A/N Dark fiction! This story has a very big Spike/Other and Buffy/Other warning!! There will be nothing graphic with the couples, but it does warrant a warning. If you don’t think you can handle it, this isn’t the story for you. It will eventually get back to the Spuffyness, but this is a story exploring the different aspects of relationships and rebuilding trust in each other.
Chapter 1 – Cause For Concern
When Sunnydale High’s most elite couple walked through the cafeteria doors,
everyone backed out of their way and let them through so they could reach their
usual table in the corner. Buffy Summers and William Giles were undoubtedly the
king and queen of their high school, even though they were only juniors.
Everyone knew them, respected them, and would’ve given anything to be them.
When William and his father moved from England to Sunnydale the summer before
eighth grade, it was practically love at first sight for both him and Buffy. It
wasn’t much of a surprise to anyone when they started dating a month later, and
after almost three and a half years passed, they were still together and going
strong. As far as everyone was concerned, they were young, in love, and happy.
It wasn’t even a stretch to say that Buffy planned on marrying him someday in
the near future. No one had ever made her feel the way William did, and she
couldn’t be happier with the relationship.
William pulled out Buffy’s chair for her and made sure she was seated before
sitting beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She cuddled up
against him, thankful that they could at least spend lunch together because they
didn’t have any of the same classes that semester. Their friends started to
trickle into the cafeteria and sat with them, filling the round table. Willow
Rosenberg, Buffy’s childhood friend, sat beside her, and Xander Harris claimed
the spot beside his redheaded friend. Daniel Osborne, otherwise named Oz, joined
them, followed by Riley Finn and his girlfriend Sam. Cordelia Chase was the last
to join the table, sitting down and promptly pulling out a compact so she could
touch up her make-up for the afternoon.
The table fell into conversation almost instantly, everyone gossiping or
catching up on the latest events. William noticed that Buffy wasn’t eating
anything. “Aren’t you hungry, luv?”
“I’m fine,” she answered, showing him her diet soda. “This will fill me up.”
“I hope you’re not on another diet,” he replied, frowning. “How many times do I
have to tell you that you’re perfect just the way you are?” She smiled at him
before giving him a chaste kiss. “If anything, you could gain a few pounds.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Do you think I’m too thin?” she asked, looking at her
body. “Am I undesirably skinny?”
He smiled. “No, I’d desire you no matter what,” he said in a low tone, curling
his tongue behind his teeth. She playfully smacked his arm and went back to
talking with Willow.
It was minutes later when William felt like someone was watching him. Casually
looking around the cafeteria, his eyes settled on a raven-haired beauty looking
at him from a few tables over. He smiled slightly at her before focusing on
Buffy again. Out of the corner of his eye, Will could tell that the girl was
still looking at him. He gently nudged Buffy to get her attention.
“Who’s the girl over there that’s looking at us?” he asked, not wanting to
address the fact that she was blatantly staring at him only. Buffy smiled and
waved at the girl.
“That’s Drusilla Evans,” she answered. “She’s my lab partner in Chemistry class.
Do you want to meet her?”
“Sure, why not?” he replied. Buffy motioned for the other girl to come over to
their table. She did, never looking away from William, who began to feel
somewhat uncomfortable from Drusilla’s intense gaze.
“Hello, Buffy,” Drusilla said, and William was surprised to hear that she, too,
was British.
“Hi,” Buffy smiled. “I wanted to introduce you to my boyfriend. Drusilla, this
is William Giles. Will, this is Drusilla.” He extended his hand, and she shook
it, their hands staying joined seconds longer than they should have been. Buffy
noticed but shrugged it off.
“It’s nice to meet you,” William said. “Where are you from?”
Drusilla smiled. “Another Englishman,” she replied. “I’m from London. And you?”
“I’m from London, too,” he answered, smirking. “Quite a coincidence, eh?”
“Yeah,” Buffy said, surprised. “It’s hard to believe that two Londoners would
end up in a place like Sunnydale.”
“Yeah,” William agreed. Drusilla smiled before looking at Buffy.
“Well, I won’t intrude on your lunch anymore,” she said. “But I’ll see you in
class tomorrow, Buffy.”
“That you will,” Buffy said. “Bye, Drusilla.” The other girl walked away,
returning to her table. Buffy looked at her boyfriend. “So, how do you like her?
She’s nice, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, she seems nice,” he said, hoping that Buffy wasn’t trying to set a trap
for him.
‘Girls always bloody do that,’ he thought. ‘They ask you trick questions that
end up making you look like the bad guy no matter how you answer.’ He noticed
her nod before she grabbed her soda and delved back into the table’s
conversation.
William tried to pay attention to what everyone was saying, but when his eyes
traveled over to look at Drusilla, he was somewhat happy to see that she was
once again looking at him. He quickly averted his gaze and ducked his head.
Buffy noticed that he was acting kind of funny and looked at him.
“Are you alright?” she asked quietly, taking his hand in hers and giving it a
gentle squeeze. He quickly smiled at her and kissed her temple.
“I’m perfectly fine, kitten,” he answered. She smiled and began talking about
the latest spring fashions with Cordelia. He made sure that she wasn’t looking
when he focused on Drusilla, talking with several girls at her table. He studied
her, taking in every detail of her clothing, the way her lips moved when she
talked, how her eyes sparkled when she laughed.
‘She’s flawless,’ he thought as she looked at him again. Buffy noticed that he
was looking elsewhere and followed his gaze, realizing that his eyes were locked
with Drusilla’s.
‘What’s going on?’ she asked herself, looking at him and the dreamy expression
on his face. Willow nudged her, and Buffy looked at her friend, quickly
dismissing the doubts that began to arise in her head at the thought that
William was attracted to Drusilla. ‘He and I’ve been through a lot together, and
he’s my soulmate- nothing’s going to tear us apart.’
What Buffy didn’t get to see was the wink that Drusilla directed at William
before talking with her friends again and the blush that crept up in his cheeks.
* * * * *
Buffy walked through campus a few days later, talking and laughing with
Willow.
“So you and William are set for the Christmas Dance?”
“Willow, it’s still two weeks away,” Buffy replied with a smile, her
friend’s excitement already rubbing off on her.
“I know, but I can’t help it,” Willow said with an excited hop. “I just
love these school dances, and Oz is already set to be playing with the
Dingoes, so I can’t help but look forward to it.”
“I know what you mean,” Buffy said, fiddling with the strap of her backpack.
“Dances are always a hundred times better when you’re there with someone.”
