SAT study sessions with him. She could deny it all she liked, but he was sure he enjoyed having him around.

"Although," he added, his voice lower as he leaned in until his lips were as close to her ear as he could manage, "I rather prefer you untamed."

Princess.

There weren't enough words in the English language to describe how much she wanted to stab him as that single word left his lips. While she most definitely was a princess in every sense of the word, it sounded mildly... obscene when he said it.

"Oh? Enlighten me. Apart from the name, how are Katherine and I similar?"

Katherine wouldn't have admitted it under pain of torture but she didn't find Garrett unattractive. Sure, he was pleasant on the eyes, Wheaton was full of enough simpering fools eager to assure him of of this fact. His personality, though, could test the patience of a saint.

It was quite a stretch to say that Katherine enjoyed having him around. She enjoyed feeling prepared for the most important test she'd encountered thus far in her young life. She was willing to tolerate his many faults as long as he was serving a purpose. Sure, she could have chosen someone else to study with but, the truth was, their school was horridly lacking in intelligence. He was the only other person enrolled at Wheaton that didn't ramble endlessly about the opposite sex and the many social events the city had to offer.

Katherine's back was against the wall and she was unable to pull away as he leaned closer to her. Not that it mattered. As a rule, she hide any reaction he pulled from her... short of disgust, that is.

While her pulse unexpectedly sky rocketed at his sudden nearness, appeared completely unaffected as he spoke directly into her ear.

"Tamed. Untamed," she answered, her voice calm, without flaw. "When it comes to me, you'll never experience the difference between the two."

Garrett was sure that wasn't true. He was absolutely certain that he could make her his. Maybe not today and maybe not anytime soon, but he was Garrett Pitt. If there was anything he wanted, he would make it his, no matter what it took.

"The term heinous bitch comes to mind, love," he purred in her ear, deciding he liked this leaning in close to her. She couldn't possibly be as unaffected as she was acting. No girl could be completely unaffected by him leaning in close like this.

"She's beautiful, opinionated, sexy as hell when she's pissed.." He trailed off and pulled back just slightly to smirk at her some more. "It's mildly arousing the way he gains her obedience, the way she turns submissive for him."

Truth be told, Katherine wasn't the only one who enjoyed the story so much. Garrett had always found the character of Katherina quite appealing. Much more so than the supposedly more desirable Bianca.

Katherine was just as certain that she would never belong to Garrett Pitt. Maybe he was capable of conquering the entire world but, as long as there was a breath in her body, she'd make sure that she was the one exception to that rule.

"Bestill my heart," she answered softly. "Such compliments. You really do know how to flatter a girl, don't you?"

Maybe she wasn't completely unaffected by how close they currently were but she was capable of schooling any reaction he might pull from her. There was no way he could know for certain. As long as she retained control of her motor functions, she'd made damned sure it stayed that way.

Again, she found herself despising him as he listed the qualities she'd always admired in one of her favorite fictional characters.

"Arousing?" she questioned, her tone full of dismay and disgust. "He pushes her past the point of exhaustion. He starves her. He tortures her. Of course, you find that mildly arousing."

Ignore, for the moment, that she had always thought the taming of the shrew was more than mildly arousing.

She acted annoyed and disgusted, but Garrett was sure he'd wear her down eventually. It might take a bit of finesse and perseverance, but Garrett was confident he could find a way to seduce even this girl.

"Why are you reading it so intently if you hate it so much, Katie?" he questioned her, his usual arrogant smirk still in place. He was certain from the strength of her objection that she enjoyed it just as much as he did. After all, she was protesting far too much to be sincere in what she was saying and his point right there was a good one, he thought. If she was so disgusted by the whole thing, she wouldn't be willingly reading the story, would she? It wasn't like they'd been assigned it in a class or it was necessary preparation for the SATs. She had to be reading it for pleasure.

"Katherine," she nearly growled, her nose flaring slightly. She knew that she only encouraged him with every correction but she couldn't seem to stop herself. Katie. Love. Princess. His pet names annoyed her to no end. She wanted him to know that he wasn't achieving anything by using them. She wasn't one of his usual tittering fools and she didn't find it endearing in the least.

"Have you considered, even for a second, that I might read the book because I enjoy Bianca's story?" she questioned, a smirk moving over her own lips.

She didn't usually make a habit of lying but she hated letting him get the best of her. She hated that he seemed to know her so well, in spite of her guarded nature.

"No way," he argued, completely ignoring her correction and focusing on their argument over Taming of the Shrew. "Bianca's story is boring. She's a simpering moron with not an ounce of the allure of Katherina. She's not remotely interesting."

