Buffy sighed fidgeting with her torn, grass stained skirt. How had things come to this? Just then the door opened. Her mother walked out of Snyder’s office with the proverbial steam coming from her ears. Buffy couldn’t help but giggle to herself thinking of her mother as a cartoon character with her head literally exploding.
Joyce grabbed her snickering daughter by the arm “I fail to find the humor in this young lady.”
“Mom, I wasn’t laughing at…oh just forget it.” Buffy mumbled knowing her mother would fail to find the humor in anything right now.
The ride home was silent, Buffy kept waiting for the questions or the lecture to come but her mother was surprisingly quiet. Once home she hurried inside anxious to get out her dirty, torn clothing. She was almost to the top step when her mother called to her.
“Buffy…come back down here.”
Buffy stopped, rolling her eyes, she knew she should be groveling to her mother right now, but she wasn’t in the mood to be accommodating. She was tired of always doing what everyone expected her to do. Good old dependable Buffy…she does everything she is supposed to do. She was tired of getting kicked around for being nice. So, even though her mother didn’t deserve her anger, she couldn’t suppress it any longer.
“Mom, can I just get cleaned up and changed before you start your lecture,” Buffy sighed.
“Buffy Ann Summers, get your ass down here! Now!”
Uh oh Buffy cringed apparently she wasn’t the only one not able to contain her anger. Walking tentatively toward the living room she knew she had already blown any chance of getting off easy,
Joyce followed her daughter into the room letting out a deep breath as she dropped a folder on the table next to Buffy.
“I don’t know what has gotten into you lately. First your grades start to fall, and then I catch you sneaking out…now you are getting into fights? Buffy I have to ask…are you doing drugs?”
Buffy’s head snapped up shocked at her mothers question. “What? No mom I’m not doing drugs. Things have just been really…hard lately.” Buffy whispered.
She wasn’t ready to explain to her mother just what had been going on. It was embarrassing enough that everyone at school knew her boyfriend had cheated on her; she really didn’t want to have to explain it to her mother too.
“Well, Buffy, to be honest, I don’t think you really even know what it means for things to be hard. It’s my fault. I have spoiled you since your father left. I just know how hard it was on you and…well I think its time for things to change. Principal Snyder has recommended a camp for teens…”
Buffy’s eyes widened “Mom! Please tell me you are not serious.”
“Yes, Buffy, I am very serious! Camp Sunflower is a great place to learn the value of team work and cooperation…”
“Camp Sunflower is for delinquents!” Buffy argued.
“Well, let’s think about it, Buffy. You have been sneaking out, getting in fights…”
“You can’t do this mom! My summer would be ruined!” Buffy sobbed, burying her face in her hands.
Joyce walked over sitting next to her daughter, “sweetie, you have left me no choice. The decision is made and the papers are signed. It isn’t prison Buffy, it might even be fun. You never know it could change your life.”
“God my life could not get any worse.” Buffy closed her eyes. A perfect ending to a perfect day.
***********************
Buffy slammed her locker closed. This was the last place she wanted to be. Why couldn’t I have gotten suspended like Faith had? She already knew that answer. Faith had shoved the teacher attempting to break up their fight.
“Wow, don’t you look…rough.” Cordelia smiled.
Buffy knew she must look awful. A big purple bruise graced her left eye and she had scratches all down her throat. She had thought about caking on the makeup in the attempt to conceal her injuries, but she was beyond caring what people thought.
“I have some really great foundation. Do you want me to see if we can cover that up?” Anya asked.
“No thanks, I really don’t care how I look.” Buffy mumbled.
Her friends looked at her sympathetically. “Come shopping with us.” Cordelia chirped happily.
“When, now?” Buffy looked at her friend surprised.
“Of course, the malls are too busy during the weekend.” Anya responded.
“Um…did you guys not get what I told you last night? I already have to go to Camp Brat for the summer. If I get caught skipping school, I will probably end up going to St. Mary’s for my senior year. Not that I would even care at this point. I am so done with guys!
As if on cue Buffy noticed Riley approaching. Wonderful she mumbled to herself.
“Hi Buff…can I talk to you for a minuet?” Riley gave her a boyish smile.
“Well, the mall is calling, Buffy, are you sure you don’t want to come?” Cordelia asked glaring at Riley.
“Yeah, I’m sure, you guys be careful.” Buffy smiled waving off her friends.
Turning toward Riley her smile instantly faded “Riley, I don’t have anything to say to you. You cheated on me…it’s over. End of story”
“Buffy, I made a huge mistake. Please give me another chance. I was drunk, it…it didn’t mean anything to me,” her boyfriend pleaded.
Buffy closed her eyes trying to hold back the tears. As if cheating wasn’t bad enough, he had to do it with the one person she hated most. They had been enemies since first grade when Faith had broken all Buffy’s special sparkly crayons. From then on everything between them had been a competition.
Once in high school Faith had started smoking and running around with the rough crowd, while Buffy became a cheerleader dating Riley, captain of the football team. The brunette never hesitated in ridiculing Buffy and her friends. Still all these years later she seemed to feel the need to break whatever Buffy had.
Still Buffy never would have guessed that she would go after Riley. When she started hearing rumors of her boyfriend and another girl at a party, she never imagined it was Faith.
“How could you…with her?” Buffy chocked back a sob, “you know how much she hates me.”
Riley moved to console her, but she shoved his hand quickly away.
“Buffy, I love you, I was drunk. I didn’t mean to…”
She snorted “Didn’t mean to? What you just accidentally fell on top of her when you were naked?”
“Buffy, I will do anything.” Riley implored.
“For now all I want is for you to leave me alone.” Buffy answered walking off to class.
********************
“I can’t believe this,” Cordelia whined, “I can’t believe my parents would send me there! So, I skipped a few classes to go to the mall…does that make me some kind of criminal?”
“Believe me, Cordy, I know how you feel,” Buffy sighed grabbing the nail polish from her friend.
“Yeah, but you got in a fight all I did was buy some shoes!” Cordelia pouted lying back on Buffy‘s bed dramatically.
Buffy rolled her eyes, “What about Anya? Did she get in trouble?”
“Who knows, this is about me, Buffy! I will never survive in the woods. I‘m allergic to…sweat!” Cordelia abruptly sat her eyes widening in fear.
Buffy snorted what a drama queen she thought “Cordy, they aren’t just going to dump us off in the middle of the woods. There are cabins and a lake…”
“God Buffy, you sound almost happy you’re going!” Cordelia chided her friend.
Buffy stood up and began brushing her hair in the full length mirror, “No, but it will be kinda nice to leave this whole mess behind…you know…to get away from the whole Riley/Faith thing. And I know you don’t want to hear this but part of me is glad you will be there.”
Cordelia sat on the bed studying her friend. So many of the people she spent time with, were mere acquaintances. They were sheep who followed her blindly just because she was the most popular girl in school.
Buffy had always been different. They had been best friends since second grade and she was the one person in Cordelia’s life who had always really been there for her.
Now her friend needed her and she had to be there for her.
“Well…at least you don’t have to see Faith whoring around the school. I hear she got suspended for the rest of the year.” Cordelia offered.
“Yeah, I guess that is good.” Buffy sighed.
Cordelia stood up standing next to her friend as they faced the full length mirror.
“I guess it won’t be so bad…at least it’s not an all girl camp. Maybe we can even meet some bad boys,” Cordelia smirked. “Do you think I should buy some leather?”
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Author's Chapter Notes:
A big thank you to Brooke for beta-ing this for me. I'm writing this for the Art before fic challenge at the LJ community Spuffy_Haven This story is loosly based on the movie Little Darlin's