“How would you know?” the redhead teased, pushing her friend’s shoulder. “I
bet you’ve never had to go stag in your life.”
“Not true! There was a Sadie Hawkins dance in eighth grade, and I was
absolutely mortified when I asked Billy Fordham and he said no. But I
walked in that gym with my head held high.”
Willow smiled at her overly dramatic friend. “And what happened when you
walked into the gym?” she asked with a knowing smile.
Buffy immediately bit her lip and lowered her gaze. “Okay…so I danced a
lot…big deal.”
“And why?”
“Because guys kept coming up to me and asking me…happy now?”
“Almost,” Willow replied. “I’ll be happy when you tell me what happened
after all those guys asked you.”
Buffy sighed before answering. “William asked me to go out with him,” she
said with a sheepish smile, biting her lip as she tried to hold back the
smile that automatically coincided with the happy memory.
“Now I’m happy.”
Buffy gave her friend a mocking glare, not wanting to give her the
satisfaction of being right.
“Where is William, anyway?” Willow asked, looking around the campus. “He
usually meets you before you set one foot on the campus.”
“I don’t know,” Buffy said, looking around with a puzzled frown. “Maybe
he’s running late this morning.”
“I still don’t get why he doesn’t just pick you up in the tank that he calls
a car.”
“I’ve told you, Wills. He complains that I’d procrastinate so long that
I’ll make us both late everyday. At least with Mom bringing me to school,
she gets me motivated to get up and get dressed. If Will picked me up, he
would want to keep me in bed.”
“Too much information!” Willow shrieked, covering her ears as Buffy laughed.
“I so don’t need to know that!”
“Oh please!” Buffy said between her giggles. “You already know more than
that. Don’t pretend that you don’t. I seem to remember after the first
time, you asked me for, and I quote, ‘a blurry watercolor’ of what
happened.”
“I know, I know,” Willow said with a grin. “But you were the first out of
our group, and that means you were obligated to let those of us who were
inexperienced live vicariously through you…okay, that came out completely
wrong.”
Buffy giggled, looking across the campus. Her smile soon faded when she saw
William sitting at one of the picnic tables with Drusilla. In general,
Buffy was not a jealous person, but the flirty smiles and the body language
made her feel uneasy as she watched Will lean into the other girl and listen
intently to whatever she was saying.
“Wills, I’ll see you in Chemistry, okay?” Buffy asked in a soft voice, not
paying attention to her friend’s response as she got closer to the table.
She could hear William’s chuckle before she even reached the area, and it
tied her stomach in knots. She was the only one who Spike privileged with
that laugh, and Buffy felt a little selfish for not wanting him to laugh with
someone who was one of her good friends.
Shrugging off her doubts, she approached the table. Trying to keep the
tension out of her voice, Buffy clutched her books to her chest, hoping that
Will wouldn’t see how white her knuckles were.
“H-hi, guys,” Buffy said with a timid smile. Her nerves only got worse when
she saw William jump up from his seat, a guilty look on his face. ‘Why would
he feel guilty?’
“Hello, pet.”
Her forced smile turned into a frown. Every other girl that William knew
was ‘pet’. Buffy was supposed to be ‘luv’ or ‘sweetheart’ or ‘Princess’.
“Hi,” she replied, her hold on her books tightening. “What are you two
talking about?”
“Oh, nothing,” Will said a little too fast.
“It must be something, considering you didn’t meet me,” she said, trying to
keep any accusation out of her voice.
“Lost track of time, that’s all,” he said, brushing a kiss on Buffy’s cheek.
The jealous look that flashed on Drusilla’s face did not go unnoticed by
Buffy, making her feel even more uncomfortable. “Are you ready to go?” she
asked Will.
“You’re not even going to say hi to Dru?”
“Dru?” Buffy asked, her jaw tightening.
“William’s little nickname for me. It does make more sense,” the brunette
said with a smile that was directed at William.
Buffy nodded, trying to keep a fake smile on her face. “Good morning, Dru.”
The hostility in her voice almost made Buffy cringe, and it was her voice.
“We should get going,” she said, turning her gaze to William.
“Uh, yeah…I’ll see you later, luv.”
Buffy’s jaw clenched so tight, she thought it would crack under the
pressure.
The couple walked in silence for a long moment before Buffy finally spoke.
“Is there something going on that I should know about, Will?”
“No,” he replied too quickly for Buffy’s taste. “I was just trying to make
her feel welcome.”
“Well…that’s nice, but it would have been even nicer if you’d said hi and
then actually ‘welcomed’ me, since I’m your girlfriend.”
William noticed the anger beneath the surface and wrapped an arm around
Buffy’s waist. “I told you, sweetheart. I lost track of time…sorry.”
Buffy forced another smile at the insincere apology. They continued to walk
toward the school in silence as Buffy worried her bottom lip.
‘Will has never given me a single reason to mistrust him. Just because one
little situation makes you uncomfortable, don’t act like a spoiled little
girlfriend. You trust him.’
Then why was there still a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach?
Chapter 2 - Betrayal
The day of the Christmas dance swiftly approached, and eventually, it was the
Friday before it. Things between Will and Buffy were still slightly strained,
but he was making a conscious effort to pay more attention to his girlfriend and
to act like he had before he met Drusilla. Buffy was thankful that he seemed to
be one hundred percent devoted to her again, and her doubting thoughts
dissipated for the most part.
‘He’s mine- no one else’s,’ she thought as she walked to Chemistry with Willow.
‘He loves me, I love him, and we’re going to the dance together. Everything’s
perfectly fine, Summers. Stop second-guessing your relationship so much.’
Buffy sat on the stool beside Drusilla at their table while Willow went to sit
with her lab partner Tara. The conversations between Buffy and Dru were fewer
and far between over the last couple of weeks, which only served to make Buffy
even more uncomfortable around the British girl. When the awkward silence became
too tense to handle, Buffy took a deep breath and looked at her partner.
“So, are you going to the dance tomorrow?” she asked, trying to start a
conversation.
“Yeah,” Drusilla answered, reading something in her textbook. “And I assume
you’re going with Will.” Buffy nodded, watching their teacher walk into the
room. “Such a lucky girl you are to have found someone like William.” Buffy
raised an eyebrow and looked at her. Drusilla closed her book and looked at
Buffy.
“Yes…I’m very lucky,” Buffy agreed, finding Dru’s intense gaze slightly
unsettling. She quickly looked down at the tabletop. “Are you going with
someone?”
