It had been over a week and Buffy hadn't really seen much of Spike. She had opted once or twice to call Riley instead of going over there. That was what she should do, right?
With a sigh Buffy got up off the couch and slipped a pair of flip flops on, grabbed a little jacket and her purse and decided to walk up to the video store and see if she couldn't find anything to rent.
She was about two blocks away when she could hear a familiar engine sound coming up from behind her. Anticipation grew in her gut as the camaro passed her, and she was semi-relieved and semi-disappointed at the same time, that was, until the car stopped and started backing toward her.
"Oh here we go..." she mumbled quietly to herself.
"Oi! Summers, you need a ride?" the blonde in the car yelled over to her.
"Um, no thanks. I'm just walking up to that plaza over there," she said pointing in that general direction.
"Where you goin'?"
"The video store."
"By yourself? Or is your hunnie gonna meet up with you later?" he asked as she kept walking. He brought the car to a slow roll that matched the pace at which she was walking.
"No," she said with a pout. "He's out with Angel and the guys."
"Where's Cordelia?" he asked as he looked back and forth between her and the road.
His questions were making her feel lonelier and lonelier by the second. "I don't know," she said with a shrug. "But I don't feel like calling her. She got on my nerves today so I don't really wanna listen to her yap all night."
"Oooo look at you," Spike said as Buffy came to a stop and turned toward the car.
She looked at him as he brought the car to a stop. She had tried to avoid him for two weeks, feeling awkward about her suggesting they be 'secret best friends'. Part of her was telling her she was being stupid, acting like a twelve year old, and another part of her was saying he didn't seem to mind and that he could use some friends here anyway.
Oh what the hell...
She marched her way over to the passenger’s side of the car and let herself in. "You busy tonight?"
Spike was drinking her in. She was the prettiest god damned thing he'd ever seen.
"Sort of..." he said and was pleased when she seemed disappointed.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm taking my secret best friend to the video store, then I'm going to buy lots of snacks and then I'm going to ask her if I may join her in watching said videos."
The excitement and joy on Buffy’s face made Spike feel warm inside. He shifted gears and took off down the street with a roar and a pleased look on his face.
Buffy watched him. His cheekbones looked even more prominent when he smiled. Her eyes traveled to his hair. It was sexy the way he had it bleached and slicked back. His eyebrows were a dark color, though.
"What's your real hair color?"
Spike looked at her with a furrowed brow, but sort of chuckled at the same time. "It's brown. Why?"
"I don't know. I just was wondering 'cause I noticed your dark eyebrows."
"You think I should beach them too?" he asked.
"No, it's sexier the way you have it."
She thinks I'm sexy...
Buffy mentally slapped herself for saying that out loud, but thankfully he hadn't said anything after that.
She thinks I'm sexy she thinks I'm sexy she thinks I'm sexy...
They pulled into the parking lot of the video store and Spike turned the car off.
"Nice car, by the way," Buffy said as they both got out of the car.
"It's alright. I miss my DeSoto I had back in England. It was my baby."
"You mean you just got this when you came here?" she asked as he held the video store door for her.
"Yeh. It was my bribe gift to come here. Uncle Rupert figured it would cheer me up."
"Did it?"
"For about a day. But a car isn't the same as home."
Buffy felt sorry for him. The thought of losing your family and then being basically forced to move to a whole new country, leaving everything behind, it must be awful for him.
"You seem okay though."
"Well pet, that's just 'cause I've got you around," he said with a wink.
Okay, he's not human. No guy says cute things like that while still looking sexier than sexy itself.
"So, what kind of movie are you lookin' for, pet?"
x X x X x X x
A half hour later Buffy came through the front door with a smile plastered on her face. Spike followed behind with a couple movies and a bag full of ice cream, soda, and a box of popcorn.
"Hey Buffy..." her mom said as she came down the stairs while putting her coat on. "I've gotta go to the gallery. We've got a mini apocalypse on our hands over there," she laughed. "Hello, William."
Spike's jaw twitched but he plastered a smile on his face. "Hello Mrs. Summers."
Buffy giggled.
"Please, call me Joyce, Mrs. Summers makes me feel so old."
"Well in that case, please call me Spike. It's a nickname I go by."
Joyce and Buffy just shrugged at each other and Joyce kept getting her things together.
"We're having a movie night, okay mom?"
"Of course. Have fun," she said as she kissed her goodbye. "Goodnight, Spike!" she yelled as she ran out the door.
"Your mum always pull late nights like that?" Spike asked as he followed Buffy into the kitchen.
"Yeah," she said as she stuffed the little pints of ice cream into the freezer. "She's the go-to lady whenever something goes wrong, which is pretty often."
She's alone at night all the time... that could be very convenient...
"Which movie do you want to watch first?" Buffy asked as she put a bag of popcorn in the microwave.
Spike looked at his options. Clueless, Scooby Doo, and Just Friends. He raised an eyebrow. "How ever will I choose..." he said sarcastically.
"Let's watch Scooby Doo!" she said as she snatched the movie from him and bounded into the living room. Spike chuckled and followed her, stopping to drape his coat over the stair rail.
x X x X x X x
"Well," Spike began with a yawn. "That was by far the worst movie I've ever seen."
