“Buffy, you made it!” Willow exclaimed as she spotted the blonde walking towards the table Xander had secured.
“Yep,” Buffy said with a nod and then discreetly tugged on Willow’s sweater. “Here’s the shirt,” she whispered, pushing the item into Willow’s hands.
The redhead’s face brightened. “Oh, thanks! I’m gonna go put it on, I’ll be right back.” And with that, she ran off to the bathroom.
Buffy sat down in Willow’s seat, surveying the Bronze. It was rather small compared to the clubs she’d been to in LA but it was well suited for a place like Sunnydale. A live band was playing and Buffy tapped her foot and bobbed her head to the beat, trying to look occupied.
“Hey Buffy!” She turned to see the thin brunette, Fred, that she’d been introduced to earlier.
“Hi Fred,” Buffy replied with a smile as the brunette sat down in the seat opposite her and took a sip of the drink in front of her.
“Where’d Willow go?” Fred asked, searching around her.
Buffy jerked her thumb into the direction where she’d seen Willow go. “Bathroom.”
“Ah,” Fred nodded, taking another sip of her drink. “So, Willow told me you’re a long distance runner.”
Buffy shrugged. “More like interested in being a long distance runner, I’m not that good,” she confessed.
“Me neither,” Fred told her in a low voice, “but it’s a lot of fun and the coach isn’t picky about tryouts. You could come to practice tomorrow, I’m sure Coach Adler wouldn’t mind.”
Buffy nodded, a slow smile gracing her face. “Sure, I’d like that.”
Fred grinned. “It’d be so cool if you made the team. Sometimes I get so bored ‘cause none of my friends are on the team.”
“No one?” Buffy asked, leaning forward to hear better.
Fred started to shake her head but then stopped. “Well, Spike, Wes and Gunn are on the boy’s team but we only do a few co-ed practices.”
“Spike’s on the cross-country team?” Buffy asked, unable to conceal her surprise.
Fred nodded. “He’s pretty good but Wes is the best runner for the boys. Spike and Gunn are both the top soccer players anyway. Wes runs 4 minute miles and mostly does the 5k runs…”
Buffy raised her eyebrows slightly as she listened to Fred gush about Wes’s statistics. “Do you like him?” she asked, interrupting Fred’s praises.
A deep red blush colored the brunette’s face and she ducked her head. “I don’t think he likes me that way,” she murmured.
Buffy shrugged. “Never know till you ask.”
Fred continued to stare down at her drink as if contemplating Buffy’s words when a handsome black man walked up to their table and tugged on Fred’s hand. “Hey Fred,” he greeted her.
Fred broke out into a sweet smile. “Hey, Gunn. Ready to dance?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Gunn’s gaze shifted to Buffy and he gave her a nod. “Hey.”
“Oh!” Fred pointed to Gunn, “Buffy this is Charles Gunn, Gunn this is Buffy Summers.”
A look of recognition flashed in Gunn’s eyes. “Hey, are you the girl livin’ with Spike?”
Buffy nodded reluctantly. “Yeah, I moved in a few days ago.” She wondered how he knew and before she could voice her question, he answered it for her.
“Me and Spike were hangin’ out at the gym over the weekend and he told me about you.” It wasn’t Buffy’s imagination when she noticed a smirk on Gunn’s face as he spoke.
“I can’t imagine what he said about me,” Buffy said wryly.
Gunn laughed. “Well, I completely disregard everything he said, you seem pretty cool.” His gaze drifted over her revealing attire and Buffy blushed a little at his look.
Fred watched the exchange between the two before interjecting, “I can’t believe your living with Spike.” She lowered her voice, “Have you met Harmony yet?”
Buffy rolled her eyes at the mention of the girl’s name. “Unfortunately, yes.”
Gunn shook his head. “Man, that girl is terrifying. I don’t know how Spike can stand to be around her.”
Buffy nodded in agreement. Boy could she agree with that statement. Suddenly Fred gripped Gunn’s arm. “This is my favorite song!” The pair headed towards the dance floor and Fred twisted to face Buffy. “Dance with us?”
She shook her head indicating no and Gunn gave her a wave before moving through the crowd on the dance floor.