“No,” Drusilla answered, shrugging. “But I’m sure there’s someone I can dance
with.” Buffy noticed the other girl laugh softly, causing her to once again look
at Drusilla, who was smirking at her. Buffy realized that Drusilla was implying
something but chose to overlook it.
“Yeah, I’m sure there will be a couple of single guys there looking for girls to
dance with,” Buffy said quietly.
“If they’re single or not, I’m sure I’ll still have a good time,” Drusilla said.
Buffy stared at the brunette and began to feel nauseous. She was about to make a
comment when their teacher started class.
‘If she even so much as looks at William tomorrow night, I’ll kill her,’ Buffy
thought, scowling before looking at her teacher.
* * * * *
The next day, Buffy, Willow, and Cordelia spent the afternoon getting ready for
the dance. After the sun went down, the boys showed up at Cordelia’s house,
waiting for their dates to finish. Buffy looked at her white silk dress in the
mirror and took a deep breath.
“You look fabulous, Buffy,” Willow said, adjusting her hunter green strapless
dress. Cordelia nodded in agreement as she straightened out her silver, sequined
gown. “Ready to go see our boys?” The girls left Cordy’s room and proceeded down
the stairs, looking at their three dates dressed in tuxes. William smiled at
Buffy, looking at her dress and admiring how beautiful she was, especially with
her hair pulled up into curls.
‘She always looks bloody breathtaking,’ he thought as Buffy came to stand in
front of him. Wrapping his arms around her, Will pulled her to him for a gentle
kiss.
“Do I look okay?” she asked quietly. He nodded, smirking, and leaned down to her
ear.
“You look good enough to eat, princess,” he whispered, causing her to giggle.
“Come on, can’t keep the limo waiting.” The three girls all exchanged shocked
looks.
“We have a limo?” Willow asked, looking at Oz. He nodded, leading her outside.
All of the girls stared at the long black vehicle in Cordelia’s driveway.
“Who did this?” Buffy asked William, staring at the car as he smiled.
“I did,” he shrugged. She looked at him in disbelief. “Nothing but the best for
my girl.” She grinned and hugged him. “Do you like it?”
“It’s perfect,” she said, looking up at him. “I love you.”
His hand grazed her cheek before kissing her again. “I love you, too,” he said
quietly, looking into her eyes. She smiled and allowed him to help her into the
limo before he sat beside her and closed the door. All of the couples were
buzzing with excitement, and in Buffy’s opinion, everything was perfect. Her
thoughts flickered back to the conversation she had with Drusilla the day before
and tensed up. William noticed and frowned. “What is it, luv?”
Looking at him and managing a smile, Buffy shook her head. “Nothing,” she
answered, leaning into his side while he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“Absolutely nothing.”
But despite her words, Buffy was still scared that something was going to happen
that night.
‘Everything could change tonight,’ she said to herself before trying to push her
thoughts aside. ‘But I won’t let it.’
* * * * *
The three couples walked into Sunnydale High’s gym and were surprised at how
nicely it was decorated. Buffy linked her arm with William’s as they followed
Willow and Oz to a table. Riley and Sam were already there, seated and waiting
for their friends. William pulled Buffy’s chair out for her and sat her down
before grabbing a seat and sitting next to her. He took her hand in his and
kissed it, smiling at her.
“Did I tell you how ravishing you look tonight?” he asked. She smiled, slightly
blushing.
“I don’t believe you used the word ‘ravishing’ before, so no,” she answered
playfully. “But feel free to keep saying it.” He chuckled and kissed her temple
before looking around the gym. Buffy did the same thing, noticing how beautiful
everyone looked. When she saw a familiar face in the crowd, she stiffened again.
Drusilla was in a long crimson dress, talking with several of her friends by the
snack table.
‘She looks beautiful,’ both Buffy and William thought, looking at her. Buffy
restrained herself from growling while William withheld a broad smile. Looking
at him and noticed the admiring look in his eyes, she frowned and looked at
Drusilla again, seeing that she and her boyfriend had locked eyes. This time,
she clearly saw the wink Drusilla aimed towards William, and Buffy stood up, her
fists clenched.
'This ends tonight,' she thought sternly.
Walking toward the refreshment table without another word to any of her
friends, Buffy busied herself with grabbing a glass of punch before turning
to face the other girl. She didn’t bother to hide the contempt on her
features.
“Drusilla?”
“Yes,” the brunette replied in a haughty voice, turning to face Buffy.
“I just thought I’d give you fair warning…stay the hell away from my
boyfriend.”
“Don’t have much trust in wee little William?”
Shooting a glance back at her friends, she saw William approaching and
narrowed her eyes at the other girl. “I don’t trust a girl who I thought
was my friend, considering she seems to have some kind of alternate agenda.”
“A girl like you should have more confidence in her relationship,” Dru
snidely replied.
“Everything alright?” William asked, trying to keep his gaze on his
girlfriend and failing miserably.
“It seems that your girlfriend feels threatened by me.”
William visibly cringed, something that did not go unnoticed by Buffy.
“Should I be?” she asked in a low voice, turning away from Drusilla so she
couldn’t overhear their conversation.
“I…I love you,” he emphasized.
Buffy tried to ignore the unconvincing tone and focused on his words as she
took his arm and led him away, not giving Drusilla another look.
“What was that about, Buffy?”
“I don’t like it, Will,” she whispered in a miserable tone that nearly broke
his heart. “I don’t like the looks and the gestures and the innuendo.”
“I-I’m sorry I’ve been doing that.”
Turning toward him with a shocked look on her face, Buffy fought the tears
in her eyes as her hold tightened on the flimsy plastic cup, cracking it and
sending the bright red liquid pouring onto the floor. “I didn’t say it was
you doing it.”
Without another word, Buffy practically ran from the gym, leaving her
shocked boyfriend standing behind her. He vaguely noticed Willow and
Cordelia following Buffy and was about to head after them when he felt a
hand on his arm.
“I didn’t mean to cause trouble,” Drusilla said in a soft voice, her eyes
wide and seemingly innocent.
“Yeah, I know…I know,” William said with a nod.
“Would you like to dance?”
‘This is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong…you love Buffy…you’ve always
loved Buffy, there’s never been anyone else…’
* * * * *
Seeing her friends walk into the bathroom, Buffy frantically wiped her eyes,
looking at her reflection in the mirror and seeing the miserable girl
staring back at her.
“What happened?” Willow asked softly while Cordy set to work, fixing her
make-up and lending a sympathetic ear.
