Chapter 3
Dawn
I woke up early today so that I could see Buffy off to work. I wanted to make her breakfast, like Mom used to, only we don’t have any breakfasty type food. So I make her coffee instead. After all, she is doing this so that I can live with her and not with Dad.
I smile at her small jokes about the effect that the outfit that she has to wear having on her complexion and assure her that I will be okay home alone. She looks nervous so I recite all the emergency numbers, promise not to go out alone after dark, and promise to stay out of trouble. This has been our daily routine since she started working, but it seems to be getting worse and I’m not sure why. She hugs me nervously and I notice a cut on her arm. I make a mental note to sign up for a first aid class.
After Buffy leaves, I wander around the house for a while racking my brain for things to do. It’s the first Monday since school ended and I’m already bored. We don’t have cable or internet anymore and our movie collection kind of sucks. Instead I pull out Mom’s “Things to do” pad of paper and make a list of things that I can do to help alleviate Buffy’s worries, and then chide myself for not thinking of this sooner. I write “shop for groceries” on the top followed by “sign up for first aid class”. I tap the pencil on my chin for a moment and then remember that I actually work today too, so I write “go to work” on the pad as well. There, I feel accomplished.
I run upstairs and haul out the box that holds my life savings in it. Okay, more like my allowance money since I haven’t been able to cash my paychecks due to the lack of a banking account and Buffy being too busy to go with me to open one, but still. I’ve got about fifty bucks in there that I was saving to go to Disneyland with Janice, but this is more important.
A little while later I’m at the local red cross. Turns out that they have a special babysitter’s first aid class that costs ten dollars less than the regular class and it’s on Thursday. I sign up and pride myself on saving money.
I venture to the grocery store after that. Somehow shopping is so much more difficult than it seemed when Mom was with me although I feel very grown up pushing my cart through the aisles. I wish I had thought to bring a calculator though because who knew that food was so expensive. The store is having a ten for ten sale and I’ve got thirty-five dollars, so I get ten boxes of cereal, ten bags of frozen vegetables, ten frozen pizzas, and some milk. My total is thirty-six dollars and seventeen cents.
“I thought that it was a ten for ten sale,” I protest, feeling proud for standing up for myself. “So with the milk, my total should be $33.99.”
The checkout woman looks bored. “Plus tax.”
Tax? What tax? There’s tax? “But I only have $35,” I mutter.
“Than I guess you’ll have to put something back,” the checkout woman snaps. “Seriously, I hate when parents send their kids to the store. This always happens. When’s your mom coming to pick you up because I don’t want to have to void the entire sale…especially when she sees what you bought.”
I can feel the tears stinging my eyes. “My-my m-mom d-d-died a little w-while ago.”
“Here.” The woman behind me hands the checkout woman a five dollar bill. “You don’t have to be so mean to her.”
“Thank you,” I say softly.
She pushes a strand of hair behind my ear. “It’s okay. My mom died when I was about your age and my dad used to send me to the grocery store too. It’ll get better.”
I don’t correct her about my dad. I thank her for her help, take my groceries, and run out of the store.
XXX
Buffy
Dawn has already left for work when I stop home to change clothes. There’s a note from her that she went grocery shopping. Darn, I knew there was something I forgot. I’ll have to pay her back. I’m determined to provide for her so that she can use her money for herself.
She left the mail on the table and I sigh. More bills with the words “Last Notice” stamped in big, red ink. Three of them are from the hospital. Will the doctors ever stop sending more bills? God, with the late fees that I’m racking up I’ll never be able to pay these things off.
I glance in the fridge and find a carton of milk and that’s it. What the heck did Dawnie buy? I open the freezer and get hit in the face with a box of frozen pizza. Ookay, pizza and veggies; I open the cabinet…and ten boxes of sugary cereal. Yum. Xander would be proud.
I feel a twinge when I think of Xander’s name and the awkward conversation from a few weeks earlier floats back to me. I wonder what I did that he’s so obviously angry at me.
The air conditioner kicks on and I run to turn it off. Air conditioner is a luxury that we can not afford. I’ll have to remember to dig the fans out from the basement.
A quick glance at the clock reminds me that I have to hurry. I run into my room and open my closet. Quickly, I throw on some jeans and a black baby tee, run a brush through my hair and put on some more deodorant. God I stink. I smell like-like Doublemeat Palace. Ew. I grab a bottle of body spray and shower myself with it. Great, now I smell like Doublemeat Palace and cucumber melon. I hate when I don’t leave myself enough time to shower between jobs.
XXX
Spike
When the Welcome to Sunnydale sign comes into view, I want to thank God for small bloody favors. I don’t. Instead I run the stupid sign over. All I want to do is collapse in my bed and sleep for another bloody two weeks. My head is finally better though and it seems that all my bits and pieces are working properly.
I pull up in front of the cemetery just as Clem is walking out. He sees me immediately.
“Spike! Where ya been? Been worried, thought you’d be back a long time ago.” He’s got this big, dopey grin on his face.
“Got laid up a bit,” I say, lighting a cigarette. “Where you off to? Poker?”
Clem shakes his head. “Naw, I only play on nights that Dawn doesn’t work.”
I frown and try to remember if Clem has ever mentioned a Dawn to me. Only Dawn I know is the bit…”Got a new girlfriend then?” I try to make it casual.
Clem looks at me funny and tries to laugh. “Boy, you’re funny Spike…date Dawn…even if she were old enough, her skin is just too tightly on her bones for me, plus, I don’t think the Slayer would like it.”
“Why is my bit working and why don’t you play poker on nights she works?” I’m trying to sound curious, but I’m really pissed off.
Clem shrugs. “Slayer wouldn’t let her work nights unless someone could walk her home and the video store said that she had to work a few nights a week.”
“And why is that someone you?”
Clem looks hurt. “You act like I would hurt her.”
“Just being curious. Wondering why none of her Scooby friends volunteered for the job…or the Slayer herself.” I’m tapping my toe impatiently inside my boot. Something isn’t right here.
Clem shrugs. “Well, the Slayer does pick her up on nights that she doesn’t work herself, but, well Dawnie says that the Scoobies haven’t really been around much.” Clem pauses and frowns. “I think the Slayer’s really lonely.”
“And how did you end up being the babysitter for the Slayer’s sister?” What the bloody fuck is going on here.
“Well, Dawn came by looking for you because she was going to ask you to do it, but you weren’t here and she said that if she couldn’t find someone to pick her up than Buffy wouldn’t let her have the job…She really wanted to job so I said that I would do it…Dawn’s nice.”
I run my hand over the back of my neck. All I want to do is eat something and go to sleep…although seeing my girls would be nice too.
“I’ll get her.”
Clem smiles. “Sure thing, Spike. I’ll go clear my things out of your crypt.”
I nod and get back in the car. I’m too tired to walk.
|
