She wasn't so lucky. If anything, it had gotten worse. Police officers were both escorting students into the building and pushing paparazzi back. The angry parents who had been calling now appeared to have taken it a little closer to home, as Buffy saw more than a few marching into the building.
And the local news stations covering the "pandemonium," weren't helping in the least.
The second she was spotted, she was rushed, and Buffy was grateful a police officer reached her first, keeping everyone else away as she made her way into the building.
Another group of cops was inside, making sure the only people coming into the school were ones who had a legitimate reason for being there.
Buffy wanted to cry. The entire school was in chaos, and it was her fault. She'd come here to help these kids, and instead she was disrupting their lives.
But it had to get better soon, right? Eventually, the media would get bored with this story, and she could get back to doing her job. She just needed to hold out until then.
The front office was as crazy as she'd ever seen it, the phone ringing constantly. She knew since this was her fault she should probably be offering some sort of help, but instead she slipped back into her office and shut the door as she waited for her first appointment of the morning.
As she did, she tried to concentrate about something other than her swarm of stalkers. There was that party of Spike's tonight, but it had her nervous, too. What if she couldn't fit into that part of Spike's life? She knew she got along with his band—Brian excluded, but she never had liked him anyway—but what about the other people who were likely to be hanging around? And what did they think of her with all of this going on?
Buffy hated worrying about these things. She was back with Spike, and she wanted it to be all happiness. She wanted to be able to live her life with the man she loved without having to worry about who was going to say or do what.
With a whimper, her head went down to her desk, only to shoot back up when she heard a knock at her door. "Come in!"
Her first appointed of the day, Peter Nichols, poked his head around the now-partially opened door. "I'm a little early. Is that okay?"
"Sure, Peter, it's fine. Come on in," Buffy replied, forcing her smile forward.
Peter walked in and shut the door, then sat down in the chair in front of Buffy's desk, setting his bookbag beside him. Buffy clasped her hands in front of her. "So, Peter, what did you need to talk about today?"
Peter smiled. "Actually, I wanted to talk about you."
Buffy blinked, though she felt dread starting to creep into her stomach. She didn't like the way this boy was looking at her. "Me?"
"Yeah, you." Peter leaned over the edge of his chair and unzipped his bookbag to pull out a magazine. Buffy's feeling of dread immediately got worse. He flipped it open and dropped it onto Buffy's desk. She drew in a deep breath as she looked down at the pictures of her, hanging all over Spike.
"Put that away," Buffy said, her tone clipped.
"That is you, isn't it, Miss S? I gotta say, I've never seen a teacher get so…freaky before. It's sorta hot." He winked.
"I think you should go back to class now, Peter," Buffy replied.
"What, you only go for rock stars?" he asked, holding out his arms as if he were somehow something to look at.
"Leave my office," Buffy said curtly.
Much to her relief, he did, though Buffy was pretty sure she heard him mutter something offensive under his breath on the way out. She was already too tired to deal with it.
Her gaze darted to the magazine, and she picked it up, her stomach turning as she began to read the article. Whoever had written it had put a sensational spin on everything, working to make what she shared with Spike look twisted and sordid.
And to go with it were the pictures… She felt violated to have been observed like that, someone taking what should've been a moment between her and the man she loved and using it for public consumption.
The weight of it all suddenly seeming too heavy, Buffy began to cry.
"You know what they're telling me upstairs, don't you? They're telling me to tell you to break up with this girl before you're showing up on the 'Where Are They Now' special Scandal Edition."
Spike looked across the desk at his publicist, his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed. "I'm not dumping Buffy, Lorne."
Lorne held up his hands. "Whoa, whoa, lemon drop. Tone down the hostility a notch or ten, would you? I didn't say that's what I was saying. I said it's what they're saying. I, on the other hand, am a hopeless romantic."
Spike's eyebrow went up. "So you're not going to try to make me leave Buffy?"
Lorne waved his hand dismissively. "No way! As a matter of fact, I can't wait to meet the girl. She must really be something for you to be willing to put up with all of this."
"She is. She's everything," Spike replied.
"Truth be told, I'm glad you got rid of Eve," Lorne admitted, leaning back in his chair.
"Everyone keeps saying that," Spike muttered.
Lorne laughed. "Well, of course. That woman was…" He stopped and shivered. "Gave me the heebies. I mean, I know PR from a relationship like that is like a publicist's wet dream, but I for one would rather work for my buck."
"Well, it's looking like you're going to have to work a good bit for it now," Spike said.