“I don’t know,” Buffy replied in a painful whisper. "The past couple of
weeks I’ve just…I’ve noticed some things. And tonight I saw Dru wink at
William, and when I was talking to him about it…he made it sound like the
affection
wasn’t just a one-way street.”
“Do you think he’s cheating on you?” Cordy asked, stepping back to look at
her in concern.
“Ten minutes ago, I would have said ‘not a chance’, but now…God, I love him
so much, and it feels like my heart is being ripped out.”
“He loves you, Buffy,” Willow said, rubbing her friend's back in reassurance.
“You’ve been together a really long time- maybe this is just a rough spot
that you have to get through, and your relationship will be stronger because
of it.”
“Maybe,” Buffy said with a sniffle, looking at her newly put-together self
in the mirror. Cordy was a miracle worker when it came to covering up
puffy eyes. Of course they were still bloodshot, but the lighting in the
gym should cover that. “I think I’m ready to go back out there,” she
mumbled, trying to get her stomach to relax. It ignored her and continued
tying itself into anxious knots, the tension flowing through her body.
With her friends on each side of her, offering their support, they slowly
walked back to the gym.
Stepping through the door, Buffy was shocked that she didn’t throw up.
There was her boyfriend with his arms around another girl. And not only
another girl, but the one that Buffy felt threatened by in every way.
“Maybe we should go,” Willow said nervously, tugging Buffy’s arm to try and
get her to leave before she did something she’d regret. But there was
nothing Buffy was planning on regretting as anger clouded her vision. In a
red haze, she walked toward the cozy couple, crossing her arms over her
chest and staring at them for a moment before William saw her and guiltily
jumped away.
Buffy didn’t notice that the entire gym seemed to get quiet. Couples
stopped dancing and turned to stare at the ‘golden couple’ of the high
school in what was clearly going to be the gossip event of the year.
“So…I shouldn’t be worried?”
William’s eyes widened at the contempt in Buffy’s voice. Taking a step
forward, he hesitantly reached a hand out to his girlfriend. “Listen, luv-“
“Don’t,” Buffy said, cutting him off with venom in her voice as she took a
step away from him. “Don’t you dare call me ‘luv’. What’s going on, Will?”
Nervously glancing around the gym, William took a deep breath. “I don’t
think we should do this here.”
“Oh, I think this is the perfect place to do this,” Buffy countered, keeping
her anger close to the surface to mask the hurt and betrayal she was
feeling. “Are you trying to tell me it’s over?”
“Buffy, I love you, but…”
“But,” she prompted, feeling her heart shattering.
“I don’t think this is working out.”
A loud crack echoed through the silent gym as Buffy’s hand made contact with
William’s cheek. The momentum threw his head to the side, and Buffy watched
with a clenched jaw as he slowly turned to face her, a red handprint already
evident on his skin. Resisting the urge to bring his hand up to his face,
Will watched as Buffy tried to hide the trembling of her chin.
Taking a deep, shaky breath before turning to Drusilla, Buffy slammed a
solid punch into the other girl’s eye, sending her screaming to the floor.
Shaking her hand to try and dull the pain, the blonde turned and quickly
left the gym with a concerned Willow chasing after her.
The entire school watched as the most popular guy in school turned to the
brunette and helped her to her feet.
Feeling a tap on his shoulder, William turned around and immediately doubled
over in pain as Cordelia Chase’s knee came in contact with his groin.
“That’s for my friend, jackass,” she said before spinning on her heel and
following her friends.
* * * * *
Buffy burst through the doors of the high school, letting the cold air hit
her face and attempt to soothe her as she broke down in tears. Feeling
comforting arms wrap around her, Buffy could tell it was Willow without even
looking. Turning toward the redhead, she began sobbing when she heard the
door open and saw Oz and Cordelia run out.
Cordy quickly wrapped her arms around both girls as Oz went to get his van
that he’d left in the parking lot earlier that day.
“What can we do, Buffy?” Willow asked softly, stroking her friend’s hair.
“Just take me home,” she whispered between sobs. “I just want to go home.”
Chapter 3:
After Christmas break ended, Buffy took an additional week off school, not
willing to see anyone or to have to deal with people looking at her
sympathetically. She didn’t want pity from people, and she especially didn’t
want to talk to anyone, including her friends. The only person she saw was her
mother, and even that was bad enough.
When Joyce found out about what had happened between her daughter and William,
she was furious. She didn’t understand how he could suddenly move on to some
girl he hadn’t even known for a month. But whenever Joyce tried to talk to her
daughter about it, Buffy emotionally shut her mom out, distancing herself from
everything.
When the following Monday rolled around after her mental health break from
school, she decided that she couldn’t hide out forever and let her mother drive
her to school. Wordlessly, she got out of the car and walked to the front doors
of Sunnydale High, noticing a familiar car driving into the parking lot.
Watching as William parked his vintage Desoto and instantly feeling nauseous
when Drusilla got out of the car on the passenger side, Buffy held back the
tears forming in her eyes and walked inside.
When she got to her locker, she was thankful that both Willow and Cordelia were
waiting there for her. Both girls hugged their friend, still worried about her
well-being.
“How’ve you been, sweetie?” Willow asked, running her hand over Buffy’s hair.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Buffy said, mustering some strength and opening her locker. “Have I
missed a lot?”
“No,” Cordelia answered, looking at Willow for a second. “We have a paper due
Friday in English, but that’s about it.” Buffy nodded and grabbed her books for
her morning classes.
“And we have study hall in Chemistry,” Willow said. Buffy felt relieved.
‘One less time I have to see Drusilla today,’ she thought. ‘I really need to get
a new Chemistry partner. Maybe I can buddy up with Willow. Not that I want to
pair Tara up with the vapid ho that stole my boyfriend away from me.’ Buffy felt
tears forming again and shut her eyes to stop them from escaping. ‘Maybe I
shouldn’t have come back today.’
“So, is there any gossip I should be informed of?” Buffy asked, hoping that her
friends wouldn’t notice her watery eyes.
“Not really,” Cordelia answered, shrugging. “You missed a boring week.” Willow
looked at Cordelia with a grateful expression.
Both girls had seen the school’s reaction to the break-up over the course of the
prior week. Whenever William and Dru had walked down the hall together, everyone
looked at them with angry expressions, and most of the time, the new couple
could hear people saying things about them. Willow saw the sad expression on
William’s face every time he was confronted by another student. He felt ten
times worse about the situation when he was at school, and when people began to
ignore him, like the people he considered friends, he felt lower than he ever
had before.
