Chapter 14
Buffy, Willow, and Xander were watching TV in Buffy’s room. Hindi music and singing came from the program.
“Is she dying?” Xander asked.
Buffy was braiding Willow’s hair. “I think she’s singing.
“To a telephone in Hindi. Now that’s entertainment!”
The woman on the TV danced around the room while singing into the phone.
“Why is she singing?” Xander asked.
“She’s sad because her lover gave her twelve coins, but then the wizard cut open the bag of salt, and now the dancing minions have nowhere to put their big maypole…fish thing,” Willow said.
“Uh-huh. Why is she singing?”
“Her lover? I thought that was her chiropractor.”
“Because of that thing he did with her feet? No, that was personal.”
“Hmm. And we thought just because we didn’t have any money or anyplace to go this would be a lackluster evening.”
“I know! We could go to The Bronze and sneak in our own tea bags and ask for hot water.”
“Hop off the outlaw train, Will, before you land us all in jail.”
“I, for one, am giddy and up.” Buffy tilted her head, scrutinizing the TV. “So, how does the water buffalo fit in again?”
Xander shook his head.
“Too bad Kendra couldn’t join us,” Buffy said.
“Slayer duties.”
“Shhh,” Willow said.
****
At school the next day, Cordelia talked to a friend in the hall. She demonstrated a fake laugh. “See? Dr. Debi says when a man is speaking you make serious eye contact, and you really, really listen, and you laugh at everything he says.” She laughed again.
Willow and Buffy headed down the hall.
“You dreamed about Angel again?”
“Third night in a row.” Which was so whacked since she wasn’t supposed to be interested at all.
“What did he do in the dream?”
“Stuff.”
“Oh! Stuff! Was it one of those vivid dreams where you could feel his lips and smell his hair?”
“It had surround sound.”
“You two are so right for each other. Except for the, uh…”
“Vampire thing.”
“That doesn’t make him a bad person. Necessarily.”
“I’m brain sick. I can’t have a relationship with him.”
“Not during the day, but you could ask him for coffee some night. It’s the non-relationship drink of choice. It’s not a date, it’s a caffeinated beverage. Okay, sure, it’s hot and bitter like a relationship that way, but…”
“What’s like a relationship?” Xander asked, joining them from his past class.
“Nothing I have. Coffee?”
“Huh?”
Willow and Buffy drank from the fountain.
“There’s really no comparison between college men and high school boys,” Cordelia said. “I mean, look at that.”
“So, Cor, you’re datin’ college guys now.”
“Well, not that it’s any of your business, but I happen to be dating a Delta Zeta Kappa.”
“Oh! An extra-terrestrial. So that’s how you get a date after you exhausted all the human guys.”
“You’ll go to college someday, Xander. I just know your pizza delivery career will take you so many exciting places.”
The bell rang.
****
After school, Buffy sat on the stair railing by the street. Xander and Willow walked toward her.
“Boy, what a long day.”
“And you skipped three classes.”
“Yeah, and, of course, they flew by. Buffy!”
“Aren’t you supposed to be doing your homework in the library?”
“I’m dawdling.” She took Xander’s arm. “With my friends.”
“Works for me,” Xander said.
Cordelia walked by, bumped Willow, and continued down the stairs without apologizing.
“You okay?” Buffy asked.
“Geeze.”
A black BMW pulled up to the curb. Cordelia pushed her sunglasses on top of her head as the driver’s window lowers.
“Cordelia.”
“Hi, Richard. Nice car.”
“So, uh, we’re having a little get-together tomorrow night at the house, and it’s gonna be a really special evening.”
Cordelia fake-laughed. Richard and his passenger looked confused.
“Excuse me?”
“Oh! I would, I love, love to go!” she said.
“So, who’s your friend?” He nodded to Buffy.
“Her? Oh, she’s not my friend.”
“She’s amazing!” the other guy said.
“She’s more like a sister, really! We’re that close.”
“Well, why don’t you introduce us?”
“Okay.” Cordelia walked to Buffy. She reached for Buffy’s hand. “Come on. Richard and his fraternity brother wanna meet you.”
“Well, I don’t really wanna meet any fraternity boys.”
Cordelia tugged. “And if there was a God, don’t you think he’d keep it that way?” She brought Buffy to Richard.
“Hi, Sweetheart. I’m Richard. And you are?”
“So not interested.” She turned to leave.
Cordelia grabbed her hand again. “Heh, she’s such a little comedienne.
