Buffy awoke sleepily, a wide yawn taking over her features. She rubbed her eyes and winced at the bright sunlight, shocking her sensitive eyes. She groaned, as she struggled to untwist the sheets from her body. In a haze of tiredness, she glanced at the alarm clock next to her bed.
And shrieked with shock.
“OH MY FUCKING GOD!”
Gasping in pure disbelief, she read the clock again. And again.
5:30 A.M. She was half an hour late! How did this happen? She had set her alarm clock for four last night! Then very slowly, she turned her head in the direction of Drusilla’s bed and understanding dawned on her. Her bed was empty. Buffy had gone to bed earlier than Drusilla had.
Of course. How could she have been so stupid?
Drusilla had turned off her alarm. And left without her. She was probably coming up with some sort of sob story. Scowling, she yanked herself out of bed and hurried to the washroom where she quickly groomed herself. Tying her dark hair into a messy ponytail, she dressed in her soccer uniform and headed out of the hotel room, gym bag hanging on her shoulder. Her cleats pounded noisily on the tiled floor of the Hilton as she hurried to the elevator. Pushing on the “down” button multiple times, she waited with thin patience as the elevator door finally opened. Rushing inside the empty box, she headed down to the lobby where she grabbed a cab and headed down to the Arena.
Ethan had warned that any late people were penalized and she cringed just thinking about what kind of physical torture he would make her do. Squats? Push-ups?
And then her anxiety turned to horror. Today was positions try outs. What if he wrote her off already for forward? Groaning, she dropped her head into open palms. She wanted to punch Drusilla! It was her first day and already she had fucked up on attending practice. Great. So this was her first impression, her first step to stardom.
The taxi driver looked at her nervously in the rearview mirror. He coughed, trying to get her attention. “You all right, miss? You look kind of pale.”
Buffy nodded. “I’m fine. Just drive. Really fast. Please.”
The guy nodded and turned back to his driving. After what seemed like hours, they finally pulled into the expanse of the parking lot for the Arena. Buffy checked her digital watch. 5:45. Shit.
Throwing a twenty into the driver’s hand, she mumbled a half hearted thanks and all but jumped out of the cab and sprinted across the lot to the doors of the arena. Hauling them open, she speed walked down the corridor, into the main doors. She was greeted by a secretary seated behind a desk. Her name tag read ‘Kate’. She peered up at Buffy with a weary expression.
“Are you the late one?”
Buffy winced. “Yes.”
“Go in.”
Nodding, she hurried quickly to the doors and straight into the locker room where she dumped her gym back carelessly onto one of the benches. Bracing herself, she walked out onto the open field. She was met by uninterested glances, except for one.
“Miss Summers.” Ethan’s loud and clear voice rang out sarcastically in the field. Buffy saw all the coaches, including a not-so-impressed looking Mallory, gathered at the side. They were in the middle of a tryout for some Texan girl. Great. Way to bring attention to herself.
“S-sorry for being late sir. My alarm didn’t-.”
“Enough. Drusilla here told me about how she tried so hard to get you up but then again, it’s not her responsibility to carry your weight, is it?” Ethan raised an eyebrow, as if challenging her to say otherwise.
Buffy glanced at the seated team; they had probably been watching the girl. Then she saw the bleached British guy and their gazes locked. Forcing herself to look away, she nodded miserably at Ethan.
“It won’t happen again, sir.”
“Of course it won’t,” Ethan said, as if he didn’t believe her.
Buffy wanted to roll her eyes. Whatever. If he really was stupid enough to believe Drusilla, she didn’t care what he thought. She wasn’t here for him. She was here for the soccer.
Plopping down on the grass, she saw Drusilla sitting on the opposite end of the crowd, a smirk on her face. Buffy narrowed her eyes at the woman and looked away, afraid if she looked at her smug face any longer she might do something she would regret.
“I apologize, my dear. Please continue Darla.” Buffy saw she was trying for goalie. Judging by the nervous expression on more than half of the kids’ faces, she figured that they weren’t too far into the tryouts. She knew that there could only be three forwards and that out of the crowd, she would probably have some good competition.
She felt a light tap on her shoulder, and turned her attention away from Darla as she saved yet another ball.
She saw Angel crouching behind her with a sweet smile on his face. “Hey Buffy!” he whispered.