“So, we should probably get to class,” Willow said, and Cordelia nodded. Buffy
followed her friends towards their Algebra classroom and saw William and Dru
walking inside the building. Locking eyes with her, he clenched his jaw when she
ducked her head quickly.
‘She’s never going to forgive me,’ he thought before seeing the glares that
Willow and Cordelia were shooting at him. He watched as the three girls walked
into their classroom before he kissed Dru’s cheek.
“I’ll see you at lunch, luv,” he said quietly, letting her go to class. He went
to the library for study hall, and for the whole hour, his thoughts were filled
with his ex-girlfriend.
* * * * *
Willow and Buffy walked to the cafeteria together for lunch and sat at their
usual table. When all of her friends sat down, she looked at William’s empty
chair and sighed.
‘I guess it’s just the seven of us now,’ she thought.
Xander looked over and noticed the depressed look on Buffy’s face.
“So, Buffster, want to hear this great joke I heard the other day?” he asked,
hoping he could maybe make her smile. She looked at him, and out of the corner
of her eye, she saw William and Drusilla walk in, going over to her table of
friends. A lot of the students quieted down, probably hoping that something
would happen now that Buffy was back and was in the same room with the two
people who had betrayed her. Buffy turned her back to Dru’s table and looked at
Xander.
“Sure, cheer me up,” she said, managing a small smile. Willow looked at her
friend with a soft expression, proud that Buffy wasn’t going to let the break-up
keep her down forever.
After the bell rang, Buffy went to her locker to get her books for the second
half of the day. While pulling out a textbook, she sensed someone standing
beside her. She saw Jonathan Levinson standing there, looking at her sadly.
“Hi,” she said quietly. “Can I help you?”
“I just wanted to say that I’m sorry about what happened between you and
William,” he said. “You didn’t deserve that, no matter what anyone says.” Buffy
looked at him, surprised.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever talked to him before in my entire life,’ she thought.
‘And I’ve known him for over a decade.’
“Thank you,” she said with a soft smile, putting her textbook in her backpack.
He nodded and walked away, going into a classroom. After shutting her locker and
turning to go to her next class, Buffy walked into someone and froze when she
saw who it was.
“Sorry, luv,” William said, grabbing her arm gently to keep her from falling.
She instantly wrenched her arm out of his grasp and took a step back. “Are you
okay?”
“Am I okay?” she asked, practically hissing. “Am I okay? What do you
think, Will? Do I look okay to you?” He put his hands in his pockets, frowning.
“Buffy, I’m so-“ he began to say, but she put her hand up to stop him.
“Don’t even think of apologizing to me,” she cut in. “There’s nothing you can
say to me that’s going to make me forgive you.” She began to walk away from him.
“I still care about you,” he said, loud enough for her to hear. She stopped and
turned to look at him.
“No you don’t,” she replied, willing herself not to cry. “If you did, you
wouldn’t have hurt me like that.” She stood up straighter and took a deep
breath. “But we’re over now, so it doesn’t really matter, does it?” He sighed as
she turned again and walked away from him, disappearing into the library.
‘Of course it still matters.’.
Chapter 4:
“I’m sorry, Buffy. I’ll make it up to you. Tonight we’ll…we’ll have a girl’s
night, okay? Just the two of us.”
“Okay, Mom,” Buffy said with a smile. “Don’t worry about it. Go. Experience this
thing called work. I’ll be fine.”
With a wave, Joyce walked out the door as Buffy turned to go upstairs and finish
getting ready for school. Joyce had received a call from the gallery and
discovered the shipment delivered last night was the wrong one. Buffy knew she
felt guilty for making her walk to school, but it wouldn’t kill
her.
Rifling through her wardrobe, she pulled out a pair of form-fitting khaki pants
and a black sweater, quickly dressing and looking at herself in the mirror.
Buffy sighed at her reflection before pulling her long blonde hair back into a
clip, bravely keeping it off her face. She shrugged as she looked at her
reflection. ‘I can always take it down later…the joys of having long hair- it
can be used as a shield if I don’t want anyone looking at me.’
Smiling at her insane, but yet somehow accurate logic, Buffy grabbed her
backpack and walked out the door to start the twenty-minute trek to school.
Five minutes into her walk, she noticed an unfamiliar car slowing down before
coming to a complete stop next to her.
“Buffy? Buffy Summers?”
“That’s me,” she replied, recognizing the boy in the car as a senior from
Sunnydale High.
“I’m Cameron Walker. Do you…need a ride?”
Buffy was about to politely decline when she saw the familiar Desoto driving
down the street.
“I’d love a ride,” she said with a smile, timing it perfectly as she got into
the car and suppressing a smirk when she saw William’s shocked expression. Of
course, the need to smirk left on its own when she saw her smug-looking former
friend in the passenger seat.
Cameron kept up steady chatter about the swim team and his impending scholarship
from UCLA while Buffy sat quietly. Pulling into the school parking lot, Buffy
was about to jump out of the car when she saw William and Drusilla exit the
Desoto. A frown came over Buffy’s face when she saw the
new tight jeans and black leather duster that William was sporting. She almost
snorted before she realized that Cameron was still talking to her.
“Thanks for the ride, Cam,” she said with a friendly smile, cutting off whatever
he was about to say. “I’ll see you around.”
Being a little earlier than she planned, Buffy walked through the school and
entered the library. It was already starting to get on her nerves how everyone
was staring at her, but she knew that most of them were just wondering if she
was okay. At least, that’s what she hoped.
Killing time until the first bell rang, Buffy idly walked through the stacks,
letting her fingers trail over the musty books. She loved the old library. She
loved that she could come in here at any time and have a few minutes to herself.
No sooner had the thought left her head than she turned the corner and saw
William walk through the double doors. Darting back behind one of the tall
shelves, Buffy said a silent prayer that he was going to talk to his father,
knowing that Giles was probably in his office by now. Peeking around the
corner, she saw that he was gone before she quickly walked toward the doors and
promptly crashed into William as he rounded a corner.
“Buffy…what are you doing here?”
“Trying to get away from you,” she snapped as she pushed him away and began
walking toward the door.
“I have study hall this hour,” he said quietly. Something in his voice caused
Buffy to stop and turn around to look at him. One glance in the office told her
that they were the only two in the library.
“What are you doing?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, what the hell are you doing?!” she demanded, her voice rising.
“I don’t know what the bloody hell you’re talking about!” William yelled back,
his temper snapping.
