“ So it was that great, huh?” Willow asked over the line, twirling the red cord of her phone around her finger as she listened to her friend intently.
For the past hour, ever since Buffy had come home from her not date with Spike she had been talking about how good it felt to open up to someone besides her (which she had explained was great but it was just different with Spike) and for the past hour the red head had listened with interest trying hard not to say anything. The way she spoke, the simple way her tone took on a more carefree and lightness to it, how she could practically see the smile on her face as she kept talking. About Spike, and not his cousin the complete opposite.
“ Yeah, I mean, I just felt so relaxed talking to him. Willow I trust him and I barely know him. With me that’s huge! I have these walls around me to block people out most of the time because of my past, but it’s like they came down tonight. The feeling was great, like I was free for once.”
The more she listened the more the wheels in her head were turning. It almost sounded like the blonde California brought up girl was falling for the English guy with the rough punk façade. No it sounded like she already had but couldn’t realize it.
“ So you really like him huh?”
There was a short pause on the other end of the line and Willow could practically hear the rapid beating of her friends heart at the innocent question, and yet she knew that Buffy was blind to all of this. Should she say something?
“ Yeah, I do. He’s turning into a really good friend.”
Willow smiled at the statement. Ah how nice it must be to be so naïve about feelings like that.
***
Buffy walked into the school pushing her bubble gum pink sun glasses atop her head and looked around self consciously as she quickly (but not to quickly because she didn’t want to draw anymore attention to herself) to her locker, opening it and taking out a few books.
Ignoring the curious eyes she made her way to her first class and sat down in her seat just after the bell rang. Taking out a book as she waited for the teacher to make an appearance she pretended to be deeply concentrating on it, anything to not talk or look back at everyone who was currently staring at her as they entered the room. It figured that the one day she wanted class to start on time or earlier the teacher was probably grabbing an extra coffee from the lounge before he got to class.
She was so deep in concentrating to ignore everyone that she hadn’t seen platinum blonde until he walked up to her sitting down noisily beside her and tapping her on the shoulder. “ Pet?” He watched frowning as she turned to look at him, wondering if the rumours were true.
She turned to look at him nervously. “ Yeah?”
He brought his hand to her face, gently grazing the angry purple bruise on her cheek with the tips of his fingers and watching as she shrank back slightly. Then he asked the question that she had been dreading was coming. “ What happened?”
Luckily for her the teacher came in the room before she had to answer. Giving him a look hat said ‘later’ she turned away from his frown and looked to the front. Unfortunately the teachers eyes landed on the same mark on her face as she scanned the class. Maybe if she was lucky she’d go on with her lecture without sparing her a second glance like all the other teachers always did.
“ Ms. Summers, are you all right?”
Nope. There it was, that other question she was hoping to evade.
She plastered a convincing, but fake, smile on her face before answering. “ Yeah, I’m good. Just had a little accident.” She said ducking her head shyly to make it more convincing,
She sighed thankfully as the teacher seemed to accept that and go on with her job. She slumped in her seat, glad to have the attention moved away from her. All except the blonde sitting beside her who wasn’t taking her eyes off her.
The truth was that Hank had gotten home early and hadn’t been all that happy that she wasn’t home. Obviously he hadn’t had anyone to yell at in his drunken state to make himself feel better and when she had gotten home he forgot to be discreet about where he hit her and no amount of make up was going to cover the ugly bruise on her cheek. The difference this time however, was that he had thought of telling, or threatening, her to keep her mouth shut about it.
What happened in his house stayed in his house apparently.
As the teacher started her lecture taking all the attention off of her and the unsightly mark adorning her face she slumped comfortably in her seat ignoring the occasional wondering eyes. As well as those that remained glued to her face, the ones that belonged to her newest ‘best friend’.
She looked from the window as a small slip of paper was put in the corner of her desk. Opening it, careful so the teacher wouldn’t see, she read the contents.
‘ What happened, pet?’
There was no need for the name that was written underneath the message in beautiful cursive writing, he was the only one that called her by those pet names. Bringing her book to stand in front of her as a sort of shield she tapped her pen lightly on the surface of the desk. What was she supposed to write back? ‘Gee my dad was just drunk last night and decided to take it out on me. Oh! Don’t worry he’ll be careful not to hit my face next time!’ Yeah right.
‘ It’s nothing, just got lost walking down the hall in the middle of the night for a glass of water and tripped, you’ve seen how huge my house is. Let’s just say the banister isn’t my favourite part of it anymore.’
She finished by putting a small smiley face with it’s tongue sticking out at the end and signed her name slipping it to him effortlessly as the teacher turned her back to the class once again. She gave him her most convincing smile and watched out of the corner of her eye as he read the note and stared at her again. His face clear of any emotion, did he believe her or not?
Ignoring the gnawing in her stomach that he was going to call her on the lie she didn’t realize how tense she was until she saw him look away and loosened up, letting out a quiet breath that she had been holding. Even if did, or didn’t believe her at least he stopped asking her about it and looking at her. For now.