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"Are you okay? We should call the police. Did anybody get a license plate number? No, we should call an ambulance. Are you okay?" Willow babbled.

Buffy suddenly looked at Willow. "No, don't call anybody. I'm okay." All she could think about was that her mom was going to be very angry with her. She wiped the tears from her face. "I wasn't supposed to drive the car. My mom would find out."

"She'll probably want to know why there's a big dent and the airbag is deflated." Xander pointed to the car.

'Very, very angry', Buffy thought. Her lower lip started to quiver.

"Xander," Willow admonished him in a hushed voice. "She's not like the rest of them." She turned to Buffy. "Do you want one of us to drive you home?"

William stared at Buffy. She was one of the most popular girls in school, but he couldn't remember a time when she was mean to him or anybody else. Even when Xander had asked her out, she turned him down nicely. Not like Cecily at all. Buffy was almost sweet, and she looked like her dog had just died.

"I think I can still drive it." The damage wasn't bad enough to affect the wheel. Buffy walked back to the car and tried to put the airbag back into the steering wheel. It wouldn't stay in place.

"Uh..." Xander was stopped by Willow's glare.

"Wait." William ran into his house. A few minutes later he came back out with a roll of duct tape. "We can tape it to the steering wheel."

Buffy looked at him for a moment and then gave a small smile. "Thanks," she said taking the tape.

While she was taping the bag to the steering wheel, Buffy wondered what would have happened if she had had this accident in front one of her friend's house. They probably would have made comments about her driving skills. Even if it wasn't Buffy's fault.

After a few minutes of taping the airbag on the steering wheel, she numbly thanked them and drove home. William continued to watch her house at the top of the street.

"Let's get back inside." Willow gently tugged his arm towards his house.

* * *

She didn't come up with enough money. Her savings account had been emptied, cash had been advanced from her father's credit card, and she was still short a thousand dollars. The shop was holding her mother's car until she paid the amount that she agreed to a week earlier.

The only thing she had left was a ring that her parents gave her for her thirteenth birthday. She had looked through everything she owned for something she could sell. The only other things she had were clothes, and she knew they weren't worth much second hand. The ring was one of the last things that her parents had given her while they were still together. With tears in her eyes, she made her way up the street to the pawn shop.

"What's wrong?" Buffy looked up to see William standing in front of her. He seemed as concerned as he did the night of the accident.

"I have to sell this ring so I can get my mom's car." Buffy tried to walk past him. She didn't want him to know more about how she messed up.

William stepped in her way. "How much do you need?"

"I don't want to take your money."

William closed his eyes. "I can afford it. I'm not poor, you know."

"No, it's just that I don't know you well enough to borrow or take money from you." Buffy's eyes softened. "It wouldn't feel right."

"There's something you could give me in exchange. A service."

Buffy widened her eyes.

"No, no, not that. I want you to make me popular." Off her look, he continued. "You are popular. I could hang around you, and then I'd also be popular."

Buffy started to laugh and looked at him. At first glance, one would see a boy with floppy dark blonde hair, glasses, and unkempt clothes. Someone who didn't make eye contact with you and watched the ground. Except for Willow and Xander, he wasn't seen talking to anybody.

As Buffy looked closer, though, she realized that he wasn't bad looking. He had smooth skin and nice lips. Over the last two years he had filled out a little. He wasn't as shy, either. When he spoke in class, his voice didn't waiver as much as it used to.

If he could start over in another school - one where people hadn't know him two years ago, Buffy believed that he would be more popular. He was already labeled in this school. It would take someone popular to get his reputation changed.

"You'll need to change your look." Buffy reached up and removed his glasses. She took a quick breath. Without the glasses, she noticed that his eyes were a deep stormy blue. They seemed to look directly into her soul. No, he wasn't bad looking at all.

* * *

Buffy paid for the car repairs and had her mom's car safe in the garage. Her mother was going to be home from visiting her aunt the next day. She was glad her little sister, Dawn, was with her mother. She wouldn't have to worry about paying any kind of blackmail money.

Buffy decided that it would be easier for William to be accepted if they pretended that they were dating. If they insulted William, they would be insulting Buffy. Buffy didn't believe they would do that, so it would guarantee that William would be treated okay.

William showed up later with a bag of clothing. Buffy looked through it for any clothes that could be used.

"Your clothes aren't bad. If you just ironed them, they would be like what everyone else is wearing." Buffy continued to pick through button up shirts and khakis. She picked up a pair a black jeans. The tags were still one them. "You own a pair of black jeans?"

William nodded. His mother bought him the jeans, but he never wore them. He didn't see any of the popular kids wearing them, so he assumed they weren't in.

"When I'm done, you won't recognize yourself." Buffy handed him the black jeans and a red tshirt.

"Does I need such a drastic change?" William wasn't sure about this. "You said my clothes weren't bad - that they just needed to be ironed."

"Do you want to be a sheep or someone who gets my attention? A sheep may dress and act like everyone else, but the truth is, I find them boring. Someone who goes against the standards, in a cool way, is interesting." Buffy looked at his feet. "What kind of shoes do you own?"

"These." William said pointing to his Dockers. "A good pair to go with my suit. Some tennis shoes that I don't wear now that I don't take gym. Oh, and an old pair of Doc Martins that never wear."

Buffy smiled to herself. She knew exactly how she was going to change William. "Go home and put those clothes on and wear the Doc Martins. We're going to see my hairdresser."

* * *

"You nervous?" Buffy switched the phone to her other ear while she flipped through a magazine.

"A little. You don't think this is too much?" William looked at his reflection. She was right, he didn't recognize himself.

"No. I wanted to go further, but you didn't want to wear the leather duster. All Southern California, poo poo." She laughed. "You'll be with me, so everything will be fine. How are the contacts?"

"I've had them in since this afternoon, and they're still okay. They should be fine tomorrow."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow." Buffy was looking forward to tomorrow. She had fun making over William. If he was truly accepted by her friends, she could hang around him more often.

TBC





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