Buffy crept behind the cafeteria building after hearing Parker and Angel’s voices. She laid her head against the stonewall unaware that William had noticed her behavior. He watched as she stood quietly and he moved closer. She noticed him standing near her looking down at his feet holding his books and she put her finger to her lips pushing him against the wall before his presence blew her cover. She listened closely to Angel and Parker’s conversation, “Did you see Nina? She’s hot stuff. She’s my next goal. Think I can do her?”
Parker laughed, “You’re running out of conquests man, what will you do with yourself then? This one will probably only take you a week then you will be back to being bored.”
Angel laughed and she heard his voice in an Irish droll, “Perhaps it will be time to take another poke at Buffy Summers. You’ve seen how she looks at me still all dreamy like.”
Parker shook his head, “She’s trouble man. I tell you, she is clingy and you don’t want to get mixed up with her again. It took you weeks to shake her the first time. She kept insisting it wasn’t done and she loved you.”
Buffy felt tears fill her eyes as she continued to listen, “Well she was tight and had all the right moves.”
She heard movement and looked to see Parker swinging his arm around someone she didn’t recognize as he said, “Liam meet Tish. Tish meet Liam.”
She watched as Liam smirked with his eyes rooming up and down the girl’s body and Parker slapped his arm, “Knock it off or I won’t share her number.”
The girl looked around the cafeteria obviously ignoring their conversation. Buffy watched Liam grin as Parker and Tish went off together leaving Liam to sit and eat alone. Buffy was tempted to go to him but realized what was the point. She turned noticing William was watching her and he whispered, “I’m sorry Buffy. Don’t bloody listen to him. He’s just a bully and a stupid git.”
Buffy nodded and turned around walking over to join Willow who was sitting alone eating a sandwich admiring Tara from a distance.
Buffy looked at her watch realizing it was 2:15 and was time for her to leave to pick up Dawn. She had spent the afternoon with Willow who brought her to the computer lab. This was apparently Willow’s hobby in this world and it seems to be an obsession of hers as she used the mouse and typed faster than Buffy could even dream. She smiled as she spent her time chatting happily with people over the Internet and used other screens to hack into various websites for some reason or another. Buffy had been so thankful when it was 2:30 because she had to admit, her time with Willow had been boring.
She climbed into her car noticing William walking and she pulled near him, “Would you like a ride?”
William stuttered, “No…I-I mustn’t. Mum would be upset.”
Buffy shrugged, “I’ll drop you off before we reach your house if you want. It will be faster but then I have to go pick up my sister.”
William frowned but nodded as he climbed into the back. Buffy laughed pushing her wavy hair behind her ears as she scolded him, “No, sit up front. I’ll drop you off first. It’s really no trouble.”
As William climbed in the front seat, Buffy glanced over at him seeing his blue eyes. They lacked the fire she was used to and she sighed missing Spike already. She had always assumed he’d be there but somehow in this universe he was different and actually hard to deal with. She watched as he pointed to the curb over a mile from the school and said, “Thank you for the ride, B-buffy.”
He climbed from the car not even glancing back at her and instead looking down at his feet. He then rushed off leaving her to watch as he ran two blocks pausing at a stone house. She frowned looking at the floor realizing he had dropped a few pages of his poetry. She laid it on her lap as she did a u-turn to get to the school on time to pick up Dawn.
Buffy honked once and Dawn came running out of the school with her bags in her hand and she waved to Janice and Justin and some other people who were in her group talking to her. Dawn got into the car and asked, “You ready for tonight? It’s always a treat to see those boys in their football uniforms.”
Buffy looked blank and Dawn laughed, “Yea that’s always the expression you give when you see Riley, Parker and Liam all decked out in their uniforms for the big football game.”
Buffy said nothing and then decided she was stuck in this dream world, she might as well make the most of it, “When is the game?”
Dawn laughed once again, “Are you spacey today or what? 7 pm. We have time to do some homework, eat dinner, and then we should be able to go. I’m so glad my grounding wore off. Who can believe that mom would notice me stealing that art picture from her gallery.”