"Hey! I thought it was good. Daphne is my idol," she said with a smile.
"She was pretty hot."
Buffy smirked. "Speaking of girls, have you been looking for any girls you might like to take out, you know, now that you and Dru are over?"
You...
"No, not really," he said.
"Well you should start lookin'. Spring formal is coming up in a few weeks. You can't go alone..."
"I don't do dances, luv. Not my cup of tea."
"Why not?" she said with a pout.
"Because... I don't know. Never liked 'em. Dru never liked them either. She would make me take her, but she wouldn't ever dance. She just ran off and talked to her friends the whole time.
"Well there's you problem. You need a date that knows how to have fun. One who's not gonna ditch you the minute you get there..."
"Is that right..."
"Riley is always a good dancer. He knows how to have fun," she said. She touched a nerve in Spike by mentioning him though. "But sometimes he goes off with his buddies and I end up sitting there, twiddling my thumbs."
"It can't be hard to get a bloke to come up to you and ask you to dance..."
"Well, in the past it was easy, but I mean, I can't just dance with anybody..." she said as Spike realized she was talking about her reputation. "Plus, most guys now are afraid that Riley will come after them. Even his own friends."
"You know, the more you talk about him, the more I can't stand him. The only good thing you've said is that he's supposedly a good dancer, although I wager I'm way better than him."
With a smile Buffy's mouth dropped open. "You've never even danced."
"I never said that. I just said I don't do dances."
"Why don't you put your money where your mouth is," she said with a poke.
He grabbed her wrist. "What? Right here right now?"
She laughed as she struggled to get her arm free. "Yeah, why not?"
"Because," he laughed as Buffy used her other hand to tickle him.
Together they started to laugh out loud and squirm to get away from one another’s hands.
Figures.... she puts her hands on me but it's got to be tickles...
Spike finally managed to grab hold of her other hand and as she struggled to break free they toppled to the floor, knocking the popcorn bowl over spilling popcorn and un-popped kernels everywhere.
"Spike," Buffy laughed. "Spike stop!"
"Make me! You should bloody well know not to tickle a man," she smirked.
Buffy was telling him to stop but she really didn't want him to. He had her hands pinned above her head with one of his hands and he tickled her with the other. The smirk that was on his face had Buffy melting into a big puddle of Buffy goo. She knew she should have been making him stop, reminding him and herself that she had a boyfriend, and even if she didn't have a boyfriend she was Buffy Summers. She shouldn't be on the floor being tickled. Even if it was a really hot sexy blonde...
You know what... I AM Buffy Summers, and I'm going to do whatever the hell I want.
Just as she was getting ready to fight back the phone began to ring. The wrestling stopped.
"I 'spose you'll wanna get that," he said in a low sexy voice as he released her wrists and stood up, holding out his hand to help her up as well.
"Thanks," she said as she smoothed her clothes and walked over to the still ringing phone. Spike looked around and saw the popcorn splayed out everywhere and began to pick it all up.
"Hello?" Buffy said as she picked up the phone. "Riley... hi."
Spike gritted his teeth as he put the bowl back on the table. He waited for a minute or two while she was talking before just deciding to go home.
Walking over to the staircase he grabbed his duster and quietly slipped out the door.
"Sorry, I -" Buffy hung up the phone and turned toward where she had left Spike standing, but he was gone. Her bottom lip poked out as she turned the corner and saw that his jacket was gone.
x X x X x X x
The next day in school Buffy sat at her desk, tapping her pen against her books impatiently waiting for the bell to ring and release her from the boring chains of American History. She kept thinking about her various encounters with Spike. As she sat and thought about it she couldn't remember why she did it, why she willingly hung out with him time and time again. She could easily call up Cordy or Riley and talk their ears off until she got tired. Instead she found pleasure in being with Spike. Spike! A bleached, punkish english guy. Buffy couldn't even comprehend why she was so attracted to him - NOT that she was attracted to him or anything...
Buffy groaned out loud at her thoughts but before anyone got to stare at her in wonder the bell rang, saving her. She sighed and gathered all of her books together before trying to bolt out the door. But before she could even get all the way out the door she ran flat into a rock-hard chest, covered in a familiar tight black t-shirt.
"Oh boy..."
"Whoa there, Summers. You could kill a bloke with that speed. Where are you goin' that you're in such a hurry?" Spike asked.
"I, um, need to talk to Riley," she said while moving a piece of hair out of her face.
"I see. Well you better be more careful, don't want to plow anyone over," he said with a small smirk.
Buffy couldn't help but smile when he smirked like that.
"So," he began. "You got any exciting plans for this weekend?" he asked as they began to walk down the hall together, earning curious looks from all the other people who had never seen Buffy Summers associate with anyone outside of the fab-four.
"Friday nights in the life of Buffy are usually occupied at the Bronze."
"The Bronze?"
"Uh huh," she said with a little pep.
"What's the Bronze?"
"You don’t know about the Bronze? Oh my god it's like the only thing there is to do in Sunnydale."
"I see..."
