As Buffy Summers caught sight of his face, she remembered why three o’clock p.m. was her absolute favorite time of day. She waved goodbye to her friend Willow and focused on her favorite spectacle.
William Pratt was leaning against the side of his car looking like James Dean with platinum hair. Hands in pockets, cigarette dangling from his lips and dressed in his usual jeans and t-shirt. She could see him smirking as she neared the car and she felt those familiar “butterflies” in her stomach.
“How many hearts you break today, pet?” he asked with a teasing grin.
“Shut up,” she retorted, flushing red with embarrassment.
“Gotta come up with a better comeback than that, Summers!”
“I’m sorry I haven’t attained your level of snark yet, Will.”
“Sarcasm, much better,” he joked. This type of back and forth with teasing jokes was typical for the Buffy and Will.
“Where’s Xander?” Buffy asked.
It was unusual for her big brother to not be there with Will. Everyday at three, Buffy would leave school, say goodbye to her friend Willow and meet Xander and Will in the school parking lot. Will would drive them home in his black DeSoto. He would stay at their house for a while, usually doing homework. Xander always swore that Will was the only reason he had gotten through most of high school.
“We cut out early today. I came back to get you,” he informed her.
“You know, Will, there are better ways to spend your afternoon than smoking weed in Xander’s bedroom.”
“Who says we were smoking? Matter of fact, we left early so we could study. We only missed gym and home ec, both those classes are a bloody waste of time if you ask me,” he said as he opened his car door and climbed inside.
“Well, at least I get to ride shotgun for once,” she sighed and got into the passenger seat.
“A true rarity, luv. Enjoy it while you can.” He started to pull out of the lot. “Seatbelt, Buffy!” he scolded her.
“You’re not wearing yours,” she noted.
“Yes, and that’s because I’ve got no one to care if I fly through the windshield. You, however, have a mum and brother who would miss you very much.”
“Ugh, whatever,” she clicked her seatbelt into place. She wished that she could hear Will say that he cared about her, not that her just mom and Xander would miss her.
They drove in comfortable silence. Buffy would glance at Will every so often, not being able to help herself.
‘Why does Xander have to have such a hot best friend?’ she wondered to herself.
Xander and Will had been friends since their first day of seventh grade. Will had just moved to Sunnydale from England. Xander being the friendly guy he was immediately befriended Will. They had been nearly inseparable ever since. Buffy was ten at the time, but remembered being immediately besotted with Will. He had been much more nerdy then, with glasses and his naturally curly brown hair. Even so, Buffy thought he was the most beautiful boy she had ever seen and five years and puberty had done nothing to diminish her feelings. In fact, they had only grown since she had gotten to know Will.
He was at their house almost all the time, having a somewhat troubling home life. His parents fought constantly, both having a drinking problem, so he was eager to get out of the house. Buffy and Xander’s parents were divorced, and their mother Joyce was as warm and welcoming as a mother could be. She had become a second mother to Will, and a far better one than his own at that. Joyce was taken by Will’s charms as quickly as Buffy had, and Will became a part of the Summers family.
So Buffy was doomed to pine after Will forever, holding onto the hope that maybe he would feel the same someday.
Buffy decided to break the silence,
“Have you applied to any schools yet?” she asked. Will and Xander were both seniors, and as it was November, they should both be considering their options. However, Buffy had heard little about either of their plans. Xander usually just shrugged the question off when Buffy or Joyce would bring it up.
“Um, not yet,” he said quickly.
“But, Will, you’re so smart! You could get into almost any school. Have you even thought of any yet?”
“I dunno, pet. I just haven’t,” he said evasively. Buffy decided to drop the subject. Clearly it was a touchy subject for Will.
She always wished that he would talk to her more, at least about things that were important. Sure, he was around a lot and he teased her the same way a brother would. She supposed that things would always be this way, especially because of Xander and Will’s seemingly impenetrable relationship.
They pulled up to Buffy’s house and Will parked in his usual spot. Joyce worked long hours at a local gallery, so Buffy and Xander were usually left to fend for themselves.
When they entered the house, Xander was sitting on the couch with the television on. He had a bag of chips in his lap and was drinking one of the beers he and Will had bought with their fake I.D.s. Buffy noticed the glazed look in Xanders bloodshot eyes.
“You guys were getting high! I knew it!” she exclaimed.
“I was not getting high. You’re brother, however…” he trailed off, looking at Xander disapprovingly. “ We left school early so you could study for that history test your probably gonna fail, not so you could get high, mate.”
The weed had mellowed Xander, and Will’s scolding barely fazed him.
“Chill out, Will. It’ll be fine,” he drawled.
“No it won’t, Xander!” Buffy butted in. “Mom is gonna kill you if you fail another test! Not to mention if she finds out you were smoking in the house again.”
“Kitten, please,” Will turned to her. “I’ll take care of it.”
Buffy knew he wanted her to leave. This was the perfect example of the two boys shutting her out. Deep down, she knew Will was right. He had always had a way of getting through to Xander that Buffy and Joyce could never manage. However, Buffy was still hurt by the condescending tone he took with her. She started to leave the room and head up to her room.
“Don’t forget to put your bong away before mom gets home!” she yelled from the stairs in the brattiest voice she could muster. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t act like a ten year old if I want Will to see me as an equal,’ she thought to herself.
Buffy left her door open so she could try and hear their conversation. She listened hard, but could only hear their muffled voices. She decided to de her own homework while she waited.
After finishing her math homework, she figured it was safe to go back downstairs.
She entered the living room and saw Will drawing in a sketchbook while Xander slept with his feet in Will’s lap. Will barely looked up as Buffy entered, but sensed her presence.
“He’s sleeping until he sobers up. He should be ready to study before Joyce gets home.”
“ What did you say to him?” she asked out of curiosity.
“Nothing special, just made him realize a few things.”
‘Could he be more vague,’ Buffy thought.
Yet, so it was the nature of Xander and Will’s relationship. They kept each other in line. When Will got so angry, usually with his parents, Xander was the only one who could calm him. Conversely, when Xander let his lazy tendencies get the best of him, Will managed to motivate him.
Buffy sat down in the armchair across from the couch and watched Will as he drew the sleeping Xander. She noticed their complete comfort with each other and couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy at their closeness, wondering what it was that made them so close.
squawks
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!