Buffy’s eyes got big but she said nothing as she kept her eyes on the road. Dawn continued to chatter the whole way about Justin and how cute he was and how much she couldn’t wait until mom let her date and all Buffy could think of was the fact that Justin should have been already dust.
Buffy sat around the dinner table feeling awkward. Here Hank, Joyce, Dawn and her were eating tacos but something was missing. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was but it seemed too hollow and fake. Buffy also felt tired but she knew Dawn and her were going to a football game in a few and Dawn had yet to stop chatting about it. Buffy didn’t want to let her down. She ate only a few bites on her plate and her mother placed a hand on her forehead, “You feeling okay Buffy? Usually you eat it all.”
Buffy shrugged not wanting to lie or say anything. Fact of the matter was that she felt tired and anxious. Her life was lacking something and she couldn’t figure out what it was. Then as Dawn and her piled into the car she realized, she missed slaying. She missed having a purpose in her life but knowing Dawn wouldn't understand, she chose to say nothing letting Dawn’s chatter fill the air as she drove back to the college campus to go to a football game she had no interest in seeing.
Dawn cheered exclaiming loudly, “Doesn’t Liam still look hot in his uniform? I can’t believe you got to date him.”
Buffy frowned not liking Dawn’s crush on Liam and then heard Dawn yell, “Go Xander!”
Buffy squinted and sure enough there was Xander running with the football across the field. Buffy glanced around at the stands and found herself disappointed that William was not there but she figured this wasn’t his style. Willow was nowhere in sight either which caught her attention as well. Buffy and Dawn would come to a game together and not invite Willow? She pondered for a moment at the strangeness of it all. Breaking her thoughts, Dawn turned towards Buffy, “Usually you are cheering like me. Are you not feeling well?”
Buffy shook her head and Dawn offered, “We can go if you would like.”
Buffy shook her head again, “No I’m ok. You enjoy the game.”
Just then Janice came over to join Dawn as she asked, “Aren’t these guys cute?”
Buffy made a decision whispering to Dawn, “I’m going to take a short walk outside the field. Can you stay with Janice?”
Dawn laughed, “Yes the 15 year old can stay with her friend in a public football stadium without getting into trouble.”
Buffy nodded and stood up making her way down the stadium. She just felt so restless. She stepped down off the stadium looking around and noticed a pathway heading away from the football field to the tennis courts. She shrugged and started to follow it as her mind got lost in thought. In this weird world, she appeared to have slept with Parker, Riley and Angel just like in her world only Angel was so much different in this world. Spike existed as William the poet, Willow existed as the school geek and were still not together with Tara. She briefly glanced back at the football stadium wondering if Anya and Xander were together in this world. She had brief hope that in this world they might be. She heard cheering and realized she was letting Dawn down again by leaving so she slowly walked back to the game with her heart not in it. She wanted to be back in Sunnydale where instead of watching boring football games, she would be out saving the world one vampire at a time.
She stepped back up and noticed nothing had changed only that Justin had come to sit with Dawn, Janice and two other girls. Buffy sat a few rows away listening closely to the conversation. “We can probably go and get back without your sister even realizing you have been gone or better yet go find her and tell her Janice offered you a ride home. Then we can go out parking.”
Dawn frowned but agreed, “Ok” and Buffy was shocked as Dawn picked up her cell phone from her purse and started to dial. Buffy ducked out of sight as her cell phone started to ring. She quickly picked it up, “Hello?”
Dawn started talking really fast as though nervous, “Janice’s mom offered to take me back when it was time so you don’t have to worry about coming back. Perhaps you can go home and get some sleep so you feel better.”
Buffy frowned not totally knowing what to say as she heard Dawn continue, “The game has about 2 hours left in it so I’ll be home a little after 2 hours unless Janice’s mom takes us somewhere.”
Buffy spoke up finally, “Does she normally?”
Dawn quickly replied, “No, see you in a few hours.”
Before Dawn hung up, Buffy heard the distinct sound of a car driving away. Buffy sighed thinking another time to save Dawnie. Buffy casted one last look towards the football field to see Riley, Parker and Liam slapping each other’s butts. She rolled her eyes and decided to go find her car and find Dawn.