Buffy looked towards the bathroom to see Willow returning with the red halter top on, looking a little nervous.
“Willow, you look great,” Buffy reassured her.
“I don’t know,” Willow mumbled, tugging at the top. “It’s tight.”
“And it looks good,” Buffy added and then pointed to Fred and her dancing partner.
“Are they going out?” Buffy asked, watching them dance.
“They did, a while ago but their really good friends,” Willow explained, “And,” she added giving Buffy a look, “Gunn and Spike are best friends.”
“So I heard,” Buffy replied, still watching the dance floor before she glanced at the seat beside her and frowned. “Where’s Xander? I thought you said he was here.”
Willow rolled her eyes and pointed behind her to a small hallway. “With Anya.”
Even after knowing the pair for less than a day, Buffy needed no further explanation. “Ah,” she said with an understanding nod.
“Yep,” Willow responded with a sigh. “Those two really can’t go without…you know, for more than an hour.”
Buffy laughed and returned to surveying the crowd. She spotted a few people she recognized from her classes and one of them waved, prompting Buffy to wave back. He was kinda cute and had a sweet smile.
“Are you waving at Parker Abrams?” Willow asked, nudging Buffy in the side.
“Is that his name?” Buffy asked, watching as the guy moved towards her.
Willow elbowed Buffy harder. “Wait, Buffy he-“ She didn’t get to finish her sentence before Parker was standing at their table with a smile.
“Hi, I’m Parker. I think I recognize you from French,” he greeted, sticking out his hand for her to shake.
Charmed by his manners, Buffy accepted his handshake. “I’m Buffy. I just started Sunnydale High today.”
Parker grinned. “Well then, it’s nice to meet you. I was wondering, if it wasn’t too imposing, do you want to dance?”
Buffy nodded, giving him a half-smile and stood up. “Sure,” she replied, following him out to the dance floor.
Parker wrapped his arms loosely around her waist and Buffy moved her hands up to his shoulders.
“So,” he began, swaying her slightly to music, “what do think of Sunnydale so far?”
Buffy shrugged. “It’s not so bad. The people are nice, well some of them.”
Parker nodded. “That’s good. So are you a junior?”
“Yep, are you a junior too?” Buffy inquired as the song slowly drew to an end.
“No, senior,” Parker responded, “Next year I’ll be going to UCLA on a football scholarship.”
“Wow,” Buffy commented, “impressive. I live, well lived, in LA with my dad before I moved here. I’ll probably end up moving back after I graduate.”
Parker flashed her a grin. “Well, maybe you can show me all the sights,” he teased.
“Maybe I will.” Buffy gave him a flirty smile and pulled away, drifting back over to her seat next to Willow.
The redhead tugged on Buffy’s arm, pulling her closer to whisper into the blonde’s ear. “Parker has a girlfriend.”
Buffy reared back in shock, her mouth dropping open. “What?” she said loudly.
Willow shushed her, motioning for Buffy to lean closer again. “He’s been going out with Cordelia Chase for three months. And Cordelia…well let’s just put it this way, you don’t want to get on her bad side.”
Buffy made a face and glared at Parker’s back. “Lovely,” she said sarcastically. Why did she always attract sucky men? Buffy wondered, frowning as she watched a pretty brunette with excellent clothes walk up to Parker and kiss him full on the mouth.
“That’s her,” Willow said unnecessarily.
Following Cordelia was a familiar blonde girl, Harmony. She was eagerly hovering over Cordelia’s shoulder, awaiting her instructions like the sheep she was.
“Does he make a habit of that?” Buffy asked Willow, redirecting her gaze elsewhere, “Asking other girls to dance?”
Willow nodded. “Yeah, he’s not exactly monogamous. But he’s the captain of the football team; he gets away with just about everything. Even Snyder likes him.”
Buffy’s eyes widened. “Snyder likes him? Are you sure Parker’s not the devil?”
“Hey, Buff! You’re here!” Xander’s booming voice greeted Buffy as he and Anya made their way across the Bronze.
Anya instantly sat down in the last available seat and took a big gulp of a fruity drink with an umbrella in it. “This stuff is amazing!” she said loudly with a grin. “You can’t even taste the alcohol in it!”
