Willow had been apprehensive when she’d first enrolled in the beginning Acting class her sophomore year, but it was an elective credit for her and something she’d always wanted to try despite her nerves. Now she was in the third level of classes, and though her confidence as a performer had grown considerably in the last three years, and her aptitude for learning was practically unrivaled, she felt her anxiety give in once more as their professor announced their course objective for the semester.
“Shakespeare!” Professor Giles beamed, finishing the chalk written word before spinning back around to face the lecture hall.
Willow felt compelled to write the playwright’s name in her notebook, though it was an absurd thing to do. But her studiousness and responsible side came out in spades when she was nervous.
Professor Giles began role call as Cordelia leaned over to whisper into Willow’s ear,
“I’ll pay you to help me understand this stuff,” the brunette said.
Willow spared the girl a conspiratorial look, “Help me actually act it?”
Cordelia nodded sharply, “Deal,” she murmured.
“Cordelia Chase?” Giles called out, scanning the room. Cordelia raised her hand and smiled.
“Ah, Cordelia! Yes well, what an auspicious moniker, yes? The virtuous princess of Lear,” Giles rambled sentimentally.
Cordelia snickered while Willow bit her lip to keep from giggling. A few rows down, one girl spun around at the mention of Cordelia’s name and shot the brunette a surprised glare.
Willow was still stifling a giggle when Cordelia caught blonde’s stare, “Buffy!” Cordelia whispered.
The blonde flashed a smile and quickly checked over her shoulder to see the teacher still busy calling off names before making the move toward Cordelia.
Willow’s face dropped at the mention of her. Instinctively clutching her notebook as Buffy stealthily climbed over a few seats and sank into the chair next to the brunette.
“Princess?” Buffy snorted.
Cordelia shot her a look before smiling and reaching for a hug, “Virtuous princess,” she teasingly reminded the girl.
Buffy returned the hug before slumping back into the chair, “When did you arrive?”
“Last night,” Cordelia explained, “I haven’t even bought my books or unpacked yet.”
“Did dad drop you off?’ Buffy wondered. Cordelia snickered at the thought, “Yeah, right. He and Carmen are in Madrid. I drove myself.”
Willow blinked in confusion as the two girls conversed so comfortably together. Then Buffy’s previous statement echoed in her ears…
“You two are sisters?” Willow blurted out, unable to stop the rising panic.
The girls stopped their bonding for a moment to regard the young redhead. Buffy took a moment, as if trying to remember who Willow was as Cordelia simply shook her head.
“Step-sisters,” Cordelia explained. Willow visibly sighed in relief that her new friend wasn’t genetically predisposed to be anything like Buffy, though the two girls familiarity and comfort still made Willow a bit wiggy.
Buffy snickered at Willow’s obvious fear upon hearing her relation to the brunette. If she considered it long enough, Buffy supposed there was nothing inherently wrong with Willow…except for maybe the company she kept…
“You’re a lesbian, right?” Buffy asked suddenly.
Willow’s face matched her hair as Cordelia considered the information. Clearing her throat and casting a nervous glance around her Willow nodded meekly, “Yeah.”
Buffy chuckled dryly, “You’ve got the right idea,” she snickered as Cordelia rolled her eyes at her stepsister’s comment.
“Liam O’Connor,” Giles called out once again. Buffy’s face snapped up at the sound of the boy’s name.
“Angel,” the young man corrected the teacher. A few snickers and giggles were met with Liam’s self-applied nickname. Giles took a moment to remove his glasses and give them a quick wipe before returning to the roster.
“Uh, yes, noted. Thank you…Angel,” the older man said tightly.
Buffy detested Angel. He’d asked her out once sophomore year, and as usual, she turned him down. As far as Buffy was concerned, Liam was just as bad as her father.
Cordelia however, harbored not the same ill-feelings toward the male population as her stepsister. Nor did she suppose turning down a guy like that. “He’s cute,” Cordy thought aloud.
Buffy and Willow surprised themselves by simultaneously gagging at Cordy’s comment. The gesture earned a laugh by Buffy and even a small smile from Willow.
