"So I looked at her and I was like, I don't associate with underclassmen who couldn't even make it onto the Varsity Cheerleading Squad." Cordelia was ranting on and on at the lunch table outside.
Buffy sat idly beside her, pretending to listen as she poked at the disgusting excuse for macaroni and cheese that was filling her plate.
"Buffy... Buffy! Are you even listening to me?" Cordy huffed.
"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry Cordy. I just, I'm sort of out of it today."
"What's wrong? Is it about Riley dancing with that girl last night?"
"Dancing is an understatement, Cordy. He was all over her."
Cordelia rolled her eyes at her friend. "He was not. Buffy, you're totally overreacting."
The night before, while at the Bronze Buffy had gone to use the bathroom. When she came back out she couldn't find Riley, but when she finally spotted him he was grinding and rubbing himself all over some slutty dark haired girl with big pasty boobs. Obviously no girl is going to be okay watching her boyfriend live it up with some skank.
After Riley realized she was mad at him he did everything he could think of to make it up to her. Then he went and messed it all up again by unzipping his pants and asking her to suck his dick.
Buffy started to angrily stab at the macaroni she was pushing around earlier.
Cordelia quickly changed the subject and started rambling on about going shopping for her Spring Formal dress.
Buffy's attention was drawn to the man walking past her table toward the parking lot. She made Cordy believe she was still listening but she was watching the new hunk of a guy as he walked up to his car and change from his black t-shirt into a white one.
It was ridiculously hot today and she could see it was getting to him. She watched as he grabbed a half empty bottle of water from the passenger seat of his car and take a big gulp, then pour the rest over his head, shaking the excess off before it could ruin his nice new shirt.
"Who's that?" Cordelia asked.
"What?" Buffy asked, a bit startled by her. She hadn't even noticed her stop talking about whatever it was she was talking about in the first place.
"That guy over by the camaro. Who is that? I don't recognize him..."
"Um, he's new. He just moved in across the street from me."
"You've talked to him?" Cordelia asked with a hint of disgust.
"I didn't want to! My mom made me go over and introduce myself. He's just some guy, totally boring," Buffy said trying to mask the fact that for some reason she really didn't mind him.
"Whatever," Cordy said as she gathered her books together. "I'm cutting out early. I wanna get my nails done. You wanna come?"
"Mmm, tempting, but no. I've got some lame ass test eighth period. Maybe next time."
Cordelia shrugged and flipped her hair over one shoulder. "Suit yourself. Call me later?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. Bye."
"See ya." Buffy sighed and dropped her fork onto her plate. "I guess this is goodbye," she mumbled to the sloppy mess of yellow and orange on her plate. After she got up and threw it out she looked over at Spikes car. He was leaning back against it looking all sexy having a cigarette.
Stop it Buffy! You've met him once and your already staring at him thinking things that include the word sexy. He's just a guy. Get it together...
x X x X x X x
Later that day Buffy was sitting on her front porch, staring out onto the blazing hot street while clutching the portable phone. "Riley you promised me you'd come over after school..."
"Buffy I'm sorry, what else do you want me to say? I just don't want to sit there in the heat while I could go to my stepfathers and play xbox with my step brothers in the air conditioning."
The tone of his voice was starting to piss her off. She still wasn’t over the Bronze incident, or his insensitivity in asking her to blow him, and now she had a strong feeling that she was being lied to solely so he wouldn't have to come over here and face her himself.
"Whatever, Riley."
"I gotta go, but Buffy, don't be mad..."
"Too late, Riley. Goodbye." She hung up the phone and slammed it down onto the porch next to her.
"Be gentle, luv. The phone didn't do anything to you."
The deep English accented voice half startled Buffy. She looked up at him with a small, yet obviously fake smile on her lips. "Hey."
"I take it I caught you at a bad time, then..."
"A little bit."
"Sorry. But I was noticing how unbelievably hot it is today and I was wondering if you wanted to come over for a swim?..."
Buffy was a little confused. "You have a pool?"
"Yeh."
"Since when? I don't remember there being a pool at that house..."
Spike didn't really know what to say, he just shrugged and looked back at the house. "It was there when we bought the place. S'all I know."
Buffy was surprised, but as much as it tempted her, she really wasn't in the mood to be all buddy buddy with the new guy. "I appreciate the offer, but I think I'm just gonna go lay down or something."
Spike was a bit disappointed that she obviously didn't want to spend any time with him, but he also expected it. "Suit yourself, pet. I'm going to cool off."
"Okay..." Buffy said as he turned and walked back over to his side of the street.
She got up and went in the house. She had a headache after arguing with Riley and her mom was out at the gallery, so she curled up on the couch. Feeling the warm breeze come through the window, Buffy was ready for a nap.
~~~~~
"Buffy..."
"Hmmm..." the tiny blonde mumbled as she opened her eyes as looked over toward the voice that was calling her name.
"Buffy... look at me."
"Spike?" Wha... how..."
She looked around. She was in Spikes backyard, laying next to the pool and he was hovering over her with a strange look on his face. She felt wet, and when she looked down at herself she noticed she was in her bathing suit, and looked as if she'd just been pulled from the water.
When she looked back up, what was Spike was now Cordelia and she was tugging on Buffy's arm to get up.
"Come on, Buffy! We're gonna be late, the guys are waiting for us."
Buffy got up and looked around warily before following Cordelia over to a large metal door that was on the back of what would be Spikes house. As soon as her and Cordy walked through the door they were in the Bronze.
Music was blaring and she could hear crowds of people talking, but the only people in there were Riley and the girl he danced with the night before, dancing once again.
"Cordelia, who..." When Buffy turned to ask her friend what was going on she was gone. Buffy was getting confused and frustrated. She was watching her boyfriend dance and rub himself all over that girl, AGAIN. And this time, he kissed her.
Buffy was fuming. She stormed over to where they were dancing but when she reached out to slap them both she tripped over something and fell.
~~~~~
Buffy jumped and her eyes shot open. She was laying on the couch in the living room in the dark. The sun had gone down and her mom was still not home. She sat up and was immediately dizzy from the movement and the heat. If it was at all possible she could have sworn it was hotter now than when she had fallen asleep.
"Weird dream..." she murmured to herself. She looked around before heading into the kitchen to grab some ice water. She chugged down the entire glass but still couldn't stop sweating. Buffy walked over to the refrigerator and pulled a cube of ice out of the freezer. She barely pressed it to her skin before it all melted away.
She grunted in frustration and stomped her foot. Crossing her arms she walked up to her room and looked out her window. Across the street she could see the glow of the pool light coming from behind Spikes house.
Maybe he's still out there...
She sighed and walked over to her closet, quickly grabbing her bikini and slipping it on underneath her clothes. Buffy put her hair up in a cute fluffy bun and sprayed herself quick with one small squirt of perfume.
I can't believe I'm doing this...
She made her way downstairs and out her front door. Scurrying across the street she hurried up to his front door. When she rang the doorbell she felt a wave of dread go through her in anticipation of who was going to answer the door. She could hear footsteps coming down the stairs and for a split second she felt like hiding in the bushes.
The door opened and Buffy was slightly relieved that it was Spike who answered and not Mr. Giles.
"Buffy..." he sounded surprised to see her. "What can I do for you?"
"Spike. Hi!" Buffy could feel herself blushing. He was standing there before her wearing nothing but his black swim trunks. His chiseled body was like a statue and a creamy white color. He had a silver chain around his neck and his piercing blue eyes were looking into hers for an answer.
"Um, I know I told you no, but..." she was getting more and more embarrassed as she went on. "Its just so hot out and you know, we could, um, talk and... and get to know each other better. Inthepool..."
Spike chuckled. She was adorable standing there in front of him, her fluffy little bun bouncing on top of her head. Her tanned skin was glistening with a thin sheen of sweat. She looked nervous.
I make the most popular and wanted girl in school nervous.
She was so bloody gorgeous. "Sure, pet. Why not?" he said with a smile as he held the door open and moved over enough for her to make her way into the house.
x X x X x X x
"So you just packed up your stuff and came out here?"
"Well after my uncle came out here and made sure he had a job and we looked at some houses. Yeh it was all kind of fast, and last minute."
"You didn't want to come out here, did you..." Buffy asked, already knowing the answer.
It was 12:15 in the morning and the two of them had been floating around in the pool for about an hour. They were both already more comfortable with each other. They talked about how long Buffy had been living here and why Spike and his uncle, Mr. Giles, moved all the way here from England.
"I miss my girlfriend," he said.
Buffy was surprised. She didn't even think to ask if he had a girlfriend back home.
"What's her name?" Buffy asked.
"Drusilla." Buffy's face was priceless. "Talk about weird names, eh?" Spike chuckled. "Most people just call her Dru, attracts less attention. Then again, she always was one for lots of attention."
"What's she like?" she asked, moving so that she was on her belly on the inner tube she had been sitting on.
"Dru, she's... she's different. She can be so strange and make no sense at times. I used to think she's gone completely sack o' hammers. But when I'm alone with her, the way she looks at me sometimes..." he trailed off, obviously reminiscing about his time with her. "She's my black goddess."
He looked up and gave Buffy a tender smile, sadness now visible in his eyes and Buffy’s stomach dropped, knowing she'd caused it. "Sounds like you two have a really nice relationship."
"Actually its been pretty rocky, but, we're still goin'."
"Well, rocky or not," she looked at him and smiled. "You definitely show your love. I wish I had that," she said as she looked down into the water.
Spike looked at her with a bit of concern. "Trouble in paradise?"
"As of late, yeah," Buffy said with obvious hurt in her eyes.
"Well what's wrong?" Spike asked as he hopped off of his float and drifted closer to her.
"He's just," she sighed and looked up. "He's acting different these days. Like he cares less about what I want and he just does whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Like, okay, yesterday I caught him dancing with this total skank, and he acts like its no big deal even though he knows that I know he was all over her."
"Did you talk to him about it?"
"Every time I try he starts avoiding me."
"Ah... so thats what your little rant on the phone was about earlier..."
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Well I don't really know what to tell you, Summers. I'm not exactly cut out for the girly chit chat we're doing."
Buffy laughed. "Sorry. Didn't mean to unload all of that on you. It's just nice to talk to someone new."
"Know what you mean, pet."
They shared a knowing smile to each other before Buffy started to climb off of her inner tube. Before she could get all the way off her foot caught and she flipped the thing right over, but Spike quickly moved in and pulled it out from on top of her and helped her steady.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
Buffy was bursting with laughter. She had managed to make herself look like a total doofus in a matter of ten seconds.
"I'm fine," she laughed. She was shoved back into reality when she realized that she was pressed against a nice hard chest, covered in soft white skin. Her hands clasped onto his muscular arms and when she looked up into his eyes a shiver went down her spine.
"I um," she cleared her throat. "I should probably get home. Don't want mom to worry."
Spike let her go when he could feel her pull against him a little. "Let me get you a towel," he said and he pulled himself up out of the pool.
By the time Buffy had managed to climb out of the pool herself, Spike was already back with the towel.
He stood there in the doorway between the sliding glass doors. She was leaning over the side of the pool, wringing the water out of her hair. Spike never got a good look at her before since she dove into the pool when he had run into the house to grab something after she'd gotten there. She wore a tiny, almost nothing white bikini that looked amazing against her tanned skin. She also had a small sparkly belly button ring, the same emerald green as her eyes. She truly was gorgeous.
Spike released the breath he didn't realize he was holding and handed her the towel.
"Ere, you can go ahead and take it home with you. I'll get it back another time."
"Thanks," she said wrapping it around her slim frame. "I'll um, see you later."
Before Spike could say anything she walked around the side of the house and back over to her own house.
Spike looked down at one of the patio chairs nearby. She left her t-shirt and shorts.
x X x X x X x
Buffy was already all the way up in her room when she realized she'd left her clothes behind. With a sigh she wrapped the towel back around her and made her way back downstairs.
Spike was up in his room with the sweet smelling clothes in his hands when he heard a tap on the door. He set the clothes down on his bed and went back downstairs again.
When he opened the door he wasn't the least bit surprised to see who it was waiting for him.
"Couldn't live without me, eh?"
Buffy smirked a little. "I left my clothes..."
"I know. Come on."
Buffy closed the door behind her and followed him up the stairs to his bedroom. When she walked in she was surprised to see everything already put in its place, and all the boxes gone.
"Wow."
"What?" he asked as he picked up the ball of clothes she was waiting for.
"Your room. It's very... you."
Spike raised an eyebrow at her.
"You know what I mean... Red sheets, black comforter, Sex Pistols posters. It's all very you."
"Yeah. Guess that’s why they call it my room."
Buffy blushed and looked down, embarrassed.
Spike just smiled. "God you're adorable."
Her head shot up. "You think I'm adorable?"
"Yeah," he said handing her the clothes. "I do."
She blushed a little more but with a shy smile on her face this time as their fingers brushed against one another.
"Goodnight, Spike."
"Goodnight, Buffy."
TBC