“Ahn,” Xander hissed, “not so loud, we’ll get in trouble.” He turned to Buffy and grinned. “So what do think of the Bronze?”
Buffy pretended to think hard. “Nice music, yummy drinks, lack of tables…I give it a 7.”
“Buffy, my friend, you are far too gracious with the numbers. But this place is really the only club to go to.” Xander said with a shake of his head.
The four continued to talk and shortly after Fred returned and managed to find an extra seat to pull up. Buffy found herself relaxing a little, enjoying her new friends. They were quirky, but nice and she actually fit in. She could be herself around them.
“…so then I grabbed her Barbie doll and ran like hell.” Xander finished with a smirk as Willow good-naturedly swatted him.
“We were five,” Willow informed Buffy.
Xander had been recounting the story of how he and Willow had ended their semblance of a romantic relationship of only two days. Buffy had been sneaking glances at Willow, trying to judge her feelings about Xander. She seemed almost reserved and not her bubbly self as Xander began telling the story for Buffy’s benefit but quickly got involved; adding little comments.
Buffy wondered if Willow was still interested in Xander but where did that leave her reaction to Spike this morning?
Buffy’s gaze drifted to her watch and she let out a reluctant sigh and stood up. “Sorry, guys I gotta go.”
Everyone groaned and encouraged her to stay but she shook her head. Getting on her mother’s and Giles’s bad side only after a few days of living with them was definitely not of the good.
Grabbing her jacket, Buffy headed out the door, breathing in the semi-fresh air outside. The noise, as opposed to bordering on deafening was now muffled. She started walking back towards the house, keeping to the sidewalks and streetlights.
She was just exiting the ‘bad neighborhood’ which was located right next to the ‘good neighborhood’ when she heard a crack.
Thinking it was her imagination, Buffy shook her head briefly and kept walking, her pace quickening.
Crunch
Buffy froze, her hand gripping her purse tighter. That was definitely not her imagination. The hair on her neck prickled and she continued to walk, warily eyeing the shadows.
Everything seemed more ominous; the way the trees swayed, the little crevices between buildings and the shadows.
Now she knew she could hear footsteps behind her. Swallowing hard, Buffy didn’t pick up her pace, she knew well enough that if she moved any faster now, who ever was behind her would come running.
The sound of footsteps matched her own but were louder, as if the person was bigger or had chunkier boots. For a moment Buffy entertained the thought that it was Spike trying to scare the shit out of her because she’d ignored his comments about not walking.
When the noised didn’t lessen, Buffy turned around, trying to look annoyed. “Spike if that’s you I’m so kicking your ass.” The threat sounded strained to even her ears.
Whoever was following her stopped, as if waiting for something. Exhaling loudly, Buffy turned around only to walk straight into someone.
“Oof,” Buffy mumbled, stumbling backwards. She glanced up to see a hard faced man leering down at her. He had a scruffy beard and beady green eyes.
“Baby,” the man drawled, “where do think you’re going?”
Buffy straightened, looking at him calmly in the eye while internally she was screaming. “Just heading home,” she said brightly.
“Aw,” the man said again in his drawl, “don’t do that. Stick with us…you’ll have fun, guaranteed.”
Us? Buffy thought and then remembered the footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw an equally scruffy looking man, a little younger, step out of the shadows where he’d been hiding.
“Yeah sweet thing,” he said with smirk, “stick around.”
Buffy shook her head. “Sorry, I have to go home now, maybe some other time.” She tried to step around the man in front of her but he moved to stop her.
Any sort of playfulness had vanished from his craggy face and he glared down at her. “I don’t think so.”
The younger man walked up so he was blocking her from the back. “I think,” He added, “you should stay with us.”
It was then Buffy knew she was trapped. With quick precision, her hand flew out and slammed into the older man’s face, smashing his nose. He howled in pain and clutched at his bruised nose, whining pitifully.
The man behind her made a grab for her but she sidestepped him, using her height as an advantage. As soon as she was ducked away, she started running as fast as the stupid heels would take her, which wasn’t far.
The first man with his broken nose, leaped out and grabbed her around her waist, pulling her back. “Oh no you don’t girly,” he growled nasally, the blood dripping onto her shoulder.