“What, she likes to play hard to get?”
“No, Richard. I think you’re playing easy to resist.”
Buffy tried to leave again. The guy caught up.
“Ah, feel free to ignore him. I do all the time. I’m Tom Warner. I’m a senior at Crestwood College, and I…and I just feel like a complete dolt meeting you this way, so…here I stand in all my doltishness.”
“I’m Buffy Summers.”
“Oh, nice to meet you. Are you a senior here?”
“Junior.”
“Oh, me, too. Except that I’m a senior and I’m in college. So we have that in common, and…I major in history.”
“Mm. History stumps me. I have a hard enough time remembering what happened last week.”
“No, nothin’ happened last week, don’t worry, I was there. So, uh, my friend invited your friend to a party we’re having this weekend.”
Cordelia fake-laughed really loud.
“You know, actually he’s not even really my friend. I only joined the fraternity because my father and grandpa were in it before me. Y’know, it meant a lot to them. Oh, I know, I talk too much anyway. They’re really dull parties full of really dull people, so…would you like to come and save me from a really dull fate?”
“Oh, I wish I could, but I’m sort of busy.”
“Well, sure, of course you are. Well, thanks for letting me ramble.”
She smiled at him. “It was nice to meet you.”
“Oh. Same here.”
Buffy hopped up the stairs. Xander handed her bag to her and they headed for the library, he and Willow trailing behind.
“I hate these guys. Whatever they want just falls into their laps. Don’t you hate these guys?”
“Yeah, with their charmed lives and movie star good looks and more money than you can count? I’m hating.”
****
That night, Buffy joined Kendra on patrol. They hit one of the cemeteries. Buffy lagged behind, letting Kendra do her thing.
She spotted part of a bracelet on the ground and picked it up.
“There’s blood on it.”
She jumped and faced Angel. “Hi. It’s nice to… Blood?”
“I can smell it.”
“Oh. It’s pretty thin. It probably belonged to a girl.”
“Probably.”
She sighed. “I-I was…just thinking, wouldn’t it be funny some time to see each other when it wasn’t a blood thing. Not funny, ha, ah.”
“What are you saying, you wanna have a date?”
“No.”
“You don’t wanna have a date?”
“Who said ‘date’? I never said ‘date’.”
“Right. You just wanna have coffee or somethin’.”
“Coffee?”
“I knew this was gonna happen.”
“What? What do you think is happening?”
“You’re sixteen years old. I’m two hundred forty-one.”
“I’ve done the math.”
“You don’t know what you’re doing, you don’t know what you want…”
“Oh. No, I, I think I do.” She started walking past him.
He got in her way. “Listen, if we date, you and I both know one thing’s gonna lead to another.”
“Date? We haven’t even been friends lately.”
“I’m just tryin’ to protect you.”
“I don’t need it.”
He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close. “This isn’t some fairy tale. If I kiss you, you don’t wake up from a deep sleep and live happily ever after.”
“Then don’t kiss me. But don’t ignore me, either. Did you only hang around because I was the Slayer?”
“No. Of course not.”
“Then what’s with the avoidance act?”
He sighed. “It makes leaving easier.”
“You’re leaving Sunnydale? Because of me?”
“No, not like that…The Powers sent me here to help the Slayer. You. Now that Kendra’s here--”
“You don’t think you’re needed.”
He nodded.
“When will you leave?”
“Soon. Gotta arrange things.”
She nodded. “Keep in touch? Never know when we’ll need another hand for an apocalypse.”
He smiled a little. “Anything you need.”
****
The next morning, Buffy was in class. Students rushed out. She gathered her things. Cordelia came into the room.
“Buffy! Did you lose weight? And your hair… Alright, I respect you too much to be dishonest. The hair’s a little… Well, that really isn’t the point here, is it? The Zeta Kappas have to have a certain balance at their party, and Richard explained it all to me, but I was so busy really listening that I didn’t hear much. Anyway, the deal is they need you to go. And if you don’t go, I can’t. And I’m talking about Richard Anderson, okay? As in Anderson Farms, Anderson Aeronautics, and Anderson Cosmetics.” She sobbed. “Well, you see why I have to go. Buffy, these men are rich. And I am not being shallow. Think of all the poor people I could help with that my money!”
“I’ll go.”
“You’ll go? Great! I’ll drive. Oh, Buffy, it’s like we’re sisters! With really different hair.”