"It's like a small club, but people of all ages are allowed. There’s live music on the weekends, a good DJ throughout the week. There's a pool table, a bar, good food, fun drinks, dancing. It's the it in Sunnydale."
They turned the corner in the hall and Buffy could see Cordelia standing by her locker putting books in.
"Well I'm off," Spike said, knowing full well that Buffy was afraid to be seen with him. "See ya 'round Summers."
"Bye," she said quietly as Spike turned around and Buffy kept going toward Cordelia. Before she even got to say anything to her Riley came storming up from behind.
"Who the fuck was that, Buffy?"
"What? Who?"
"That freak you were walking with. What the fuck was that about?" he demanded.
"Riley, calm down. He's just my neighbor."
"So what? Now you'll socialize with all of the freaks that live in your neighborhood?"
"Why were you talking to him, Buffy?" Cordelia asked.
"You guys, I ran into him coming out of class, like, literally. It's not my fault he started following me." Buffy immediately felt guilty.
Her two friends just stared at her for a few moments. "I don't wanna see you talking to him again," Riley said. "Let's go, we're leaving."
"Fine. See you later Cordy," she said as Riley stormed off toward the parking lot and Buffy followed.
"Bye."
x X x X x X x
"So do you guys wanna go to the Bronze?" the redhead asked. She turned toward Spike. "The Bronze is..."
"Yeah I know. Buf... um, I've heard of it."
"Well do you wanna go? I haven't been there in a while."
"Sounds good to me," the boy in the back seat said. "You up for it Spike?"
Spike finished the last drag of his cigarette and tossed the butt out his window. "Point me in the direction, red," he said as he blew smoke out the window and hit the gas.
"O-okay, turn right at the next light, then left into the alley."
"This is so cool. Cruisin' in a sweet car, hangin' out at the Bronze," Xander paused with a smile on his face and looked at Spike from the back seat. "Can I hug you?"
"No," Spike quickly answered.
Xander quickly sat back in his seat. "Okay."
"Right here," Willow said as Spike turned into the large alley and parked where a few other cars were parked.
As they got out of the car they could hear music being played inside. Spike hit the lock button on his key ring and listened as the alarm armed itself with a little beep.
Xander smiled and laughed with giddiness as they walked through the doors into the club. It was small, but it was better than nothing.
"Spike... pool?" Xander said grabbing a couple of pool sticks.
"Yeh," he said with a smile. "Be prepared to lose your money, Harris," he said as he took off his duster and handed it to Willow, who was sitting on a small couch next to the table.
"Money? There's money to be lost?" he asked nervously.
Spike chuckled. "Fine, loser buys the winner a drink. How's that?"
"That I can do," he said as he set up the rack.
As Xander continued to set up the game Spike turned toward the dance floor and leaned back against the table. As the music switched from one song to another a few people scattered away creating a clearing to the middle of the dance floor.
And there she was.
She was there wearing an almost nothing halter top and tight leather pants, swaying her hips with her hands above her head. She had a sweet smile on her face as Cordy said something to her. That was when Spike noticed the crowd she was with.
The dumb jock she called her boyfriend was behind her, holding her hips as he bumped himself into her. The other two standing next to them were doing the same thing.
She calls that dancing?
Spike felt the urge to run over and pelt him right in the face, break his nose so bad that he would never stop smelling blood.
Bloody poof.
"Spike... you wanna break?"
Spike willed himself to look away and clenched his jaw for a second. "Yeh," he said and he set himself up and shot the first shot, sending the balls rolling across the table with a crack.
When he looked back up Buffy was staring at him and when she noticed him look up she slapped a seductive smirk on her face. She never took her eyes off of him as she slithered around, rubbing and grinding on the man behind her.
"Bloody tease..." Spike smirked.
x X x X x X x
After four games of pool and a couple of drinks Spike decided to call it a night, but needed to run to the men’s room first. As he turned into the dark hall to go toward the bathroom he heard a familiar voice.
"Babe, I told you I was bringing her here tonight. I do every friday night."
"But Riley," the female voice started. A female voice that wasn't Buffy. Spike immediately shrunk back into the shadows as his eyes adjusted enough to see the woman who was hanging all over Buffy's boy toy. "Riley you said we could see each other tonight. How are we supposed to go out if you bring your girlfriend with you?" the brunette woman asked.
She was short, real busty and was horribly pale. Her dark lipstick was making her look dead and the big meaty boots she was wearing did nothing for her figure.
"I know. I was going to come get you after I took her home," he said grabbing her and pulling her closer to him. "I was gonna bring toys," he said as he kissed down her neck.
Spikes eyes went wide. He knew the poof was well, a poof, but he didn't think anyone would ever cheat on Buffy. His mind began to race, should he tell her? Should he pretend he never saw? She needed to find out somehow, but it was really none of his business either.
How was he going to tell the most popular and beautiful girl in school that her precious boyfriend was cheating on her? It would humiliate her.
Spike looked back at the table where Buffy was sitting, smiling and laughing with her other friends. He didn't want to be the reason her smile goes away, but at the same time he couldn't pretend he didn't see what he saw.
Now it was up to him to find the best way possible to break his new best friends heart.
TBC