“Willow Rosenburg,” Giles spoke; earning a quick nod from the redhead. Giles smiled tenderly at the girl, “The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree, Sing all a green willow,” Giles quoted.
Buffy rolled her eyes as Willow blushed. So much for their previous bonding.
“Buffy Summers,” Giles announced slowly. A random spattering of low groans were heard at the mention of the girl’s name, Though he was a faculty member, he too had heard of Buffy’s reputation. It was quite fascinating to him, if not a bit contrived. He cleared his throat as to warn the class to keep their opinions to themselves.
After Giles finished role call, he began discussing the syllabus and listed the titles of the plays they would be examining this semester. Once it was time, Giles dismissed the students and reminded them to meet in the adjacent building next class.
Outside, the three girls walked together before their next respective classes.
“Twelfth Night, Macbeth…” Willow mumbled to herself, looking over the reading list she’d written down as Cordelia was checking her schedule once again.
“I have some time before my next class,” Cordelia announced, “Wanna grab a coffee? Show me the campus?” she asked the two girls.
Willow shook her head, “Next class is in ten minutes, sorry.”
Buffy shrugged, “Why the hell not.”
Willow gave Cordelia a polite smile and a half nod to Buffy before waving good bye, “Well, it was nice to meet you, Cordelia. I’m sure I’ll see you around…and ya know…in class or whatever.”
Cordelia nodded and waved in kind, “Yeah, thanks again Willow. See ya.”
“Umm, Buffy, it was— “ Willow started before realizing she was still a bit mystified by the small blonde,
Buffy spared the awkward girl this time and merely nodded, “Yes, it was.”
Willow laughed nervously, “Yeah. So, umm, bye.”
Buffy snickered as she and Cordelia watched Willow walk away. “She’s sweet,” Cordelia decided.
Buffy yawned, “Sure, I guess.”
Cordelia threaded her arm through Buffy’s as they began walking. Cordelia was thankful to have found her stepsister so quickly, rather than tracking her down.
The two girls had always been cautious of one another since Buffy’s dad and Cordelia’s mom had gotten married. Buffy naturally didn’t want anything to do with the woman he’d had an affair with, or her daughter. But the girl’s were practically forced on each other when they were younger. Cordelia was not cloistered like Buffy had been made to be. Cordelia had been free to date throughout high school, and she took advantage. Unfortuantely, she began to receive a reputation by association… which Buffy took advantage of.
When the girls started College, Cordy had stayed in Los Angeles while Buffy came to Sunnydale and their relationship naturally fizzled. But they had kept in touch sparingly throughout the past three years and now to be at the same college…it was a kind of comfort. Though Cordelia could only hope that seeing her stepsister again would not invite the same social doom and gloom that had haunted her through high school.
“So…I met Willow’s friend,” Cordy let the thought hang.
“Willow has friends?” Buffy replied automatically. Cordelia gave her an offended look.
“Xander—” Cordelia started again,
“He’s a miserably awkward creep that needs to learn the English language,” Buffy finished for her.
Cordy couldn’t help but laugh a little, remembering how awkward Xander had indeed been when he’d met her earlier. “I thought he was kind of cute, in a dorky way.”
“I thought you said Angel was cute,” Buffy reminded her.
Cordelia smiled at the memory, “Ooh, yeah, him too. Sunnydale’s just got all the hidden hotties, doesn’t it?”
Buffy was so far, unimpressed, “Angel’s an idiot,” Buffy admonished before cringing at her choice of words, “And I’m an idiot for using his stupid nickname.”
Cordelia rolled her eyes,” Still on your little man-vendetta, I see,” Cordy chirped.
Buffy halted their walking and stilled Cordy’s arm, “Little man-vendetta?” Buffy repeated back, “Cordelia, my dad was cheating on my mom for five years and then left her!”
“Yeah, “ Cordy nodded in offensive, “To marry MY mom!”
“This isn’t about you,” Buffy fumed, “Or you mother. She didn’t know my dad was already married.”