Later, in the lounge…
“You’re going to the fraternity party? What made you change your mind?” Willow asked.
“I’m going with—ye gods—Cordelia.” She walked out of the lounge.
“Cordelia? Did I sound a little jealous just then, ‘cause I’m not really…” She ran after Buffy. “Cordelia?”
“Cordelia’s much better for you that Angel.”
“What happened with Angel?”
“Nothing, as usual. He’s leaving.”
“Bummer.”
“I don’t understand. I mean, he likes you. More than likes.”
“Angel barely says two words to me.”
“Don’t you hate that?”
“And when he does, he treats me like I’m a child.”
“That bastard!”
“You know, at least Tom can carry on a conversation.”
“Yeah! Tom? Who’s Tom?”
“The frat guy,” Willow said.
“Oh, Buffy, I don’t think so. Frying pan, fire? You know what I’m sayin’.”
They entered the library.
“I didn’t see you three…creeping about,” Giles said. He tossed a sword through the open cage door and kicked it shut. “Um, how did it go last night?”
“Found this.” Buffy gave him the bracelet.
“E-N-T.”
“I’ve seen something like that before,” Willow said.
“It’s broken in two. I don’t what the rest of the letters might have spelled. And there’s blood on it.”
“Uh, I didn’t see any.”
“Angel showed up. He could smell it.”
“The blood? There’s a guy you wanna party with.”
“Blood.”
“In Sunnydale. What a surprise.”
“Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do: Kendra should probably make the rounds again tonight, and we should try to figure out who that bracelet belongs to.”
“Yes, good idea, yes.”
“I’m not available,” Buffy said.
“Why not?”
“Buffy, this is a little more important than--”
“I’ve got a mountain of homework to do, and um…my mom’s not really feeling well, and she could probably use my help, and um, to be truthful I’m not really feeling all that well myself.”
“Of course. If you’re not well. You should stay home with your mother.”
They left Giles in the library. Xander glared at Buffy.
“Well, say it.”
“I’m not gonna say it.”
“You liked to Giles.”
“’Cause she will.”
“Look, I wasn’t lying. I was just…protecting him from information he wouldn’t be able to…digest properly.”
“Like a corn dog.”
“Like you don’t have a sick mother, but you’d rather go to a frat party where there’s gonna be drinking and older guys and probably an orgy.”
“Whoa! Whoa-ho-ho, rewind. Since when do they have orgies, and why aren’t I on the mailing list?”
“There’s no orgies!”
“I heard a lot of wild things go on at frat parties.”
“Okay, you know what? Once in a great while I wanna have some fun. And that’s what I’m gonna have tonight. Fun!”
Leave it to Cordelia to harsh her mellow.
“This isn’t about fun. This is about duty, your duty, to help me achieve permanent prosperity. Okay? Do’s and don’ts: don’t wear black, silk, chiffon, or spandex. These are my trademarks. And don’t do that weird thing with your hair.”
“What weird thing with my--”
“Don’t interrupt. Do be interested if someone should speak to you. It may or may not happen, but do be polite. And laugh at appropriate intervals. Do lie to your mom about where we’re going. It’s a fraternity and there will be drinking.”
“So, Cor, you printing up business cards with your pager number and hours of operation, or just going with a halter top tonight?”
“Oh, are we feeling a little envious? You could belong to a fraternity of rich and powerful men. In the Bizarro world.”
“Do you guys wanna join us?” Buffy asked.
“Nah, I gotta…digest and all.” He and Willow went up to the couches to sit.
Cordelia continued. “Make-up, make-up… Well, give it your all, and keep to the shadows. We’re gonna have a blast!”
Buffy dropped her head to the table.
“I can’t believe she lied to Giles. My world is all askew,” Willow said to Xander.
“Buffy’s lying, Buffy’s going to frat parties… That’s not askew, that’s cockeyed.”
“Askew means cockeyed.”
“Oh.” He grabbed her Coke and took a swig. She grabbed his power bar and broke off a piece.
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it. We’ll help Giles.”
“I’m goin’ to the party.”
“What?”
“I gotta keep an eye on Buffy. Those frat guys creep me.”
“You wanna protect her?”
“Mm-hm.”
“And prove you’re just as good as those rich, snotty guys?”
“Mm-hm.”
“Maybe catch an orgy?”
“If it’s on early.”
Willow nodded and popped the piece into her mouth. Xander took another swig of her soda.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Several new chapters ahead.