He spoke with complete confidence. Garrett liked to think he knew Katherine fairly well, no matter how much she tried to push him away. He paid attention when she spoke, even when he was feigning apathy, and he'd managed to observe quite a lot about her in the time he'd known her.

Besides, he hadn't been lying when he said he saw parallels between her and Katherina. If she identified with anyone in the story, it was her. He was sure of it.

Katherine was set to argue her point but she faltered slightly when he stated, almost verbatim, her own opinion of Bianca.

Was she that easily read? Were her inner thoughts and personal opinions nothing more than an open book where he was concerned? It frustrated her to no end that he seemed to read her without the slightest hint of trouble. She was sure to keep her distance where he was concerned. Yet, he seemed to know more about her than her immediate family.

"You're not wrong," she finally admitted. "Bianca is a simpering, uninteresting, moron. The book is titled Taming of the Shrew for a reason. Katherina is the heroine. Bianca's story is nothing more than unnecessary side plot." She paused a moment, considering her next words. "I never said I hated the book. I said that Petruccio starves and tortures Katherina. There is nothing arousing about the taming, the breaking, of such a beautiful, strong creature."

Katherine usually held direct eye contact when taking part in a conversation but she dropped her gaze part of the way through her last sentence. The passion she felt for the story showed in her expression as she spoke. She was denying that she was aroused by the barbaric breaking of Katherina but that was the furthest thing from the truth. She was quite turned on by the dominating of the character she identified with and, for the briefest of moments, she was afraid something in her expression might betray her.

"If Shakespeare was looking to arouse a woman of my nature," she informed him, as her gaze moved back to his, "the story would have been titled Taming of the Boastful, Selfish, Materialistic Pig."

Garrett watched with amusement as Katherine dropped her gaze. He knew her mannerisms possibly better than she did and that right there was a sure sign she wasn't being entirely forthcoming in her response to him. He was even more confident that he'd struck a nerve when she dropped her gaze like that.

He wouldn't admit it to many people, but Garrett kind of loved these discussions with her. He loved the bickering, the defiance in her gaze. She was one of the few girls in the school capable of carrying on such an intelligent conversation and the way she spoke to him... Garrett strongly suspected there was a lot of passion lurking beyond her icy exterior.

"Women weren't even allowed on stage in those times," he chided her softly, shaking his head. "I sincerely doubt Shakespeare was concerned about the state of your panties in the slightest." He paused, his smirk growing a bit. "But you like the story more than you're letting on. You see yourself in Katherina just as much as I do. You're dying for someone to break you the way she was broken."

It went without saying that Garrett would gladly serve Petruccio's role for her. Whether she admitted to wanting it or not.

Even the greatest of poker players had a tell. Garrett was simply observant enough to have picked up on hers. She dropped eye contact when she was being less than honest, the same way a man might fiddle with his tie when bluffing through a hand Texas hold 'em.

Like Garrett, Katherine enjoyed their debates. He was one of the only people at Wheaton Academy capable of carrying his weight in such a discussion. Usually, she was uninterested in conversing with anyone else. Even the simplest of exchanges, a polite excuse me while navigating the lunchroom, was like waging a battle of wits on an unarmed... generation.

She had to force it but Katherine laughed heartily at his assessment of the situation.

"I want to be broken?" she questioned, pretending to be quite amused by the thought. "I see myself in Katherina," she admitted, a smirk on her face. "I wont deny that. However, it's completely ludicrous that you think I want to be broken. If you've not noticed, we have enough simpering idiots on this planet. Why would I want to become one of them?"

Garrett was amused by her vehement denial of what he perceived to be unquestionable fact. The more she protested, the more he was sure of his thoughts.

He almost laughed when she questioned why she would want to become one of them. The idea was ludicrous, of course.

"My dearest Katie," he murmured, leaning in toward her again as he spoke in a tone that had worked so well when it came to seducing that adorable little blonde he'd taken to Homecoming. "You couldn't be a simpering idiot if you tried.." He paused briefly before continuing. "But that doesn't mean you don't want to be dominated. That doesn't mean you don't want to give yourself over to a man so completely that you're willing to do anything to please him."

He pulled back suddenly, smirk still in place. "Don't worry, Katie, love, I won't tell anyone."

