Sunnydale High. The place of all that is evil. It was sunny all the time - hence the name - it was full of little anorexic girlies desperate for attention, people were constantly smiling, and everyone was happy all the time. Evil.
Spike absolutely hated the place the moment he and his uncle Rupert stepped foot into town, and this high school wasn't helping the situation one bit.
He sat back in his chair in the principal’s office while his uncle filled out paper work. He must have had the most pissed-off and annoyed look on his face because every time Principal Snyder looked at him he had this mixed look of disgust and fear on his face. It actually made Spike snicker a little, until he went back to remembering hating the place.
"Alright then," Principal Snyder’s voice broke the silence as Rupert laid his pen down on the desk. "I think that about does it. Welcome to Sunnydale High school." The words made Spike cringe. "You'll start tomorrow, and I hope your time here is... memorable for you, William."
"Spike," he quickly corrected.
"I beg your pardon?" Snyder said, a tad bit surprised by the english boys blunt-ness.
"I go by Spike," he said as he stood and took his new class schedule from the short, balding man. "Not William," and before the principal got the chance to respond, he whirled around and walked out of the office toward the parking lot.
"He, erm... he's just... uh," Rupert Giles fumbled with his words as well as his glasses. He backed toward the door. "Right, um, goodbye," and he too walked out of the room following his black-clad nephew. "You know," he said once he caught up to him, "It wouldn't kill you to be nice to some people. You will, after all, be living here with me for quite some time now."
"Everyone can bugger off for all I care. I hate this sodden place," he said as they walked through the front doors and up to the black camaro.
"Well it's your home now so you bloody well better get over whatever problem you have with it," he said as he slid into the passenger’s seat.
Spike sat down in the driver’s seat and stuffed the key into the ignition, starting the car with a roar. "There’s not one bloody thing in this place I'm ever going to like."
x X x X x X x
"Stupid pen," Buffy Summers mumbled as she sat idly in class, twirling a piece of her hair and staring at the blob of ink that blacked out her notes. It was ninth period and she couldn't wait for the bell to ring and sound that the day was finally going to be less school-oriented and more fun-oriented.
"Pssst, Buffy..." whispered the pretty brunette girl next to her. The girl was Cordelia Chase, head cheerleader and biggest bitch known to Sunnydale High. "We're all going to the Bronze tonight, you're coming right?"
"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah of course... I'll be there," the pretty blonde whispered back.
Cordelia just smiled and turned back in her seat just as the bell rang, finally sounding the end of the school day.
Buffy, along with everyone else in class stood up and grabbed their books and headed out of the classroom. While walking alongside Cordy, Buffy bumped arms with a small nervous-looking red head. Buffy just looked at her but Cordelia was the one to give her a nasty look accompanied by a sound of disgust.
“I- uh, sorry,” the girl said as her face flushed and she scurried off in the opposite direction.
Buffy and Cordelia approached their lockers and continued to put their books away while gossiping about the new cheerleader who they knew wouldn’t last.
Together, Buffy’s boyfriend Riley and Cordelia’s boyfriend Angel walked up to them, greeting each of them with inappropriate gropes and slurping kisses. Cordelia loved it, Buffy used to love it but more and more it was starting to embarrass her.
“Mmm, Riley,” their lips smacked, “Get off.”
Riley backed off and smiled in Angel and Cordy’s direction. “I love it when they play hard to get.” The others just smiled and they continued to get ready to leave.
“So, we’re all Bronzing it tonight?” asked Angel as he wrapped his arms around Cordelia’s waist from behind. Buffy always noticed those cute things, mostly because Riley never did those cute things to her. All he ever wanted was to use her small shoulders as an arm rest or her ass as a squeeze toy. She wanted cute-ness. Angel and Cordy were quite possibly the most arrogant couple in school, but they did genuinely love each other, and they always let it show.
“Hell yeah, man,” Riley said grabbing Buffy’s ass again, she just sighed. “It’s about time for some good dancing,” he said pinning Buffy against the lockers. “If you know what I mean…” he said with a dopey smile.
Even Buffy couldn’t resist a smile that time. She had to admit, as much as she longed for something a little cuter and gentler, she enjoyed the constant attention.
“Okay,” Cordelia interrupted, “So we’ll see you guys around eight.”