“Let’s get one thing straight right now. I don’t want to see you, Will. After
all of our time together, you dropped me for that vapid ho and then expect me to
make small talk before school?!” Buffy noticed the tic in his jaw, but he wisely
kept his mouth shut. “I don’t want to know you,” she whispered, fighting the
tears in her eyes.
“You’re the one who demanded that I do it in such a public place! I would have
rather talked to you, just the two of us, but you-“
“Shut up! Just shut up! Stop trying to justify what you did! You hurt me…you
embarrassed me, and after…”
Buffy trailed off, swallowing the lump in her throat before continuing. “Why am
I even talking to you? You don’t give a damn about me.”
“I do…I just…the feelings that I have for you now…they’re just different. I wish
things didn’t have to be this way.”
“Yeah?” Buffy replied, anger clouding her vision. “I wish I’d never slept with
you.”
The hurt look that crossed William’s face almost gave her the vindication that
she was looking for. Almost.
Refusing to feel sorry for anything she said, Buffy continued to stare at him
with an impassive expression.
“Do you really mean that?” he asked quietly.
Buffy looked away, thinking for a moment before meeting his gaze. “Let’s just
say that the feelings that I have for you now are different.”
Satisfied that his hurtful words had been thrown back in his face, Buffy turned
and stormed out of the library, bypassing Giles as she passed.
“Everything okay, son?” Giles asked, looking at the door that was still
swinging.
“No.”
* * * * *
Buffy furiously tried to keep the tears out of her eyes as she walked down the
hall. Not watching where she was going, she realized too late that she had just
knocked Jonathan completely off his feet.
“Ooomph.”
“I am so sorry,” Buffy apologized, helping him up. “I wasn’t watching
where I was going, and then it was just…bad. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he said with a shy smile, quickly gathering his books.
“If there’s anything I can do…”
Buffy helped him grab his books and awkwardly handed them back to him.
“Would you want to go to the movies with me?” Jonathan abruptly blurted out.
Buffy blinked.
‘You’re not ready…he’s a nice guy and you would only hurt him…but maybe you
need a nice guy. Besides, who says it has to be classified as a date?’
“I’d love to.”
* * * * *
That night, Joyce and Buffy were feasting on popcorn and soda while watching an
old black and white movie on TV. Buffy pulled a blanket around her to ward off
the chill in the room, reflecting on the days when William would hold her to
keep her warm. She frowned and began eating handfuls of popcorn.
‘Whoever said eating comfort food when you’re depressed is bad, obviously never
had their heart broken,’ she thought sadly.
Joyce looked at her daughter.
“Is everything okay?” she quietly asked, running her hand over Buffy’s hair.
“Yeah, I’m just tired,” Buffy shrugged, not completely lying. “It was a long
day.”
“I’m assuming you must have talked to William since you’re so upset,” Joyce
said. Buffy looked down and sighed.
“Yeah, we talked in the library,” she said. “It wasn’t good, by any means, but I
had the chance to say some things to him.”
‘That he rightfully deserved,’ she added mentally.
“Things will get better,” Joyce said consolingly. “I know it might not seem
possible right now, but things will pick up. You just have to get back on the
horse again.”
“Do you remember that pony you made me ride when I was a little kid?” Buffy
asked, looking at her mom. “The one that tried to make me fall off?” Joyce
laughed at the memory. “Besides, I’m going to mount the horse again this
weekend. Jonathan Levinson invited me to a movie.” Joyce smiled warmly.
“He’s a very nice boy,” she said. “He always won the science fairs in junior
high, didn’t he?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Buffy answered. “I never really paid attention to that kind
of stuff back then.”
‘I was too preoccupied with trying to be popular,’ she thought sadly. ‘Too
wrapped up in my own dumb life to notice the things going on around me.’
“Well, I’m sure you’ll have a great time,” Joyce said, watching the movie again.
Buffy nodded and grabbed her soda can.
‘Yeah, it’ll probably be nice to get away from thinking about William for once,’
she thought.
* * * * *
When Saturday evening finally arrived, Buffy was somewhat excited to go see a
movie with a guy who wasn’t that similar to William.
“A change will definitely be nice,” she said quietly, looking in her mirror as
she put on make-up. She was slightly startled when her phone rang. She picked it
up, hoping it wasn’t Jonathan calling to say that he wanted to cancel plans for
the night. “Hello?”
“Hi,” William said, sounding a little nervous. She raised an eyebrow and sat on
her bed.
“Hey,” she replied. “Why are you calling me?”
“Some of my CDs are still at your house,” he said. “All of which I want back.
And do you still have the black T-shirt I let you borrow last month?”
“Yeah,” she answered, sighing. “Your CDs are by my CD player and your shirt is
in my closet.”
“I’ll be over then in an hour to pick it all up,” he said, and Buffy tensed up.
“I won’t be home, and Mom’s working tonight, so no one will be here,” she said,
resisting the urge to rub it in his face that she had plans.
“Where are you going?” he asked curiously. “Out with Willow?”
“No, actually, I have a date,” she said, deciding that she was going to be
honest with him.
‘It’s my life, and I don’t owe him anything anymore,’ she thought. ‘Besides,
it’s a Saturday night- why isn’t he with Dru? Is there trouble in paradise
already? Because that would be refreshing to hear. He dumped me, only to get
dumped by the gothic skank.’ Buffy smirked. ‘I’d die to see that happen.’
“With who?” he asked, hoping that he didn’t sound as jealous as he really was.
“Jonathan,” she answered casually, going to her closet and finding his shirt.
She threw it on her bed before grabbing a pair of jeans.
“You’re going out with him?” he asked, surprised that she had moved on so
quickly.
‘But then again, I guess I don’t blame her,’ he thought. ‘She’s not the type of
girl to wait around idly.’
“It’s just a date,” she answered, pulling out a light pink blouse. “If you want
your stuff back, I should be home tomorrow afternoon.”
“Fine, I’ll come over at noon,” he said firmly, still slightly angry that she
was going out with someone else.
‘I didn’t even know Jonathan was on her radar,’ he thought.
“I’ll be home, and if I’m not, Mom can give you your stuff back,” Buffy said,
smiling. “I’m sure Mom would love to see you again.”
‘And would have a few choice words for you,’ she thought, sliding on her jeans.
‘That conversation would be priceless to witness.’
“Well, then I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said. “Have a good night, Buffy.”
She sensed the sadness in his voice and decided not to comment on it.