Again, her pulse raced when he leaned closer to her. She didn't understand that particular physical reaction. She wasn't attracted to him. His silky smooth voice and sweet scent didn't affect her in the same ways it had affected Jenna. Her heart didn't race when she thought of him and she'd never felt a single butterfly in her stomach when they were conversing. She didn't know why her pulse raced when he was near but it was easily dismissed as distrust. She didn't trust Garrett Pitt as far as she could throw him. He might appear to be an upstanding young man but she didn't believe it for a second. Regardless of the cause, the reaction was easily hidden and she was grateful for that.

While the shortening of her name didn't go unnoticed, she didn't bother correcting him again. She knew it was a pointless endeavor. More importantly, though, she was focused on everything else that he was murmuring, as if he expected his tone to smooth her over.

"For the sake of argument," she answered, her tone matching his exactly, "let's say that you're right. Maybe I do want to meet a man that is capable of bending me to his every desire - my own personal Petruccio, if you will. That admission does nothing for you, though. You're no Petruccio. You're nothing more than a teenage Don Juan."

Katherine's smirk matched his when she finished her miniature speech. Maybe she did want to be completely dominated by a man. One thing was certain, though, Garrett Pitt would never be that man.

It was probably good for Katherine that Garrett didn't know how her pulse raced when he leaned in like that. Garrett would have found that bit of information far too useful. And a little bit amusing. As if was, he had the arrogance to assume she found him attractive, whether she'd admit to it or not.

Garrett was an upstanding young man. His recreational activities didn't take away from that. He might have a penchant for corrupting the innocence, but that didn't change his breeding or social position. He was intelligent, determined and, more importantly, he was a Pitt. It just didn't get any better.

He snorted openly at her comparison. "You assume, princess," he stated with just the right amount of difference in his tone, "that I have an interest in being your Petruccio." He shook his head and laughed softly. "I hate to break it to you, Katie, but as entertaining as it would be to watch, you're not that attractive."

It was a lie, of course. She was beautiful. Garrett would love to defile her in a hundred different ways. There was no way he was admitting that, though.

Katherine would willingly agree with most of that. Garrett was intelligent and determined. Those were very admirable qualities. His last name, while impressive, meant nothing to her. Then again, she was of the opinion that nothing could make up for his personality.

She rolled her eyes as he used yet another pet name. Princess. Love. Katie. He was driving her nuts!! Was Katherine that difficult? Was it impossible for him to use her real name?

Not that she was focused on that particular annoyance for long.

It was a very good thing that Katherine had exceptional control over her reactions. Otherwise, she would have been unable to hide the shock, outrage, and annoyance she felt as he pronounced her not that attractive.

Not that she cared whether or not he found her attractive. It was just... he was such an arrogant, self-centered, chauvinistic bastard. Ugh!

"I assume nothing of the sort, love," she returned, her tone matching his exactly. "I'm merely making sure that we're on the same page. I know that it's easy for a man of your stature to have illusions of grandeur. I'm the one thing that is completely and utterly out of your reach. I wouldn't want you to be confused on that point."

That wasn't a lie.

Garrett knew what her name was, of course. He also knew how very much it annoyed her when he called her other things. He didn't know why he enjoyed getting such a rise out of Katherine, but he did. It was just too tempting to push her buttons when she reacted as she did.

He had to fight laughter when she reacted just as he'd predicted to his claims that he wasn't attracted to her. He'd told that lie specifically to annoy her and he was sure it had worked.

"Oh, make no mistake Katherine," he argued, a pleasant smile on his face. "Nothing and no one is out of my reach. If I wanted you, you would be mine. I'm simply not interested enough to pursue you."

Katherine was fully aware that his continuous use of cutesy pet names was specifically designed to annoy the hell out of her. It was a shame she wasn't capable of hiding her irritation over being called anything other than Katherine. She was certain complete indifference would go further than her constant corrections.

While she would never ever admit to it, she'd reacted just as he'd wanted her to. She'd been quite annoyed by being labeled unattractive but, in her opinion, she was hiding that indignation quite well.

She smirked at his confidence before shaking her head. "No, Garrett," she assured him. "You are the one who is mistaken. You may be quite capable of conquering the world but I am the tried and true exception to that rule. Regardless of your desires, I would never belong to you."

He could sooth his ego by saying it wasn't true but it was. He couldn't own her. He couldn't tame her.

"Keep telling yourself that, princess," he returned, everything in his tone and expression suggesting that he was only humoring her, that he was completely confident that he could make her his if he desired it. The truth was that he was determined to make it happen. She would be his greatest conquest, but one of these days, he would make her bend to his will, he would get her to admit she desired him.

