Friendship

Note: Text enclosed in < > represents thoughts or feelings. 

Willow stayed home sick the next day.  She had nearly perfect attendance so it was easy to convince her mother that she didn't feel well. 

Willow's mother took her temperature, "Honey, should I call into work and make an appointment with Dr. Williams?" 

Willow looked down, she couldn't meet her mother's eyes.  <I feel so guilty lying to her.  But I can't stand to see Xander and Buffy together today.>  "No, Mom, really.  I'll be ok.  Really.  I just need to rest," she mumbled.  "I'm so tired."  <At least that's true.> 

"Well,.all right,"  Willow's mother glanced at her watch.  "I need to get ready for work.  There's leftovers in the fridge.  Make sure you eat something.  I'll call to check in on you.Oh, your father and I are going out to dinner with the Marlows tonight.  Maybe Buffy or Xander could come over tonight to keep you company." 

"Mom, I'll be fine,"  Willow reassured her mother.  "Besides, Buffy and Xander probably have a date tonight.or something."  <I wonder if Xander's kissed her yet.> 

Willow's mother looked surprised, "Are Buffy and Xander dating?  I didn't know that." 

"They just started,"  Willow stared at the ground again in misery.  She wasn't enjoying this conversation. 

"Well, that's nice.  Xander is a nice young man,"  Willow's parents liked Xander a lot.  They had practically grown up together.  "Oh, and Honey?"  Willow's mother paused from the door. 

Willow looked up.  "You're father and I have been worried about you, Sweetheart.  We're very concerned about some of the things that have been happening at that school.  We'd like to take some time this weekend to talk."  <Oh no, a Discussion.  What else bad can happen to me?> 

"Sure, Mom, we can talk sometime on Saturday,"  Willow replied.  Her mom finally left Willow's bedroom to get ready for work and Willow sank back into her bed, feeling gloomy.  <Guess I'd better call Xander before he leaves to walk over here.> 

The phone rang twice.  "Xander here, lady-killer at your service." 

Willow sighed,  "Xander, it's me, Willow." 

"Will, what's up?  I'm not late am I?"  Willow could here clattering and water running in the background.  <Bathroom noises.> 

"No, but I'm not going to school today," Willow explained.  "I don't feel well." 

"Geez, Will that's too bad,"  more clattering.  "I was going to regale you tales of my prowess on the way to school,"  Xander crowed. 

"Gee, darn, I hate to miss it,"  Willow tried hard to sound, feel disappointed.  After all, Xander was her best friend and she wanted to feel happy for him.  <I love him, but sometimes this boy is so dense.> 

"Hey, that's ok!  No prob,"  Xander felt generous today, he was riding high.  "I'll stop by and see you after school.  I've gotta run.  See ya later." 

"Looking forward to it,"  the receiver went dead in Willow's hand.  Xander had hung up.  "Bye, " she said softly and set down the phone. 

Willow's mother called twice. 

Willow ate a pint of Ben & Jerry cookie dough ice cream and listened to her Fiona Apple CDs all day long.  She felt too listless to go on-line, so she tried to study instead.  After memorizing page 157 of her history text, Willow gave up on that also. 

Xander stopped by after school, like he had promised, and proceeded to tell Willow every intimate detail of his date with Buffy last night.  Willow stared at him blankly.  Most of the details washed by her but she absorbed enough to catch the general gist.  <They had kissed.> 

Willow feigned an upset stomach and sent Xander on his way.  He had a date with Buffy tonight.  Willow skipped dinner and cried herself to sleep.  She became vaguely aware when her mother stopped in to check on her. 

Around six-thirty, the phone rang.  Still sleepy, Willow answered it.  Through a fog she heard Giles expressing his concern and requesting that Willow return a book on obscure vampire mythology that she had borrowed from the library the week before.  It sounded urgent.  He offered to stop by her house and pick it up. 

Willow surprised herself by volunteering to drop it at the library tonight.  Giles agreed to meet her there and hung up.  Willow found herself holding a dead receiver, again. 

<Enough wallowing in self-pity girl.  Time to get moving.>  Willow dragged herself out of bed and into the shower. 

It was dark out by the time Willow left her house.  Summer days were growing shorter and the sun set sooner.  The thought of sunset sent chills up Willow's spine. 

Willow pulled Angel's jacket closer to her body;  she wasn't cold but it stopped the chills. 

Willow fully intended to give Angel's jacket to Giles and ask him to return it to him for her.  <Giles sees Angel more often than I do cause of their book club.  I just need a plausible excuse for why I have it in the first place.> 

Willow mulled this over while she walked.  She finally decided to stick to the truth--she was cold and Angel loaned her the jacket.  <No reason to go into details.> 

The evening was nice and it was still early enough that other people were around.  Willow decided it was safe to take a short-cut through the park where she and Xander had played as children. 

Willow cut across the street and headed into the park.  <Besides, the other way goes by The Bronze and I'd rather not accidentally run into Buffy and Xander.> 

In the distance, Willow could see a nicely dressed couple strolling towards her, arm-in-arm.  Mid-way between them another man, smartly dressed and handsome, sat on a park bench reading a newspaper under the street lamp. 

Yuppies... 

Willow felt her stomach roil.  <Easy girl,> she told herself.  <I'm being silly.  I can't give into terrified paranoia everytime I meet a well dressed adult.  I'll be fleeing in terror from Giles.> 

THAT made her giggle. 

Willow and the couple drew closer to the oasis of light cast by the street lamp. 

Handsome stood up and folded his newspaper in half. 

Willow picked up her pace.  Past the couple, safe; past the man, safe.  She let out her breath. 

A hand touched her shoulder, "Excuse me ma'am..." 

Willow turned to look. 

Handsome wasn't handsome anymore... 

The monster tightened his grip, digging his claw into her shoulder.  Willow whimpered in pain. 

"I was wondering if you could spare some blood,"  his twisted face drew closer to her own. 

His face connected with the lamp post.  Thud. 

<Angel.>  Willow had never been so happy to see anyone. 

"The lady,"  Angel slammed Handsome into the lamp post again for emphasis.  Thud. 

"Isn't,"  thud. 

"Interested"  thud 

"."  thud. 

Willow noticed the couple staring, horrified and fascinated.  "My boyfriend," she quipped.  "He's always been a tad jealous." 

"Honey, if he's that jealous then dump him before he hurts you," the woman advised.  Her companion began to hurry her off.  "No man is worth that, no matter how good-looking!" she called after Willow. 

"I'll take that under advisement,"  Willow turned back to Angel and his punching bag.  Handsome's face was beaten beyond recognition.  The last thud had cracked his skull. 

Angel dropped him to the ground, facedown, and buried his knee in the vampire's back.  "I'm going to let you go," he snarled into the vampire's ear.  The broken body quivered with relief. 

"Tell your master this--this is my territory.  I don't like other vampires hunting in my territory.  He'll have to send more than whelps to defeat Angelus so I suggest he leave town or come after me himself.  Do you understand?" 

Handsome's head bobbed weakly. 

"If I ever see you again, I'll tear you from limb to limb,"  Angel hissed.  His fingers sank into Handsome's back, ripping fabric and flesh.  To Willow it look like he was almost ready to rip out the vampire's heart. 

"One last thing, the girl is under my protection,"  Angel racked his claws down his back for emphasis.  The vampire howled with pain until Willow started to feel ill again watching the abuse Angel inflicted. 

Finally, Angel got back to his feet and the vampire crawled, then staggered off into the night. 

Willow waited for Angel to say something, anything but he just stood there and watched her, brooding.  <Well, here we are again.  Staring, not speaking.  We really need to work on his communication skills.>