“You too, Will,” she replied before hanging up. She put on her shirt before
looking at herself one last time in the mirror before her doorbell rang. “Well,
Buffy, it’s time to delve back into the dating world.” She walked downstairs and
opened the door to see Jonathan standing there, holding a small bouquet of
flowers. She smiled at him, surprised. “Hi, Jonathan.”
“Hi,” he said, extending the flowers to her. She graciously took the bouquet and
looked at the flowers arranged in it.
“Thank you so much,” she said, trying to push away memories of the times when
William had given her flowers. “I’ll just go put these in a vase, and then we
can head out. Feel free to come in.” He did, closing the door behind him. Buffy
went to the kitchen, cut the stems down, and put the bouquet in a vase before
looking at it.
‘Stop thinking about William,’ she said to herself. ‘He doesn’t exist anymore to
you.’ She fought the urge to cry before walking to the living room and watching
Jonathan look at the pictures on her fireplace mantle.
“Okay, I’m all set to go,” she said, grabbing her purse and keys. He walked
outside as she locked up behind them and followed him to his car. He opened the
car door for her and made sure she was inside before he closed it. He got in on
his side and started the car. “Thank you for asking me out, Jonathan.” He smiled
nervously at her.
“Thank you for saying yes,” he said before he began to drive to the movie
theater. It was then that Buffy realized she had never given any other guys
besides William a chance.
‘And that all ends now,’ she thought, looking outside as they drove through the
streets of Sunnydale.
Chapter 5:
“How was your date last night?” Joyce asked as she and Buffy stood in the
kitchen, making a salad for lunch.
“It was okay,” Buffy said with a shrug, chopping up some carrots. “Jonathan
is a nice guy, but I just don’t see anything long-term happening.”
“But you had fun?”
“I guess. It was…different. Awkward and different.”
“You were with what’s-his-name for years. Of course it was going to be
different.”
“His name is William, Mom,” Buffy said with a slight smile. “And I remember
you liked him at one point. You actually thought he was like a son to you,
if I remember correctly.”
“That was before he hurt my baby girl,” Joyce said with a shrug. “It’s a
mother’s prerogative to change her mind.”
“I thought that was a ‘woman’s’ prerogative,” Buffy replied, nudging her mom
out of the way as she began to shred lettuce into a bowl.
“Mothers are women. So…you’re not going to see him again?”
“Who? Jonathan?”
“Of course. Who else?”
“I don’t know,” Buffy said with a sigh. “He’s a nice guy, but I’m not
looking for anything serious, and I know that I’ll end up hurting him in the
long run.”
“Well, at least you’re dating,” Joyce said, giving her daughter a reassuring
smile, delighted in the fact that her daughter was finally opening up to
her.
“You don’t think it’s too early?”
“It obviously wasn’t too early for William,” her mother pointed out, raising
her eyebrows and giving her daughter a look that mothers had perfected over
the centuries.
“Yeah,” Buffy whispered, jumping when she heard the knock on the door.
“I wonder who that is.”
“Um…I know…I mean…why don’t I get the door?”
“Buffy, who is it?”
“Will called yesterday and wanted to pick up some of his stuff.”
“That boy has the nerve to show his face-“
“Mom! I’m handling it, okay? I know you’re just looking out for me, but
let me do this.”
“Alright,” Joyce said with a sigh. “I’ll be right here.”
Giving her mom a quick hug, Buffy walked toward the door as she heard
another knock sound through the house.
Anxiously tugging at her shirt, she took a deep breath before opening the
door. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened when she saw William. Or
at least who she thought was William.
“What’s with the new look?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and
looking at his newly bleached hair.
William shrugged. “Just ready for a change, I guess.”
Buffy snorted, turning away from him. “Apparently,” she muttered, blinking
the tears away before facing him again.
Hearing the soft-spoken comment, William felt his heart ache. “Buffy-“
“Look, it’s none of my business anymore. I don’t care that you feel like
you have to change yourself for some girl. Why should I care if she doesn’t
like you the way you are? You obviously didn’t like me the way I was…maybe
if I turn gothic…you know what? I’m not even going to finish that sentence
because I don’t care if you want me.”
‘He doesn’t have to know that’s the furthest thing from the truth,’ Buffy
thought.
“I’m not changing myself for her,” Will insisted, ignoring the nagging
feeling in the pit of his stomach that a part of what Buffy said had been
true and the more annoying painful feeling that she didn’t care about him
wanting her anymore.
“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” she muttered, turning away from him and
grabbing the CDs and t-shirt.
“I’m not-”
“Here’s your stuff,” she interrupted, not making eye contact with him. “And
I left Mr. Gordo over at your house the last time we…the last time I spent
the night. I’d like him back.”
“I, um…I don’t have it.”
Nearly backtracking the statement at the crestfallen look on her face, Will
avoided her eyes. They always seemed to look right through him, and he found
it more than a little unnerving.
“You don’t have him?”
“No,” he replied, reaching for his CDs, which Buffy promptly held out of his
reach.
“Did you give him to Drusilla?” she asked.
“Buffy-“
“You did, didn’t you!?” she demanded, outraged at the mere thought. “You
gave him to your slut of a girlfriend!”
“Don’t talk about her that way,” he said through gritted teeth.
“You know what, Will? I’ll talk about the ho any way I want to!”
“Shut…up,” he replied in a threatening whisper, trying to keep his temper in
check.
“Fuck you!”
Will ducked as she flung the CDs at him, cringing as they made contact with
his chest. Taking a steadying breath, he turned to try and talk to Buffy
but was immediately met with a slammed door.
“Bloody hell,” he muttered, shaking his head as he collected his belongings.
How could he explain to her that he kept the ridiculous stuffed pig for
himself? He knew that if he told her, she would assume he still wanted to
be with her, and he didn’t want to hurt her anymore by explaining that it
wasn’t the reason. He just wanted to keep something that reminded him of
the love they shared and the good times they’d had before everything turned
to hell.
* * * * *
Buffy ran up the stairs, slamming the door to her room and collapsing on her
bed in tears. She buried her head in the pillow, wanting to keep her sobs
quiet so her mom wouldn’t come rushing in.
“Buffy?”
Flinching at the soft knock on the door and her mother’s voice on the other
side, Buffy sniffled, taking several deep breaths before answering. “I’m
fine, Mom,” she said, camouflaging any emotions that were flowing through
her. “I just need a few minutes.”
She could almost hear Joyce sigh as she walked away. Trying to get her
tears under control, Buffy concentrated on her breathing, feeling moderately
successful before her gaze traveled to her dresser.