It was going to be a beautiful day when that happened. Garrett could just imagine how she'd be in the sack. He could just imagine how amazing it would be. For her, he might even be willing to go back for seconds. Maybe.

He didn't show how much he did want her, though. It was better than she not know he intended to seduce her, that everything he said and did was a calculated attempt to get into her panties.

"Don't worry, Katie," he taunted her. "I'm sure somedaysomeone will want you."

Katherine smirked. He might have been only humoring her but she knew her words to be true. She would never be his... not even if he desired it. Garrett Pitt might be able to get any and everything he wanted but that rule didn't apply to her. She couldn't be bought, bartered, or traded and, honestly, his supposed charm had absolutely no affect on her.

"Keeping assuring yourself that I'm wrong," she tossed back in the same tone. "I'm sure that ego of yours needs nursing."

She felt another wave of annoyance and indignation wash over her as he added that last little bit but she hid it well. Her eyes locked with his and she visualized smacking him hard across his face... the loud pop that would punctuate the stinging in her hand, the red mark that would be left behind. She smiled.

"Yes, and let's hope he actually lives up to my standards. You know how much I hate to be disappointed." Her words might have been a tad sarcastic but her tone didn't show it.

Katherine shared other personality traits with the fictional Katherina. Deep down, buried, hidden from herself, as well as the world, she also worried that she would become an old maid. Sure, she had plenty of time. Girls weren't required to marry as young as they had been when Shakespeare had written Taming. The fear was there, though, even if she didn't even realize it. Which was why he'd gotten under her skin with that last comment. Not that he could ever be certain it had affected her so greatly. She was a professional when it came to hiding her emotions.

"Oh, don't worry about me, sweetheart. My ego is firmly intact."

Garrett flashed her a grin, confident that his charm was much more effective than she claimed. He knew she would be his, eventually, if only for the time it took to rob her of her virtue, no matter how she protested that fact now.

His expression remained smug at her sarcastic retort and he wondered if he'd struck a nerve. Probably. Every girl desperately wanted someone to sweep her off her feet, even this one, he suspected. She might protest such an assertion, but he was certain he was right about his claims - the she did want her very own modern day Petruccio.

"I'm not certain such a creature exists. You might want to get used to disappointment," he suggested, "if you don't want to end up an old maid."

"Of course," she agreed in a patronizing tone.

Katherine didn't think mere words would actually have an wound an ego as large as his. Honestly, it was so over inflated, she wasn't sure a bazooka would have an affect.

Was that meant to be a charming grin? She didn't see it as such. The only reaction a grin like that pulled from her was annoyance and blind hatred.

While he had definitely struck a nerve, she wasn't about to admit to that fact.

"If my only other option is to settle for someone as unworthy as you," she returned without hesitation, the smile on her face seeping into her tone, "I would prefer to be an old maid. That would be a good lesson for you to learn, now, love. Never settle. Always strive for perfection."

"I won't need to settle," he informed her with a smirk. "I am perfectly capable of attaining perfection." The truth was that Garrett expected to marry for breeding and position rather than for love, much like his father had the first time. He doubted he'd be faithful to the woman, of course, but Garrett had no time or use for things like love and romance. His career was far more important to him than either of those things.

His brothers likely thought him insane, but Garrett had always been the ambitious one. If he had his way, he'd be President someday. As long as his future wife was a proper public figure, that was all that mattered, and he was certain he could find such a woman.

He might have been offended by being called unworthy if he'd taken her comment seriously. Honestly, though, he was sure she was lying, even if she, herself didn't realize it. There was nothing and no one a Pitt could be unworthy of, after all.

"Neither will I," she informed him confidently, her smile never fading.

Honestly, Katherine had never really considered her romantic future. While it wasn't the norm for girls her age, she held the opinion that she was far too young for such nonsense. Obtaining the best possible education was the only thing that mattered to her at the moment. Once she'd managed that, she would be just as focused on establishing herself in her desired field. Everything else would come later. Eventually, she planned to marry a successful man and have a child but that was years away, she would worry about it when it was closer to becoming a reality.

As they'd bickered with one another, the school had begun to fill with chattering teenagers. The passing of a particularly loud group of girls brought this fact to her attention and she flashed him a grin as she began to shove her book back into her bag.

"Are you free tonight?" she questioned as she pushed up from the ground. She was wearing a skirt and was extra careful to keep it at a modest level until she had collected the small towel she'd been sitting on and was standing.

She wasn't questioning him for social reasons, obviously. She was only interested in what he could do for her. While his uses were few, she'd found that he was an excellent study partner.