“No, she didn’t,” Cordelia added slowly, her lips fixed tightly in her own angry expression.
“Right, that’s what I just said,” Buffy spat, “Ergo, men are bastards.”
“No, Buffy. My mom’s an idiot too and so is Joyce, if I’m being honest.”
Buffy snickered and crossed her arms indignantly, “Umm, excuse me? What gives? I didn’t attack YOU!”
“My mom didn’t know Hank was already married?” Cordy repeated, “And when she found out, married him anyway?” Cordy gave Buffy a look of disbelief, full of pleading to make her stepsister understand her point of view.
For Buffy’s part, she looked bored, shrugging absently at Cordelia insistence, “So?”
“So?” Cordelia echoed, “Joyce didn’t know for FIVE YEARS that Hank was cheating?”
Buffy had no idea what Cordy was trying to say and was frankly, beginning to get annoyed.
“You’re all man-hatey but you never considered maybe placing some fault on the women?” Cordelia explained.
“You didn’t see what my mom went through after the divorce!” Buffy challenged.
“Yeah well, I saw what MY mom went through…money,” Cordelia snapped back.
“You didn’t seem to care back in high school,” Buffy snidely reminded her.
“Because I wasn’t a nun like some people,” Cordelia returned, glaring at Buffy.
“My mom was protecting me from scumbags like my dad,” Buffy cried, “She did me a favor!”
“No, she made you blind and bitter for no good reason,” Cordelia corrected. “People are responsible for their choices, Buffy.”
“I agree,” Buffy said defensively.
“PEOPLE, Buffy,” Cordelia reiterated, “Not just men, but women too.”
Buffy snickered. Cordelia was hardly a model for saintly behavior, despite the obvious personality change she’d undergone. In high school, Cordelia would have rather gone blind than hang out with a girl like Willow. And material possessions, good looks and high status were all the brunette seemed to care about. And sure, she still obviously cared about her appearance, even Buffy could admit her looks mattered to her as well…but Cordelia seemed more down to earth now. But if there was one thing that would always irk Buffy about her stepsister, (one thing she’d never admit to another living soul), it was how popular she’d always been. Especially with men.
“Oh,” Buffy said slowly, “Is that what this is about?”
Cordelia fixed her a confused but annoyed look, “What are you talking about?”
“You’re still mad about Parker aren’t you?” Buffy smirked, “That he dumped you after finding out I was your stepsister.”
“You told him to stay away from me!” Cordelia shrieked. “Then you kicked him in the balls and dumped blue paint all over him.”
“I was saving you future heartache and humiliation!” Buffy defended.
“YOU humiliated me, Buffy! YOU!” Cordelia screamed back. “What, like I couldn’t take care of myself?”
“Everyone knew Parker was a player and he was just trying to get into your pants!”
“What if I had wanted to sleep with him? That would have been my choice!
The girls had begun to draw a crowd, though they both remained unfazed by their audience, too engrossed in this long overdue argument.
“You just like the attention way too much to consider the consequences,” Buffy scolded.
“What consequences? That I might actually meet a guy I like and fall in love?”
“That you’re wasting your time! That this ‘falling in love’ bullshit is a lie!” Buffy yelled again. “It’s not real! All men are selfish, self-serving bastards who are just looking to put their dicks into a hole!”
Laughter and groans echoed throughout the quad at Buffy’s comment as Cordelia threw down her bag in disgust. Amidst the gathering crowd, a few familiar faces watched the two girls in earnest. Xander watched in misplaced excitement from one corner as Angel and his friend Riley watched from another corner.
“You’re still such a sad and lonely little crusader, aren’t you?” Cordelia patronized.
“And you’re still such a fake and vapid little tramp,” Buffy retorted back with venom.
“You’re deluded,” Cordelia spat. “Thinking men alone are to blame for everything?”
“You’re a robot,” Buffy spat back. “Thinking if you’re nice to them they won’t fuck you over.”
