Running until she was out of breath she absentmindedly walked into a little coffee shop and sat down in a corner booth. The perfume, the smell... It was a sweet flowery mix that made you want to smile, except she didn’t want to smile, she wanted to cry. All the pain seemed to rush back and it felt so raw, like it had just happened yesterday.
Buffy took the sample lipstick from the back where no one had used it and put some on admiring the color. Pushing her glasses farther atop her head she walked to the counter with her purchases and smiled at the vulture of a woman behind it.
“ Is there anything else I can get you?” The brunette woman plastered a sickeningly sweet smile on her face and took the credit card that was handed to her.
“ No thanks, I’ve got everything.” Grabbing her things she made her way out of the mall and waited at the corner frowning.
Eagerly grabbing her cell phone as it rang she snapped it open and spoke. “ Hi mom. Didn’t you say you would be here at 6:00? It’s already half past! You know I can’t miss this date with Brian!” She whined into the phone. Sometimes her mom just didn’t get it. This was her first date with the most popular and hotest guy in the school and she refused to be late for it.
“ I’m sorry sweetie. I got home a little late from the gallery. I’m on my way right now though and I should be there in a few minutes.”
“ Ok, fine.” Sighing she looked once again at her watch. 6:37 PM. “ Bye.”
“ Love you.” Hearing those last words from her mom she closed her phone and sat down on the curb, head on knees and frowning. She would really be mad at her mom if she missed this date.
Tears welled up in her eyes and she didn’t notice as her friend sat down across from her. “ Hey Buffy. What just happened?” She spoke in a soft quiet voice, afraid that the blonde might run off again.
Buffy looked up, her expression blank. “ How long was I here?”
Willow glanced at her watch. “ Well, since the time you ran off? About half and hour.”
She looked away from Willow and at her hands that remained stiffly on the table since she had gotten there. “ The perfume. It, uh, it was the same one my mom wore. I got it for her for one of her birthdays, when I was around 16. She’d worn it ever since, then one night...” She blinked back more tears. “ She passed away a few months back. I guess it still hurts to be reminded.”
“ Oh goddess, I’m so sorry. If I had known...” Willow moved to sit beside her and wrapped a protective arm around the other girl.
“ It’s ok, you didn’t, it’s not like I go around and tell everybody. ‘ Hey, my mom died, feel sorry for me’.” She said in a sarcastic voice. “ I’m not like that, I’m not an attention seeker and I don’t want people to feel sorry for me or give me their pity looks.” She frowned. If she had wanted that she would have just told the class in the introduction she had had to make on her first day. But she couldn’t deal with the looks, just one look made her feel like she was choking, like the news was given to her all over again.
“ I’m sorry, I didn’t know you felt so strongly about it. Ok, that sounded stupid considering the subject.” Willow rolled her eyes at herself. “I just mean, we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“ Yeah, thanks.” She ran her fingers through her blonde locks and smiled again. “ So how about we go to the hair salon now?”
Willow looked at the wicked gleam in her friends eye and went slightly pale. “ Oh goddess, what are you planning on doing to my hair?”
***
“ Oh my god Willow! You look great! Totally sexy, Oz will love you!” Buffy gushed as her friend walked towards her. “ And those highlights are amazing, they bring out your eyes.”
Willow blushed. “ You think? I mean I like it, I really like it, but I’m scared about what they’ll think.”
Buffy frowned. “ They?”
“ Yeah, they. You know, our friends, the popular people, the normal people, the world?!”
She giggled. That was really Willows problem, she cared to much about what other people thought, if she didn’t watch out it would ruin her completely. “ Wils you look amazing, anyone who doesn’t think so is just blind and stupid. I’d have thrown in the deaf but that really doesn’t have anything to do with it.” She grinned as her friend cracked a smile.
“ That’s the girl I like to see. You really shouldn’t care so much what other people think of you, it only matters what you think of yourself. I know, not the most original thing to say but it’s the truth.” Buffy almost toppled over as she found a lot of Willow and her red hair in her arms enveloping her in a tight hug.
“ You’re an amazing friend, you know that Summers?” Buffy smiled as her friend used her last name to sound more serious.
“ Thanks, now I’ll drop you off. But you have to promise me that you’ll wear something we bought tomorrow to school.”
Willow crossed her arms. “ You mean something you got, with your money?”
Buffy smirked. “ Nope, something daddy dearest got for you.”
***
Buffy turned of the car engine as she parked in the driveway to the Summers home. Ignoring the chills that ran down her spine as she looked at the house. Getting out of the car and walking to the door she was a little unnerved when she found it was unlocked. Great the last thing she needed tonight was a confrontation with dear old daddy.
Walking in she looked around, silence. “ Hank? You there?” She was surprised when her voice came out as a whisper, probably because she didn’t want the said person to answer. Or to actually be there. She walked a few more steps and looked into the living room, there was a half empty, open bottle of scotch on the counter to the mini bar, and a glass of sitting beside it that appeared to have been used. ’Great…’
Not seeing anyone she walked upstairs and into her room, letting out a little sight she sat down on her bed and put her head in her hands for a few minutes thinking of the days events. For once things had actually seemed normal.
“ You’re home.” Hank spoke, his voice containing a hint of disappointment and bitterness.
‘ Thought to soon.’
“ Yeah, I went shopping with Willow after school.”
He looked her over as she got up from the bed standing. She could tell that he was at least a little drunk since his eyes were glassy. Of course for Hank a ‘little’ drunk was at least a bottle or so of a strong alcohol. “ You didn’t call to tell me.”
Now she was confused and even slightly angry. “ Since when do you care what I do?” She quickly looked away as she realized what had just flew out of her mouth. She was sure he wouldn’t be pleased with that little comment.
He walked up to her and grabbed her by the arm forcing her to look at him as his grip only tightened its hold. “ What did you say?! Don’t ever talk to me like that again you ungrateful little bitch!”
Furious now she wrenched her arm away. How did he just get off grabbing her like that? He had no right to know what she did after school, he had no right telling her what to do, and he sure as hell had no right grabbing her like that and calling her any of the little names he always did.
“ What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” She could practically see red right about now. “ Since when do you give a shit what I do? As long as I’m not around and you’re not hearing about me then everything’s just fine for you, so how come you care all of a sudden?” She narrowed her eyes. “ Just because Joyce isn’t around anymore doesn’t mean you can start yelling at me like you did at her!”
And then the blow came. Laying on her stomach and elbows on the floor she closed her eyes as the pain in her cheek became searing hot. She felt the tiniest bit of blood in her mouth and spat it out onto the carpet.
“ I said it once and I won’t say it again. Don’t you ever talk to me like that again.”
She listened as he walked out of the room and slammed the door. Tucking back the hair that was surrounding her face as she lay on the floor she slowly got up and found a scrunchie on her dresser, using it she tied up her hair. Moving silently to the bathroom that was connected to her room she looked at the mirror as the pain didn’t seem to ease up at all. There was a dark purple mark near the bottom of her cheek close to her mouth and she had a split lip near the corner of her bottom lip that was still dripping a little blood.
She just stood there for what seemed like hours staring at her reflection. He had never hit her before, he had yelled and raised his hand, but he had never actually hit her before. Not until now. The tears started to fall and she numbly picked up a wash cloth and put it under water before bringing it to her lip. She winced and took some make up to cover her cheek.
Wiping away the stray tears she grabbed her jacket and locked her bedroom door knowing he wouldn’t come in, before opening her window and slipping slowly down the tree like she had the other night.
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