Buffy grinned. “Jeez, I’m really in for it, huh?”
Angel chuckled. “Looks like. But it’s okay. It’s only your first day.”
Buffy sighed, rubbing her elbow. “Yeah but I have to train with this guy for eight months!”
Angel gave her a crooked smile. “Just show him what you got. Earn back his respect.”
Buffy nodded thoughtfully, considering his words. Maybe Angel was right. Maybe if she showed Ethan how she could play, what potential she hoped she had to offer, maybe she would get back into the good books.
“Drusilla de Veer.”
Buffy hadn’t even noticed how Darla’s tryout had ended and she watched as the infuriating brunette stepped up for her tryout. Dribbling the ball between her feet, she dodged easily around Mallory and Dirk, the stand in players. She sideway-stepped past Dirk and deked across the field but kept the ball to herself. She moved swiftly up to the ball, gracefully scoring and earning a loud cheer from some bimbo named Dawn. Buffy glanced at Spike who was watching her with a look of awe. She felt a pang of hurt but shoved it aside. Screw Spike. She had bigger fish to fry.
“Well done, Drusilla. You need to work on your technique though. Although you were playing by yourself, it was evident to me that you had no intention of passing that ball.” Dismissing her with a nod of his head, he glanced back at the list.
Drusilla stared at him, gaping with the brush off and forcing herself to sit back down, a pout on her face.
Buffy and Angel chuckled quietly to themselves and Buffy was surprised. She enjoyed Angel’s company. He was sweet and understanding. And he seemed to be genuine. Then Buffy felt a pang. He wouldn’t last long here if he kept up the innocent act. People would take advantage of it. Buffy tried to distance herself from the emotion of trust and felt that detachment was better than attachment. It hurt less. Especially in a game where people were being picked off like apples on a tree. In the end, only the best would be left standing.
“Spike Giles.”
Buffy’s head shot up at the funny name. It was so British yet so…gothic. And then she realized who Spike Giles was and gaped for a second at the full sight of him in his soccer uniform. The uniforms were all the same but he looked striking in his. The black brought out the paleness of his skin but in a good, sexy way. And those strong forearms and hot legs…
Buffy…her head warned her. Buffy snapped out of her thoughts and forced herself to become placated. He was just her teammate. Nothing more. But still, she was entranced in watching his tryout. He was trying for forward too.
She watched his masculine body move rapidly, yet gracefully through the field. He was almost dancing, the enjoyment on his face evident. He actually passed to Mallory before swiftly stealing the ball back, winking at her. She simply stared open mouthed at his incredible ball handling, the way he controlled it with his feet. He scored easily and Buffy couldn’t stop the proud smile from spreading across her face. Then she realized with dismay that she had some competition so far. Drusilla and Spike. She almost laughed out loud at the predicament.
“Angel Palmer.”
Buffy watched him close his eyes for a minute, calming his nerves before rising. She touched his calve in a platonic manner, a gesture of comfort. She smiled up at him soothingly and he returned the smile with one of his own. All the while, Spike watched this friendly exchange with a slight bit of jealousy.
****
As the tryouts went by, Buffy learned a bit about her team. Angel hoped to become a midfielder and he was an exceptional player. Dawn, Tara and Riley tried for fullbacks. They were good players as well. Darla was the only one who hoped to become a goalie. Goalies were usually the harder spots to get since the position was somewhat harder.
Doyle and Oz also wanted to be midfielders. And lastly, Buffy, Spike and Drusilla tried for forwards. The maximum size a team could get what eleven players. The amount of players per position depended on who the coach thought could play best. For instance, you could have two to four forwards but some teams only chose to have one, though that was very unlikely. Buffy thought the numbers were quite interesting. If he wanted to, Ethan could approve all positions and there would be no overboard of players playing a certain position. Three fullbacks, one goalie, three midfielders and three forwards. It was a pretty decent team.
“Well,” Ethan clasped his hands together. “It appears we have only one left, Miss Buffy Summers?”
Buffy felt her heartbeat speed up and felt Angel’s comforting hand on her ankle. He smiled at her and she nodded. Calm down or you’ll screw up. Faith’s words came back to her and she knew that Faith was right. Being nervous wasn’t worth risking everything.