"Eh, don't worry about it, sweetcakes," Lorne replied, waving his hand again. "I've already got your version all nice and ready for the press. I think you're absolutely right about Eve being the one who leaked the story to those camera-wielding vampires in the first place, and I think it's time we give her a taste of her own medicine. I've got dirt on her the likes of which you wouldn't believe. Lindsey McDonald's publicist and I play racquetball on Thursdays. All you have to do is give the word and I turn this right around, give her a taste of her own medicine."
Spike paused for a moment, contemplating Lorne's offer. Did he really want to try to beat Eve at her own game? He had no doubt that Lorne could do it. Questionable clothing choices aside, the man was a damn good publicist. He'd saved Spike's ass many times in the past. But should he do this to Eve now, or should he be the bigger person and turn the other cheek?
Then, he thought about Buffy and how upset this all had her. She'd been run out of her own home.
"Do it."
Lorne rubbed his hands together, genuine glee in his eyes. "Okay then. You run along to your next interview, and I'll see what I can do about making little Miss Hart think twice the next time she tries to ruin someone's career."
Spike smiled. He knew this probably wasn't the most mature choice in the world, but damn if he didn't feel right good about it.
Buffy was more than ready for the day to be over. As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of classes, she was ready to leave. Screw extra office work; she could make up the time later.
However, as soon as she stepped out into the hall, Robin was waiting for her. "Miss Summers, can I please speak to you in my office?"
Dread curling in her stomach, Buffy merely nodded and followed Robin. He shut the door behind them, the sound making her jump, then pointed to a chair. "Have a seat."
As soon as they were both seated, Robin began to speak, giving her no chance to ask what this was all about. "I'm sure you're aware that your presence on this campus has become somewhat of a disruption, Miss Summers."
Buffy didn't like the way he was calling her "Miss Summers." She knew she'd said their relationship needed be just professional from now on, but this seemed to be taking it too far. And his tone…it was suddenly so cold. Like he wasn't the man she'd known at all.
"I'm sorry this is all going on, Robin. I didn't think it would be like this."
"Then what exactly did you think?" Robin yelled, making Buffy jump in her chair. "You've been going out in public and draping yourself all over a rock star who already has the attention of every tabloid out there!"
Buffy flinched, her eyes tearing. "I wasn't thinking about that. He's just Spike to me…"
"Well, you should've thought about it. You're supposed to be a role model for these kids, Buffy, and unless their life goals don't extend past being in a music video, you're not doing that." Robin took a deep breath. "I've been discussing the matter with the School Board. They want your resignation."
Buffy felt as if all of the air had been sucked from the room. She'd known things were bad, but somehow, she hadn't really been expecting that.
Now she realized she probably should have.
"Robin, please, I know things are strained between us right now, but you can't let them do this to me," she said, hating begging but seeing no other choice now. "I love this job—those kids mean so much to me. And I'm good at it, too. You know that, Robin—I know you do. Can't…can't you tell them that? Please, I can't lose this."
"I don't see how I can. As long as you're a tabloid target, you're going to attract unwanted attention to the school."
"I'll do better," Buffy promised. "I won't let pictures like those show up anymore, I swear."
Robin sighed. "Buffy, the only way I think I can do that for you is if you end things with Spike."
For a moment, all Buffy could do was stare. Then finally, she asked, "What?"
"As long as you continue to have this sort of relationship with Spike, I can't guarantee anything to the School Board. Hell, I can't guarantee anything to myself."
Buffy pulled back. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Just that I'm very surprised by your behavior. However, I think I could be willing to move past it all—and convince the School Board to as well—if you ended things with Spike and proved your head really is in the right place when it comes to this job. Maybe then with just a suspension and some time to allow all of this to blow over, you could come back to work again and not cause anymore of these sorts of problems."
"I love Spike," Buffy said. "And we're not… There's nothing wrong with our relationship. The tabloids have been twisting things, Robin! I'm not like they're saying I am."
"None of that matters. What matters is the sort of presence you're going to be in this school, and right now, things are not looking good." He met her eyes. "Buffy, I can't help you if you're not willing to do what needs to be done to get your career back on track. Either you end things with Spike or you might as well just hand in your resignation."
"I…I don't… I…can't…"
"What do you really want from life, Buffy? A fast, dangerous relationship with a rock star or the career you've worked so hard to build?"
Buffy swallowed, the whole situation hitting her in a rush and making her unable to think straight. "Can I just go home right now?" she asked, her voice small.
"Yeah, go home. Take the evening to think it over. We can discuss it in the morning."
Buffy nodded and stood, though she stopped when Robin called her name.
"I hope you make the right decision."
Her only response was another nod before she left his office.
So, what did you think of that? Please take a moment and let me know!