“Yep, see ya,” Buffy said giving her friend a smile as they walked away.
“Come on babe, I’ll drive you home so you can go get all slutty for me,” the Iowan-jock said as he tugged at her arm. Buffy just kind of dragged on behind him to the car. Once they reached Riley’s pick-up truck he hopped right into the drivers seat and revved up the engine. Buffy opened her door and slowly slid in, holding her miniskirt as she did so as not to reveal all of her anatomy to the entire parking lot.
The entire drive home Buffy was silent. Riley pounded on the steering wheel to the beat of his Garth Brooks CD. As they pulled up to the house on Revello Drive she noticed a new face moving boxes from a rental truck into the house across the street from hers.
“New neighbor,” she said out loud but mostly to herself.
Riley pulled into the driveway and as Buffy got out she look back at him. “You’re not staying?” she asked.
“Nah. I’ve got a few things to do, but I’ll try to come over early before we head out to the Bronze.”
Buffy’s lower lip poked out a bit as she walked around to his side of the car. She stood up on her tippy toes and poked her head through the open window. “I’ll see you later then,” she said giving him a quick kiss. “Mmm, bye.”
Riley smiled at her and reached out and tried to smack her ass as she scurried up to her front door. Buffy looked over her shoulder at him as he backed out the driveway and sped down the street.
As she walked into her house she could hear her mom talking to someone. She set her bag down on the steps and worked her way around to the kitchen. A slightly older man with glasses and an English accent was sitting with her mother having tea.
“Oh Buffy, you’re home,” her mother said once she noticed her walk into the room. “This is Mr. Giles. He and his nephew just moved in across the street.”
“Hello, Buffy,” the Englishman said smiling at her.
“Hi,” was all she said. She turned to walk away but before she could make her escape her mother started talking again.
“Buffy, why don’t you go across the street and bring this plate of cookies over to William, Mr. Giles’ nephew. And you two can get acquainted.” Buffy groaned to herself but smiled when Mr. Giles looked up at her again.
Grabbing the plate of cookies she glared at her mother and headed back down the hall to the front door.
I can't believe she's going to make me go over there and talk to some foreign new kid. Ugh.
x X x X x X x
Spike was in the back of the moving truck when the small blonde appeared before him. She looked miserable standing there holding a plate of cookies with a pout on her face. She was about five foot two and had beautiful golden blonde hair that hung just below the shoulder. Her little jean mini skirt and pink t-shirt showed off her perfect little curves. Her emerald green eyes showed her lack of desire to be over here.
“Don’t look so happy, luv. You might scare off all the new neighbors with all that perk and glee,” he said lifting two boxes and hopping off the back of the truck.
“My mom made me come over here. These are for you,” she said handing him the plate. “I’m Buffy.”
“Spike.”
“I thought your name was William…”
“It is, but I’ve gone by Spike since I started high school an’ I don’t plan on dropping it just yet.”
“What kind of name is Spike?”
“Oh, you really want to play who’s name is weirder?” he said with an arched brow.
“Whatever,” she said turning to walk away.
Spike immediately felt a little guilty and grabbed her arm gently as he turned her back to face him. “I'm sorry, luv. I like your name. Never met anyone with it before.”
Buffy looked him up and down. He was wearing black boots, black jeans, a black t-shirt, and had chipped black nail polish. His hair was bleach blonde and slicked back. His eyes were a beautiful shade of blue though. He had a scar through his right eyebrow.
“Where’d you get that scar?” Buffy asked.
“If I told you, I’d have to kill you, luv.” Buffy smirked a little and Spike felt better about his new neighbor. “You know you’re gorgeous when your smiling. You should greet all your neighbors that way. Or do you really just hate me that much already?”
“We get new neighbors a lot. My mom always makes me go over with the plate of welcome-cookies. I just hate talking to new people,” she said, not afraid to speak the truth.
“Then pretend I’m old,” he said with a smile. “Come on in.”
Buffy looked back at her house wondering if she should just decline and run home, but eventually decided to try and be nice before following him in to his new house. She took the plate of cookies off of the boxes he was carrying and walked to her left toward the kitchen.