“Seeing as you were late today, instead of acting as forward to two defense, we’ll put three in,” Ethan smiled as he called over Lina from Swampson Town.
Buffy’s jaw threatened to drop. Three defense? She had to score on three people? What the fuck? Then Buffy’s disbelief turned to grim determination. Oh, she would show Ethan she could play.
Then Buffy saw Ethan pull out what looked to be a stopwatch. As she rose from her crouch on the grass, she furrowed her brow. Is he actually going to time me? For being thirty minute late? Does he hate me that much? Dammit.
“Go Buffy!” Ethan started the watch and Buffy quietly assessed the three players in front of her. Mal was quick but she wasn’t focused enough. She lost the ball too easily but she had aim. Dirk appeared to be the muscle, the fighter of the team. He would be on offense. And then Nina seemed like the short and fast kind of player. Good. The odds were even; Buffy was capable. She could take them.
Dribbling the ball carefully between her two feet, her eyes darted back and forth between Mallory and Dirk. Nina was behind them, prepared to capture the ball with her feet when they passed to her. She almost snorted. If they passed to her.
She saw Dirk glance at Mallory and she took that split second to side step pass them and rip past them in one long run. She felt Dirk behind her, Mallory running up to the goal. She felt him come closer and she lost control of the ball for a second, stumbling and wiping out. She fell, throwing out her arms and using her elbows to keep from hurting herself. Her recovery was instantaneous, springing back up and turning to see Dirk pass to Mallory. Mallory passed to Nina but by that time Buffy had intercepted and regained control of the game. Moving up in the field, she deked in the direction of where Drusilla might be and saw Dirk roll his eyes at the move. He hadn’t fallen for it, instead signaling Mallory to move back up the field. She felt Dirk coming up behind and ran even faster, forcing her feet to carefully keep control of the ball. She grinned as she loped around Mallory, leaving the ball for a second and running around in a circle back to it, gaining momentum. She kicked it hard and it soared, hitting the goalpost and bouncing back in her direction. Grinning even more widely now, she jumped in the air and tilted sideways, her leg sticking out to catch the ball and kicking it back into the net. She felt a little bit shocked at the shot she had just made, it was so exhilarating. She heard Angel’s shout of “Yeah, Buffy!” and a few whistles and she felt so proud at that moment.
Exhausted by the workout, she forced herself to stay upright as she strode back to the crowd on the field. Flashing smiles at the three coaches, she approached Ethan on her way. Arching an eyebrow in question, she crossed her arms over her chest nervously.
“Twenty two seconds,” his voice was thick with amazement.
She smiled. “Cool.” Plopping down onto the grass, she was met by encouraging smiles of the people around her. Angel high-fived her and she grinned again. She was on fire. The adrenaline pumping through her felt incredible and she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“Well done everyone. You are all exceptional players who have great potential. I congratulate you today,” he took the clipboard and stuck it between his arm and side. “We shall proceed to two more hours of practice and then you may leave for school.”
As the kids got up to start their warm-up of push-ups, squats, laps and other strenuous exercises, Ethan returned to talking quietly with the other coaches. They were possibly discussing who would be best for what position. Buffy hoped that Mallory would vouch for her. She wanted to be a forward so badly. The adrenaline and power that she had felt was so invigorating, she couldn’t bear to be put in any other position. What would be the point in soccer then, right?
Buffy found a spot next to Angel and began to start her push-ups, her body perfectly okay with the effort. She was used to this, the grueling exercise practiced.
“That was awesome, Buffy,” she heard Angel say through a tired breath. He was on his sixth push-up, his agile body moving quicker than hers. She admired the muscles on his arm, as they pushed up and down in effortless strokes. She wished, in a way, that her body could be as a strong as the average male’s. Not only would warm-ups be quicker, she would be stronger. She hated being the “short and fast” one on the team, like Nina was out on the field.
When she finished her push-ups, she sat up and feeling eyes on her, she looked up. Blue orbs met green ones and the shock of this somehow intimate “contact” caused Buffy to gasp. There was a gleam of lust in his eyes as his eyes raked her form with admiration. He was on the other side of the field, doing sit-ups with…oh my god, Drusilla? Seriously, what did guys see in her? Disgust flashed over her face and she saw confusion reflected back onto his. She rolled her eyes and rolled over onto her back, where she started to do sit-ups. Around her third, she sensed a presence beside her and she looked up to see Spike standing there. Narrowing her eyes, she pulled herself up, so she was sitting cross-legged on the grass. Raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow, she looked at him with a questioning expression on his face.