Garrett was trying to tune out the noisy chatter around them. He'd been having a perfectly entertaining conversation with Katherine and the usual background noise that had started to interfere grated on his nerves more than he would dare to show. Had he mentioned how he hated most of the filth he had to share this place with? You would think that with all the money his father and grandfather had given the place, they could have some standards.

"Asking me out, Katie?" he returned when she questioned him on whether he was free. He knew perfectly well why she'd asked, but he couldn't resist attempting to antagonize her. It was, after all, nearly time for them to both get to class and he wouldn't have many more opportunities this morning. He had to take advantage of the time he had presently.

While Katherine wasn't remotely fond of her classmates, she couldn't help being grateful for the interruption. She'd had her fill of conceited jackass for the moment and was in desperate need of a believable reason to excuse herself. After all, she couldn't let him know that he was actually getting to her.

"Obviously," she answered, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "I burn, I pine, I perish. If I achieve not this..."

She trailed off and gave him a bit of a look. Had he not listened to anything she'd said? He was beneath her. That wasn't going to change in a matter of seconds. "The test is Saturday," she answered seriously. "Aside from me, you're the only person in this school with any intelligence."

Katherine hated having to ask him for anything and she was hoping she'd said enough that he would infer she wanted him to study with her.

"So, you're requesting a study date, then?" Garrett questioned her with his usual smirk in place. He knew it was nothing resembling a date and he would prefer her company to anyone else's while studying for the exam, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to take a moment to goad her further. Really, she just made it too easy sometimes.

Maybe it was wrong to torment her like this, but Garrett couldn't help himself. He loved irritating her. He loved watching her control her reactions. He was sure she was much more irritated than she even let on and that pleased him to no end.

Besides, he was Garrett Pitt. It wasn't like he possessed anything resembling a guilty conscience.

Katherine was so overcome with annoyance when he used the phrase study date that she could do nothing more than stare at him for a moment.

"That is not the phrasing I would have used," she answered, her tone free of the emotions she'd bitten back. "If that's the only way you can get a date, though..."

This exchange probably wasn't helping her case but she couldn't seem to control herself. In one breath, he was comparing her to Katherina... beautiful, opinionated, sexy as hell when she's pissed. The next, he was insisting that he wasn't remotely interested in her... that she wasn't even attractive. Now, this.

He was so annoying! She'd never meet anyone more infuriating in her entire life and, considering the idiots they shared a school with, that was really saying something.

"Does seven work for you?" she pushed, hoping that he would agree so that she could get the hell away from him.

"It's a date," he agreed, the smirk still perfectly in place. He was amused by the way she'd stared at him. He was amused by her reactions to him in general. Were her remarks meant to irritate him? They only served to encourage his behavior, to show him that he was getting to her in some way.

"I'll see you at 7, darling," he added, leaning in to press his lips to her cheek before she could stop him. Of course, he also moved away from her and turned to start making his way towards his locker fairly quickly. He was certain that last bit of contact was going to annoy her and he didn't much care to give her any real time to react.

After all, he didn't exactly want to get hit, which he was fairly certain she was going to want to do.

Katherine refrained from rolling her eyes when he insisted, yet again, that it was a date.

He was only doing this to annoy her. She'd said that she would never be his and he was pushing the use of that word to ... to drive her insane, obviously.

Of course, it only got better from there.

There was another of those frustrating pet names. Darling... as if...

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She was forcing herself to smile as she pictured, yet again, how nice it would be to slap that smug little smirk right off his face. Then, out of no where, he was pressing his lips to her cheek.

Katherine was frozen in shock. That was the only way she could explain the fact that he'd pulled a stunt like that and managed to begin his retreat without losing a limb. She was so shocked by his... boldness that she couldn't move.

He didn't... the audacity... the... her vocabulary had left her. Her pulse was racing. Though, this time, she knew exactly what had caused it - pure unadulterated rage.

That was disgusting. She was suddenly hit with the urge to bathe... in acid. There was this heavy place on her cheek, as if he'd left something behind - poison, no doubt. That was uninvited, unwanted contact. What if someone had seen? He'd touched her as if... as if he was allowed to touch her. What if someone had seen and gotten the wrong idea?

Her thoughts finally rolled around to how she wanted to react to such a... an... arrogant, cocky... but he was out of reach. She couldn't hit him without chasing him down and it would be a cold day in hell before she ever...

Finally snapping into motion, she headed for the nearest bathroom. She had to wash or... do something. That sickeningly heavy feeling on her cheek had to go away.

She hated him. Ugh! She hated him. Why was he so... UGH!