Seeing the picture that was displayed in a silver frame, Buffy choked back
another sob. It had been taken on Buffy’s birthday the year before and
showed a beaming Buffy sitting on William’s lap as they stared dreamily into
each other’s eyes, their lips just inches away. It was her favorite picture
of the two of them, and she couldn’t bring herself to pack it away.
Now she didn’t want to pack it away…she wanted to destroy it. With a
strangled sob, Buffy grabbed the picture frame and quickly walked to her
window, throwing it outside and feeling only moderately satisfied when she
heard the glass shatter as it hit the tree, before sliding to the floor as
fresh tears came to her eyes.
* * * * *
After several long minutes of debating with himself, William was about to
pull out of the driveway when he saw a movement out of the corner of his
eye. Putting his car into park, he got out and walked across the yard with
a frown. Seeing the scuffed and broken picture frame laying face down on
the grass, he glanced up at Buffy’s window before picking it up. His heart
clenched when he saw the picture of the two of them. The picture that she
obviously kept close to her…until now.
Chapter 6:
Time slowly passed for both Buffy and William, and before either of them
realized it, it was already the first week of June and time for exams. Buffy
thankfully had swapped lab partners with Willow so that she could have Tara
instead of Drusilla. Willow despised her as much as Buffy, but she could
tolerate the brunette enough to work with her. When Buffy found out that Willow
purposely failed the final Chemistry lab so that Dru would fail, too, Buffy was
shocked.
“Why would you do that?” Buffy asked, her eyes wide. “Will, you’re going to get
an F on your report card.”
“So what?” Willow replied with a shrug. “I’ve gotten an A all year- the lowest
I’ll get on my report card for the semester is a B. Besides, Dru is practically
failing anyways, so far be it for me not to help her completely fail.” Buffy
laughed as she hugged her best friend. “It’s all about solidarity, sister.”
“What will your parents think?” Buffy asked. “And colleges might see that grade
on your transcripts! I can’t believe you’d do such a thing. I’m grateful you
screwed her over, but you’re taking the fall, too. I owe you so much.”
“Just keep being happy- that’s a big enough reward for me,” Willow said, smiling
as she saw Oz approaching her. “Call me tomorrow after your last exam- maybe we
can celebrate at the Bronze or something.”
“Sure,” Buffy said. “I think Owen wanted to take me there, anyways.”
“Owen from your English class?” Willow asked, and Buffy nodded. “Buffy! Are you
not telling me something?” Buffy blushed slightly.
“He asked me out the other day, and I said yes,” she answered. “So why not
tomorrow after our exam?”
“Sounds like a perfect plan to me,” Willow said as Oz came over. “So, tomorrow
night then?”
“Yeah,” Buffy said. Willow nodded and walked away with Oz, and Buffy couldn’t
help but feel envious of her friend’s relationship with the quiet musician.
‘I used to have that,’ she thought. ‘Come on, Summers, it’s been over five
months, and it’s not like you haven’t dated anyone since William.’ She sighed
and went to her locker, opening it to get the books she’d need for studying.
She saw William exiting one of his classes and frowned as he slowly approached
her, looking somewhat nervous.
“Hello, Buffy,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “How’d your exams
go?”
“Fine,” she answered. “What about yours?” He shrugged and looked down. “Well, I
guess I’ll see you around.”
“Next year probably,” he said, and she looked at him. “I’m done with exams, and
I’m going to London for the summer.” She raised an eyebrow. “Dru’s mum lives
there and she invited me to go with her, so-” Buffy could feel her jaw clenching
and quickly looked away from him.
“Have fun,” she said quietly, grabbing her stuff and closing her locker. “I’ll
see you in September then.” She began to walk away from him.
“Buffy,” William said, and she stopped walking but didn’t turn to face him.
“Have a good summer.” She nodded and began walking again, letting a tear escape
her eye before quickly brushing it away and walking outside.
* * * * *
The next night, Buffy showed up at the Bronze on Owen’s arm, laughing at a joke
he had told about Emily Dickinson. She saw platinum blonde hair out of the
corner of her eye and saw William looking at her and Owen with an unreadable
expression. Looking away from him, Buffy allowed Owen to lead her to the table
Willow, Oz, Xander, and Cordelia were sitting at.
A conversation quickly began at their table, and Buffy soon caught herself
watching William and Drusilla dancing. She frowned and chose to look away,
scanning the rest of the club. Her eyes fell upon a tall brunette man standing
beside the bar, wearing black leather pants and a black shirt.
‘He’s pretty good-looking,’ she thought, seeing a petite blonde woman walk up to
him. She was dressed in a black corset and a pleated black miniskirt, and when
Buffy thought about it, she wished she could wear something like that and get
away with it. ‘I wonder if I could ever wear an outfit that daring. Mom probably
wouldn’t let me out of the house.’ Before she could put more thought into it,
Willow nudged her.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, a look of concern on her face. Buffy smiled.
“I’m fine,” she answered. “I’m just taking in the scenery.” Willow raised an
eyebrow, and Buffy pointed to the guy at the bar, now talking with the blonde
woman in front of him. “Who’s that?”
“I don’t know, but he’s hot,” Buffy said quietly, grateful that Owen was busy
talking to Xander about the math exam they had that morning.
“Buffy, he may be hot, but I don’t think he’s your type,” Willow said. Buffy
shrugged and looked at her friend.
“You never know,” she replied. “He could be exactly my type.”
Willow frowned. “He doesn’t go to school with us,” she said. “He must be in
college.”
‘Even better,’ Buffy thought. Owen asked Willow a question, which caused Buffy
to focus on their conversation instead of the guy she couldn’t seem to forget
about. ‘Maybe one day I’ll get to see if he’s my type or not.’
“Do you want to dance, Buffy?” Owen asked, looking at her. She nodded, and he
led her out to the dance-floor. The song was slow, so when Owen’s arms wrapped
around her, she tried to remain comfortable, even though it felt like someone
was watching her. She saw William a few feet away, still dancing with Drusilla,
watching her with a somewhat jealous expression. “Thanks for going out with me
tonight, Buffy. I’ve wanted to ask you out all semester.” She smiled at him
before resting her head on his shoulder.
When the song ended, Buffy still felt like someone was watching her. She looked
at William, but he was busy talking to Drusilla about something as they walked
to a booth where her friends were sitting. Buffy shrugged it off, figuring that
she must just be paranoid. She never could have expected that the man from the
bar was watching her from the balcony with a smirk on his face.
Chapter 7: