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Author’s Note: Based on the episode ‘Yellow Fever’ from ‘The Adventures of Pete and Pete’. Reviews are appreciated.
--= * =-- --= * =-- --= * =--
Ever since there’s been school, there’s been field trips. In my school, we’ve been subjected to places such as the CRD Moloch Research Laboratory, the Sunnydale Army Base, and the burnt out factory in the middle of the industrial park. Field trips are supposed to be educational but what teachers don’t get is that the real education takes place on the way there. The seemingly ordinary school bus becomes an incubator for the churning psyches of 48 kids. Inside, a kind of chemical reaction takes place; people change; friends become enemies; enemies become friends; and a class trip becomes a journey to the darkest recesses of your own soul.
Our journey began with Ms. French briefing us on our field trip to the Sunnydale County Milk Museum while our class stood in line, popping gum, rolling our eyes, and/or chewing our nails.
“...and last but not least, no milking.”
She nodded in a prim way that signaled she was finished speaking and then turned to the bus driver.
“Alright. Everybody on the bus,” he said in a cheerful voice. But it was the type of cheerful that made you suspect that there was something darker hidden.
But that wasn’t the real story that day. Someone had given Riley a secret love note. In it, she had promised to reveal her identity by sitting next to him on the trip. I knew it shouldn’t have bothered me. I mean, Riley and I were just friends but for some reason it chomped on my guts. Who had sent that note? It could have been anyone; Gwen, Harmony, Cordelia, Kendra, Amy, air-head Glory, any eligible girl in my entire class.
As I got onto the bus I thought, whoever Riley’s secret admirer was I wasn’t going to stand in her way. At least I thought I wasn’t until I was passing by his seat. I didn’t know what came over me but...
“What are you doing?” He asked as I sat down, a little stunned at myself but not about to let myself show it.
“I don’t know.”
“How am I supposed to find out who sent that note? You can’t sit here,” he whined.
“Come on. We always sit together.”
Riley sighed in annoyance while I was grinning on the inside. Just for good measure, I tripped up my arch-nemesis Spike while he was walking by.
“Watch it, princess,” he muttered as he kept walking. I stuck my tongue out at him.
“Remember to make a left onto Route 6,” Ms. French was telling the driver. “I’ll meet you there in an hour.”
She turned and clomped off the bus in her chunky sandals.
The bus driver picked up the intercom microphone and held the button down so a static screech echoed around the bus. Everyone simultaneously covered their ears.
“Welcome aboard the Yellow Fever. I am your captain, driver Richard Wilkins the third.”
I watched Ms. French get into her car from the window next to Riley.
“Our traveling time will be approximately 60 minutes. That’ll be all,” he finished before slamming his foot down on gas pedal.
In school you see the same people everyday. Nothing changes. But on a long bus ride, people reveal parts of themselves no one was meant to see.
Case in point: Holden Webster. Every time we went on a trip, we saw a new side to the kid who did the lighting for the annual play. This time, it was his newfound obsession with psychology. By the end of the trip he will have diagnosed everybody with something or other.
For some reason, just being on a bus made Kathy beserk. She kept a pair of rubber gloves on at all times and periodically wiped down the windows and seats when she wasn’t straightening up the contents in her backpack.
For Cecily, it was like sort of vengeance hormone kicked in and she began questioning anyone in hearing range if they had any justice that needed to be served.
Sitting next to her, Drusilla started giggling like a hyena. Whenever she was on a bus, her normally bizarre behavior grew more and more nutty until we all wondered if she had really ever been sane at all.
But of all the mutations that took place that day, mine was the weirdest.
Riley sighed again.
“I really needed that seat.”
“Oh. For your lover-girl? That’s sweet,” I held a hand over my heart to emphasize my sarcasm.
“You’re just jealous,” he snapped.
“You wish!”
“I wish you’d move.”
There was no turning back for me or the others.
Some spent their time arguing about superheroes...
“No way! Wolverine would so destroy Spiderman!” Andrew argued.
“But he couldn’t take Superman,” Johnathon countered.
...others slept, some talked.
“Hey B! You’ll never guess what hunk of meat I sank my teeth into last weekend.”
Faith dangled her arms over the back of our seat as she grinned at me. I looked at her, waiting for her to continue.
She licked her lips.
“Scott Hope.”
Faith and I started cracking up. I held out my hand and she promptly slapped it. Faith giggled as she sank back into her seat.
“What has gotten into you?” Riley said, irritated. “Next you’re gonna want to make-out with Spike. Go ahead. There’s no line.”
“Well, what if I did?” I shot back.
“I wouldn’t be surprised!”
The intercom screeched again.
“This is your bus driver Richard. We’re going to be making a few minor changes in regulations such as...”
Bus Driver Richard paused when he heard our two voices interrupting his trail of thought.
“Just get out. I asked you really nicely,” Riley whined.
“I wasn’t going to make-out with anybody and who died and made you bus sheriff?”
“Passenger Buffy.” I looked up at Richard. “No arguing. Back of the bus. Now.”
There was nothing I could do. Riley was going to get the seat he wanted and I was going to get the seat I deserved. I threw Riley a glare as I stood up and walked tiltingly towards the back of the bus.
Spike patted the seat next to him.
“Princess, I am so looking forward to you and me spending some quality time together. I see you’re having a little trouble with your boyfriend,” he said, smirk in place.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I said, turning around just in time to see Faith sliding in next to Riley.
“Heya. How’s it going?” She piped cheerfully as she made herself comfortable.
“Faith?” I said confused.
“...and finally passengers will, ah, chip in for gas. If you have anymore questions. Please don’t hesitate not to ask them,” Bus Driver Richard continued.
Still facing the front of the bus, Spike quickly jumped up, slid his arm around me and pulled me down onto the seat next to him.
“And we’re off,” Bus Driver Richard said, finishing his speech.
Spike grinned and his arm rested comfortably around my waist, holding me to his side.
The transformation was now complete. Spike was my companion and my old companion was now a backstabber.
“I just figured you’d get bored sitting with Buffy all the time. Maybe you’re...ready for something new?” Faith said to Riley with a cheeky smile.
Thanks to numerous bathroom trips and several wrong turns, we were two hours behind schedule and driving further into the uncharted territory of our souls.
--= * =-- --= * =-- --= * =--
“Where am I?” Bus Driver Richard thought out loud worriedly as he read off the unfamiliar signs. “The 23895? Ahora Dé vuelta Detrás? I’m lost. I’m lost. I’m lost! I’m lost!’
My eyes widened as the cries of ‘I’m lost’ crescendoed and the Yellow Fever screeched to a halt in front of a dusty looking farm.
“Excuse me!” Bus Driver Richard yelled into the bus’s intercom system out the open bus door. The prone figure in the middle of the overgrown field didn’t respond. “I’m looking for I87. Excuse me?! I’m talking to you!” Frustrated at the lack of response, he flung the microphone down and stalked out to the immobile farmer.
“Excuse me, farmer extremely unhelpful but--” Looking up he finally registered what he was talking to. There was a pause. “You’re straw,” he said to the scarecrow, who grinned back blankly. Richard took a few agitated breaths.
Faith had turned around in the seat and had her backpack propped in her lap.
“Want to experience something wild?” She asked with a silly grin as she pulled out a can of beer.
“Nah...that...that’s okay,” Riley stuttered.
“I got it from my dad’s stash,” she said as she cracked it open.
“Faith...I don’t think this is going to work.”
She took a swig,
“Ahh. Does for me.”
“No, no. I mean the note. You and me...” Riley trailed off.
“What note?” Faith asked disinterested as she dug through her bag for a snack.
Riley frowned. “What note? What note!” He exclaimed with a slight laugh.
Now that Riley knew the truth of the situation, he could get his revenge on me. He threw his arm around her and threw a disparaging glance at me.
“So, what else you got?” He asked.
“What a cruel, inconsiderate bint, moving in on your boyfriend,” Spike said. I couldn’t discern if he was honestly shocked at Faith’s behaviour or simply amused.
“Oh come off it, Spike. You know he’s not my boyfr...”
I was cut off when Darla reached over and put a hand around my neck. She pulled me close to her and simpered into my ear, “He’s making a fool of you.”
Unnoticed by any of the students, outside Bus Driver Richard violently thrashed the disobliging scarecrow with a pitchfork he had discovered lying a few feet away.
“I’d say you’ve got a bit of a problem there, luv,” Spike said as I settled back next to him. I nodded my head.
“Right then. Any ideas?” He looked around at Darla and Angelus, who were on the other side of the backseat, his arm around her shoulder. Darla shrugged and Angelus shook his head.
Drusilla leaned over her seat, which was in front of ours; she was giggling like a hyena.
“Bite. Snip. Strings don’t like accommodations,” was all she choked out before her maniac laughing prevented her from saying anything more.
“What?” I asked.
Darla smiled and leaned over conspiratorially.
“She means...”
“Yeah,” I said with an evil smile when Darla finished translating Drusilla.
Bus Driver Richard clambered back onto the bus still clutching the pitchfork, his hat and clothing were covered in pieces of hay.
“Um...” He said, looking around at the bored teenagers. “Thank you for your patience...little turbulence...” He realized he was still holding the pitchfork. He attempted to chuck it out the still-open door, managing to bash it about a bit before accomplishing the task. “Everything’s a-okay. Fine,” he declared, spinning around into his seat. Sunday rolled her eyes.
It finally happened. My own dark side was bubbling to the surface and you know, it felt great. With a pair of scissors Angelus had provided, I crawled my way down the aisle back to where Faith was sitting next to Riley, thankful that I had worn jeans and not a short skirt today, lest I give Spike the enjoyment of catching a glimpse of my underwear. Actually, that didn’t sound as unappealing as it once did. I shook my head and tried to focus on the task at hand.
It was perfect; Faith was sitting with her back to the aisle, facing Riley, leaving the strings of her skimpy top in plain view. Taking the scissors, I quickly made two cuts.
Riley was nodding at something Faith was talking about and only noticed me after I stood up.
“Buffy?”
“Riley.” I smiled.
Faith’s skimpy top took that as its cue to slip down to her waist.
“Whoa!” Faith yelped as she flung her arms up to cover herself.
Laughing, I quickly scurried back down to my new friends. Angelus grinned in appreciation; Darla and Drusilla hooted and laughed with delight; and as Riley was helping Faith try and tie her top back together, in the adrenaline rush of vengeance, I greeted a glitter-eyed Spike with an excited kiss.
Riley looked up from Faith just long enough to glance as us in disgust.
Although the kiss didn’t last very long and our tongues hadn’t gotten involved yet, Spike still grinned at me and said, “Welcome to the club.”
I grinned back and settled back into my place by his side.
“Let’s say we celebrate with some bubbles,” Angelus said as he handed out 2-litre bottles of fizzy red lemonade. I did a double-take, for a second I could’ve sworn it was blood. I shook my head and accepted the bottle.
I cracked it open at the same time as the other four and took a swig.
“Ohh,” Darla said with a smile as they all simultaneously lowered the bottles to a few inches above the floor and poured out eight litres of soda pop onto the floor. I watched with wide eyes as the red river of soda splashed and flowed down the length of the bus. Students screamed as it hit their shoes and backpacks.
“RICHARD!!” Kathy wailed. Bus Driver Richard looked hard into the large rear-view mirror and slammed on the brakes.
“I am exceedingly not pleased!” He was yelling as everybody clambered off the bus and began milling about in yet another field in the middle of nowhere. “I joined the service to help people, to do good for mankind!” He declared as he leaned against a rusted tractor. “If you screw up one more time...back you goooo!” He sing-songed.
A little worried for my safety, I moved away from Bus Driver Richard in the direction of some old farming machinery Spike and his gang were lounging on.
As I was walking, I head a pissed-off voice say: “Way to go, Buff. Way to trash your friend.”
I turned to Riley.
“Oh you mean ‘lover-girl’?” I said making air-quotes.
He rolled his eyes.
“Faith wasn’t...Faith’s great! Wanna know what’s so great about Faith?”
I nodded my head enthusiastically, wanting to know what corn-fed Iowa boy could possibly have in common with a tramp like Faith.
“Faith, uh...she’s uh...” he stuttered. “She knows how to have fun.”
“Oh yeah?” I shot back. “Well so does Spike. I can’t even understand why I’ve been hanging out with you.”
“Well, then don’t anymore!”
“Fine by me,” I said calmly, honestly meaning it.
I walked away from Riley, glaring over my shoulder.
“Buffy, my slayer.” I turned as Spike snaked his arm comfortably around my shoulders. “You’re doing very, very well. You showed that sketchy bint, yeah? But what about Captain Cardboard?”
He had a point.
“Hmm. What would make Riley really mad?” He asked with a glint in his eye.
I laughed.
“Gee Spike. What could you possibly be implying? That I shack up with you?” I asked playfully.
“Come on. Just kiss me,” he said with a smile, his Cockney accent sending shivers down my spine. Suddenly I was acutely aware of how close our bodies were and for some reason, I didn’t mind as much as I thought I would.
“One kiss and you’re your own woman, Buffy Summers,” he said, now looking me straight in the eye, his hands on each of my shoulders.
“You mean your woman,” I said distractedly by the look in his eyes.
‘That too,” was the last thing he said before his lips closed over mine. My eyes sank shut as his tongue slipped in to duel with mine. How could I resist? The fever he’d caused was pounding through my veins and I found myself worming my arms up around his neck to try and pull him closer. His arms fell to my waist and I felt some primal feeling of satisfaction surge through my veins.
As we pulled back I realized everyone was staring at us, some gaping at the sight of us--who had been arch-nemeses since the second grade--kissing until the silence around us seemed to echo like a gong. And ‘kissing’ was putting it lightly I thought.
“I’ll never talk to you again,” Riley said in what felt like slow motion. At least it broke the gong.
--= * =-- --= * =-- --= * =--
Half an hour later, Kathy had finished maniacally scrubbing the bus down with her industrial-size cleaner bottle and sponges. This was the peak of our journey; we had all reached the point of no return and nothing could save us now.
Having wandered around separately for some of the time, I met up with Spike again. He was toying with something in his hands.
"Whatcha got there?" I asked behind his shoulder.
"Nothing," he said as tucked it into his duster pocket. After a short wrestling match, I finally got it and realised it was a wallet.
"Spike!"
"What?" He asked innocently.
"'Property of Cordelia Chase'? You stole this," I said accusingly.
"Well...yeah. Evil, remember, pet?"
"Give it back to her."
"Hmm...no."
"You're a pig, Spike."
"Yeah, well, you're a bitch."
"Don't steal!"
"S'not my fault the bint can't look after her own things."
"Just don't steal things. It's wrong."
"Don't tell me what to do."
I could feel my face flushing. Now I remembered why the ass was my arch-nemesis.
"Bite me!"
He flipped up two fingers and stalked past me, leaving me holding Cordelia's red leather wallet.
"Get back on the bus," Bus Driver Richard called out loudly. The students began heading for the Yellow Fever and Bus Driver Richard climbed into his seat.
Sulking, I just tossed the wallet at Cordelia, determined to avoid Spike before remembering I had been assigned a seat.
Spike and I didn't say much to each other after we had clambered back into our seats, although he still rested his arm on the top of the seat behind me, he didn't actually touch me. We stubbornly didn't meet the other's eyes throughout the rest of the bus ride. Although I was moping on the inside, I was too accustomed to never showing Spike any weakness to let up now. He seemed to be thinking along the same lines.
Taking a shot in the dark, Bus Driver Richard took the first left he encountered and coincidentally, stumbled upon the Sunnydale County Milk Museum. And just like that, it was over. We had journeyed to the outer limits of our souls and came out safely on the other side.
Given the other side held an extremely furious Ms. French, but that was unavoidable. A few minutes after we had hit solid ground, she lined us all up like convicts and spoke slowly and loudly as she paced before us.
"Although Faith has said nothing, I am not ignorant. One of you deliberately cut the strings of her top which, I admit, is outrageous for a field trip to the countryside but still, I will not abide by such behaviour. Whoever you are, you're going to pay for the whole class. You will receive an F for the project..."
"Poor Buffy," I heard Willow whisper to Xander.
I hung my head realizing what a stupid thing cutting Faith's shirt was. And I was supposed to be her friend.
"...and a full week's detention. Who is the culprit? Speak up!"
I took three tiny steps forward before I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I glanced up and did a double-take.
"I did it," Spike said, his thumbs hooked around the waist of his jeans. My mouth dropped open.
Ms. French raised an eyebrow, pursed her lips, and walked toward Spike.
"I should have suspected something like this from you, William. It only surprises me that you came forward."
"Save you the trouble of sniffing me out, yeah?" Spike said, cocky as always.
Ms. French wasn't amused.
"You will have the pleasure of staying on the bus. The rest of you: inside!"
She turned to strut in the direction of the entrance and everyone began walking after her. Darla shook her head in disbelief as she followed the class. She had known Spike to be many things but self-sacrificing was never one of them.
I studied my shoes.
"I'm sorry," said a voice and I looked up to find Sam biting her lip.
"For what?"
"I...I shouldn't have sent that note to Riley."
"You sent the note?" I said with disbelief.
She made some helpless gestures before saying:
"I...I guess it was wrong but I thought you guys are just friends."
I gave her a smile.
"We are...or we were or...I don't even care anymore. Go get him. He's had a crush on you for a while."
She looked surprised.
"Really?"
I nodded. She giggled and glanced down shyly.
"Thanks," she said before scampering off to catch up with him.
I took a few steps and encountered Faith, who looked, if anything, amused.
"Why'd you nail me, B?"
"I...Sorry Faith."
She exhaled and cocked her head.
"Well..." she said, slapping me on the back. "No hard feelings."
"So we're okay?" I said with a smile.
"Five by five," she said, slipping her hands into her pockets and walking away with a grin.
Spike and Angelus had their backs to me but I could hear their conversation.
"That was stupid," Angelus said.
"Yeah well. Love's bitch, right?"
"You always were."
Spike grinned and Angelus turned and walked away.
"Enjoy the milk!"
Angelus flipped him the bird over his shoulder.
Spike turned toward the bus entrance when my voice drifted towards him.
"That was brave."
He turned, looking for me behind him, before realising that I had stuck my head out from behind the first seat on the Yellow Fever. I favoured him with a small sheepish smile and said:
"I guess we both went a little crazy back there."
He looked down for a minute before meeting my eyes.
"Yeah...listen, Buffy, all that stuff I said to you...I didn't mean it."
I paused for a second, taking in how honest he sounded, and then granted him a smile.
"Same here."
He rolled his eyes. "And I figure I can stop pick-pocketing."
He smirked in a way I found myself loving.
"Gonna sit with me on the way back?"
"How bout now?" I giggled and disappeared back into the bus.
He followed me and sat down next to me on the back seat. With a sardonic smile, he pulled the 'Stake Me' sign Faith had stuck to my back off.
"This an invitation?" He said with a grin.
I rolled my eyes and he crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it at me. It smacked me on my forehead and bounced to the floor so I wrinkled my nose and stuck my tongue out. In retaliation, he tickled me and I fell over, landing on Angelus' portable radio.
"Ow."
He helped me up and then snatched up the scratched-up radio, which was now emitting some quiet static.
After him toying with the radio for a few seconds, it finally began choking out some old song. He grinned at me and I fluttered my eyelashes. And then he granted me another one of his toe-curling kisses.
There were no lectures or brochures but Spike and I had learned more about ourselves than we could ever learn about milk, or computers, or even the army. Who knew what we'd learn on the way back.
/Cobwebs in the rain
making patterns as we walk down lover's lane;
seems that each new step is somehow preordained.
I've not travelled this way before.
Rainbows in the sky
seem forever but we know by and by./