Cordelia shook her head, realizing she was never going to convince Buffy of anything. She leaned over to pick up her bag from the ground before wiping a wisp of hair away from her face and looking Buffy square in the eye.
“I thought maybe you’d changed, Buffy,” Cordelia finally sighed, “It was so nice to see you again…and then…you opened your mouth and I remembered what a psycho bitch you were.”
Buffy wanted to echo Cordy’s saccharine tone with her own biting comment, she really did. But in that moment, Buffy realized she was never going to convince Cordelia of anything.
So she punched her.
As Cordelia went down, a chorus of gasps from their forgotten audience came rushing into her ears, filling Buffy with a sick sense of pride. Students frantically rushed to relieve the fallen girl as Buffy calmly adjusted her bag’s strap and stepped aside to let them help her stepsister. Buffy locked eyes with Xander , who was still lingering off to the side of the crowd. When Xander realized he’d been spotted he ran off quickly, without looking back. Buffy rolled her eyes as two more faces she recognized emerged to save the damsel. Riley Finn battled the clumsier hands of other helpful boys in an effort to help Cordy to stand upright again. Angel, stood behind her and braced her shoulders before sparing Buffy a death glare.
To Cordelia’s credit, she was handling the event like a seasoned professional, smiling brightly as the two towering men handled her specifically.
And then Buffy found the biting comment she’d been looking for.
“Gee Cordy, I’ve always wondered what you could stretch wider. Your mouth or your legs,” the tiny blonde chirped innocently, “Guess it’s your giant horse mouth after all.”
The blonde in question cackled at their expressions and sauntered off toward the parking lot. She needed to be alone. There was no use in trying to go to her next class anymore. She was too amped up by her argument and the resulting sucker punch to Cordelia’s pretty face. Whatever, they lived in the same place, she could always apologize later…if she felt like it.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Riley asked the brunette once again, bending at the knee slightly to examine her eye more thoroughly. Angel was in deep contemplation, staring off from where Buffy had left the scene.
She appreciated the concern, but Cordy was not really into the farm boy coddling her at the moment. When his face became level with hers and his hand gently held her chin to get a look at her developing shiner, she couldn’t help but turn her head the other way, “I’m fine, really. Just a stupid sibling thing.”
Angel spun around at this news. “Buffy’s your sister?”
Cordelia huffed and stepped away from Riley to effectively stop his examination.
“Stepsister,” Cordy corrected for the second time that day.
“That was a pretty heated argument,” Riley rationalized, kneeling fully to retrieve Cordelia’s purse and belongings that had fallen with her.
“So as stepsisters, you know each other pretty well, yeah?” Angel considered, his mind now racing.
Cordelia looked back and forth between the two men, “What’s with the Law and Order act, gentlemen?”
Riley handed off Cordelia’s collected items and handed them back to her before Angel walked up a bit closer to the pair.
“Thanks,” Cordelia obliged to Riley as she slung her bag over her shoulder.
Angel took Cordelia’s hand in his much larger one and brought it to his lips, “You need any help with that bruise, let me know.”
Riley’s mouth tensed in annoyance at his friend’s lack of subtlety while Cordelia giggled and gave a tiny snort.
“Oh don’t worry, I’m a magician with make-up,” she flirted in return.
“See you in class, Cordelia,” Angel smirked, releasing her hand as she waved good-bye.
“Thanks again, both of you,” she laughed, walking away with a knowing shake of her head.
Riley watched her leave as Angel abruptly turned to his friend. “I want her,” the dark haired man declared.
“I noticed,” Riley said with a snicker, “Good luck keeping Buffy out of the way.”
Angel smiled proudly but said nothing. Riley was disturbed to say the least.
“What?” Riley asked after a moment of watching Angel just smile at him. Then realization dawned on him. He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest,
“You have an idea, don’t you?”
Angel wrapped his arm around his friend’s shoulder before dragging him off, howling with laughter the entire way home.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chapter. Sorry no spuffiness yet, but don't you worry. It's coming very soon. Thank you to the three folks who reviewed!
Chapter End Notes:
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