Normally Buffy wouldn’t have followed him, but something pulled her to him. He was new, and cute. But she knew that if Riley ever saw her socializing with him he’d flip out. Maybe that was why it was exciting to talk to him… because she wasn’t supposed to.
“Well you certainly know your way around the place,” Spikes voice interrupted her thinking.
“Oh, um… One of my childhood friends used to live here. Kinda remember where some rooms are." She put the plate down on the counter and shyly clasped her hands together behind her back, waiting for him to speak again.
Spike just smiled and walked over to the refrigerator. “Drink?”
“Um, no thanks. You know, I should probably get back..."
“But I’ve hardly gotten to know you. Gotta give a bloke a little more info about what’s what and who’s who in this town.” Spike mentally slapped himself for sounding like such a desperate ninny.
“Well what do you want to know?”
He honestly didn’t care. So far he hated it here and his plans were to just get through these last few months, graduate, and head back to England to be with Dru. But, as this small framed little blonde stood in front of him staring, all he seemed to want to do was keep her here as long as possible, so his plan was to ask a bunch of random useless questions and make her think he actually cares about the answers he gets.
“You go to the high school, right?” he asked.
“Yeah…”
“What grade are you in?”
“I’m a senior. You?”
“Same. Hey, follow me upstairs, will you? These boxes go in my room.”
Buffy watched him as he lifted the boxes again and started walking to his right toward the stairs. Once at the top he turned right again and pushed open the door with his foot. The room was freshly painted a dark grey color. His bed that faced the windows on the front of the house had a big black iron headboard and red sheets. Boxes were piled all over the desk and dressers, each of them with permanent black marker that scribbled 'Spikes Room' on each side. The door to his own private bathroom was on the right, and that was painted a dark red color, but nothing else had been done with it.
Buffy walked past him over to the window. It looked directly across the street onto her house. She could see clearly right into her room from where she stood.
Note to self, keep curtains closed at night. Then again, it might be fun to…
“What are you lookin’ at, luv?”
Buffy jumped slightly, not realizing he had walked up to stand right behind her, trying to see whatever it was she was looking at that was making her blush.
“Um, those windows there… that’s my room.”
“Oh,” was all he said. “You got a boyfriend?”
“Yes,” she whirled around with a smile on her face. “His name is Riley and he plays football and basketball and baseball.”
Spike kind of laughed, snorted, and huffed all in one sound.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Lemme guess, you’re a cheerleader?”
“As a matter of fact, yes.” Buffy crossed her arms and stared at him.
“Great.”
“What’s THAT supposed to mean?”
“It’s nothing. Good to know is all.”
Spike had a questionable look on his face and Buffy found herself getting more and more insulted by the second.
“I really think its about time I left…” Buffy said as she stormed over toward the door.
As she moved away from him and toward her escape Spike felt a pang go through him as he realized he had thoroughly insulted her. He barely knew the girl but he liked her already, so before she got all the way across the room he jumped in front of her, blocking her only escape.
“Wait…”
“What?” she spat at him.
Spike winced a little. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you all brassed off at me. I jus’ – well I got a thing about jocks and cheerleaders.”
Buffy huffed and went to push past him but he wouldn’t have it.
“But I think I can make an exception for the prettiest girl in bloody Sunnydale.” Did I really just say that? Bloody hell if Dru ever heard that, she'd...
Buffy was still mad, but she could never resist a compliment. “Its fine, but I really do need to get home. I’ve got a few things I need to do.”
“Alright.”
“Um, see you around.” And with that she made her way down the stairs and let herself out. All the while she couldn’t stop thinking about the new blonde across the street. She already knew she wouldn’t be able to speak to him during school and he would probably try and talk to her. She wanted to be able to talk to him, to a lot of people, but the looks Cordy and Angel would give her and what Riley would do… it just wasn’t worth the hassle.
Spike watched through his bedroom window as she walked across the street and into her home. He didn’t know what it was about her but he wanted to be her friend. She was adorable. He wasn’t stupid, he knew she would ignore him in school, pretend she didn’t know him. He could tell by her body language, she wanted a reason to not like him, and he almost gave her one. But somehow the fact that she couldn’t be seen talking to him didn’t bother him.
Who would have thought that the first thing he'd come to like in this place would be a pretty little blonde holding a plate of cookies?
Maybe this place won't be so bad...
TBC