Buffy yelled, any noise to alert someone near by but she knew it had to be fruitless. She’d been walking alone and hadn’t seen anyone since she left the Bronze.
“Help!” She screeched before the man covered her mouth. She kept yelling but her words were muffled. Buffy kicked up, trying to make the man lose his balance but the second man took the opportunity to seize her ankles.
Panicked, Buffy began squirming and wiggling out their grasps and bit down on the hand over her mouth.
“Ow you fuckin’ bitch!” The first man yelled, his hand falling away. Buffy yanked her ankles, trying to pull away but his grip was like iron. The first man retaliated, smacking her on head, momentarily stunning her.
“Hey!”
Buffy turned her head, still wiggling away from the hands on her arms and ankles, to see a guy near her age running up to them.
“Hey,” the guy cried indignantly, “let go of her!”
The younger man glanced up with a glare. “Fuck off!” He yelled at the dark-haired guy but he didn’t. Instead he walked up to them and calm but firmly spoke. “Let go of her, now.”
“Really?” The green, beady-eyed man asked. “What are you gonna do about it?”
“Well,” the guy responded, holding up his cell phone. “I think I’ll call the police. I’m sure they’ll have something to say to you.”
The two men froze and let go of Buffy, pushing her aside. “Let’s go, Frank,” the first guy mumbled, “this ain’t worth it.”
As soon as the men had walked off, the guy knelt down next to Buffy. “Are you okay?”
Buffy nodded, unable to speak. She was shaking and she was so cold. She pulled her jacket tighter around her body and glanced down at her bare legs, feeling ashamed. Spike had been right, it was stupid, even in small-town Sunnydale, to wear clothes like this and walk around late at night.
No wonder they’d grabbed her, Buffy thought, she looked like the perfect victim.
“Hey,” the guy said, his voice soothing, as he reached out to touch her arm. “It’s okay, those assholes are gone now.”
Buffy nodded again and slowly started to stand up. The guy offered her help up and Buffy accepted it gratefully. “I’m Riley,” he announced as they started walking.
“Buffy,” she responded, tilting her head up to meet his face. “Thank you,” she said softly, still feeling humiliated. This sweet, nice guy had seen her being held down by two guys and she couldn’t help but feel extremely embarrassed. He must think I’m a slut, she thought miserably.
Riley must have noticed the expression on her face because he stopped her and said clearly, “Those guys were jerks. Don’t let them make you feel embarrassed, what they did was wrong.”
Buffy nodded reluctantly. “Thanks,” she said again and Riley smiled back. “You’re welcome.”
He kindly walked her all the way back to her house. On the way, Riley introduced himself, saying he was a freshman at the local college, UC Sunnydale.
Buffy explained she was new and was a junior at Sunnydale High and that she was now living with her mom while her dad was in LA.
“Wow, LA, huh?” Riley commented with a laugh. “I’m from Iowa, not exactly the most exciting place on Earth.”
“Iowa,” Buffy said slowly and bit her lip. “Is that one of the states in the middle?”
Riley laughed again and Buffy decided she liked his laugh; it was wholesome and nice to hear. “Yeah, it is. I even lived on a farm.”
“A farm?” Buffy pretended to sound appalled. “You mean with real live cows and...horses?”
The pair laughed at her mock-reaction.
“Yeah, that’s pretty much what it’s like,” Riley confirmed as they slowed down in front of her house. There was a light on in the living room but otherwise it was dark.
“Well,” Buffy began, “Thanks again, for rescuing me.”
Riley smiled. “Of course,” he paused for a moment, looking a little nervous. “I was wondering if I could give you my number. In case you’d ever want to see me under a non-dangerous situation.”
Buffy felt a smile spread across her face. “I’d like that.”
Riley sighed in relief. “Oh good.” He quickly jotted his number on her hand with a pen from her purse.
“Just ask for Riley Finn, they’ll know who you’re looking for,” Riley added before shaking her hand politely. “Goodnight, Buffy.”
“’Night,” she responded and walked into her house, giving him a final wave.
She shut the door softly, trying not to make noise.
“Did you have a nice time?”
Buffy turned to see her mother standing there, awaiting her answer with a smile.
“Yeah,” Buffy said slowly, “ I guess I did.”