“You played awesome today, Buffy,” he said, crossing his pale arms over his chest. He smirked down at her and she quickly got to her feet. She hated being looked down upon.
“You did too,” she said stiffly, hoping the conversation would end. Anyone who was in Drusilla’s company was seriously fucked up. Even if they were kind of sweet, and totally hot. Like the whole bad-ass look really turned her on…
He grinned at her. “Maybe I’ll get to play with you.” The double entendre seemed intentional enough and Buffy’s eyes flashed.
“Maybe I’ll get lucky and you won’t,” she shot back, a snicker escaping her lips at the surprised expression on his face.
“Right then,” he coughed, looking taken aback. “I’ll-uh-see you around then, luv.”
She nodded boldness still alight in her hazel eyes. Spike continued to stare into her depths before she cleared her throat uncomfortably and he nodded back curtly. Walking away, her eyes remained glued on his lean form. She took a deep breath and returned to her warm-ups.
*****
After practice ended, she hurried out of the Arena to catch a taxi for school. Before she could open the passenger door, she felt a light tap on her shoulder and turned to see Angel, Drusilla-and Spike?- standing behind her.
“We can’t catch a cab. Can we come with you?” Angel asked, smiling sweetly at her.
Buffy caught the flicker of annoyance that passed over both Drusilla and Spike’s faces, though for different reason. Shrugging, she opened the door and allowed Drusilla to enter in the front seat. Spike piled in first in the back, then her and Angel came in last. Wedged between the two big guys, she felt suddenly uncomfortable and suddenly wished that she had declined them all. Angel, in all his naïve glory, was completely missing the possessive and challenging looks that Spike was sending his way. Drusilla was making moon eyes at the taxi driver and Buffy was simply stuck within it all.
With a quiet sigh, she watched as Spike’s right knee leaned unintentionally into hers, the contact making her shiver. She was confused about the way she was feeling about Spike. He seemed so mysterious but his emotions were like an open book to her.
Shifting away slightly, she threw him a murderous glance and he stopped with the cavemen looks at Angel. Smiling sheepishly at her, he tilted his head at her. The gesture was boyish and made him look so adorable.
Buffy quickly looked away. She focused on her fantasy of the letter that would tell her that she was being drafted. But still, Spike’s image didn’t go away and she growled inwardly in annoyance.
Finally, they arrived at Hemery High School with a resounding stop, the brake pedal being hit too hard. They all were pushed forward in their seat and quickly undid their seatbelts. They were going to be late for class.
Buffy waited for Spike to open his door and when he did, he held out a hand to help her out of the car. Shocked by the chivalrous gesture, she simply blinked. When he arched a questioning and not to mention extremely sexily scarred eyebrow, she was pulled out of her daydream of a Prince Charming who held doors for her and combed her hair for her. She rolled her eyes.
“I can get out of a car by myself just fine, thanks. Been doing it for eighteen years,” she muttered, pulling herself out of the car and blatantly ignoring his hand. She saw the flash of amusement on his face as he threw his hands up in mock surrender and allowed her to get out. He slammed the door shut and they headed into the school.
Buffy chuckled when she realized that they had all left Drusilla to pay the cab fare.
TBC
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Author's Chapter Notes:
I know I said I would post next week but I couldn't resist. Plus, Christine got the chapters back to me today. ;) Which brings me to my huge thanks to her for beta-ing this. You're the best, sweetie!
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed (cordykitten, PhotographyNut, immortalangel08, nmcil, serendipity, lindsay). I really appreciated the help that some of you provided in terms of the problem with my story. I contacted Pari and she's gonna fix it for me so cross your fingers that it works. :)
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed (cordykitten, PhotographyNut, immortalangel08, nmcil, serendipity, lindsay). I really appreciated the help that some of you provided in terms of the problem with my story. I contacted Pari and she's gonna fix it for me so cross your fingers that it works. :)
Chapter End Notes:
Review please! :)