*~*A Touch of Jealousy*~* By Echidna
Buffy
repressed a groan when she eyed the alarm clock and it read: ‘
Spike kept his eyes closed, in the vague
chance that sleep might come to him, but it didn’t. He was still wide awake,
his mind plagued with indecent thoughts of the obnoxious blonde sleeping just a
few feet from him. ‘Get yourself
together, man. What the hell are you thinking? Sure, the chit’s not bad, but
not worth losing a night’s sleep over.’ He mentally scolded himself as he felt his
body start to react at the mere recollection of what had happened earlier that
night. Sighing, he turned on his side, making sure to rest his back against the
freezing wall. Maybe that would cool him off.
“Bloody hell!” He jumped up into sitting position as he felt something metallic sting
his lower back.
Looking at the floor, he found a remote and
picked it up. He didn’t have much time to inspect it as the lights were flipped
on and an apparently sleepy Buffy moaned:
“What was that?” She forced her voice to sound
drowsy and hoarse.
Spike blinked a couple of times as his eyes
adjusted to the strong light that now filled the room. Before he could answer,
Buffy snatched the remote from his hands and piped up, suddenly wide awake:
“That’s where it was.” She said as she placed
the remote on her nightstand. “I was looking for that.”
Gradually, the sound of a piano filled the
room. The two blondes turned to see the stereo – it was lit up.
“Must have turned it
on.” Spike explained as slowly a soft female voice
flowed in key with the instrument:
Time
is gonna take my mind
and carry it far away where I can fly
The
depth of life
will dim
my temptation to live for you.
The two blondes stared at each other for a glimpse of a second and then
Buffy jumped and reach for the remote.
“No!” Spike called out.
She stopped and turned to face him. She found him with a serious look on
his face
If I
were to be alone
silence would rock my tears
'cause it's all about love
and I know better
How life is a waving feather
“I wanna hear it.” He said.
Buffy cocked up a perfectly shaped eyebrow.
“You?
Wanna hear this?” She asked suspicious, pointing at the stereo with the remote
in hands.
“Why not?” He
questioned innocently.
“Mr.-Bad-Ass-Billy-Idol-wannabe wants to hear a sappy song?” She chuckled.
“I can do sappy. There are many layers to me, luv.” He explained.
“Oh! Tons, heaps of layers!” She said
sarcastically shaking her head.
“And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Come on, Spike. You’re a guy! You only have layers when you wanna convince
girls that you’re sensitive.” She mocked while the song grew in intensity in
the background
So I
put my arms around you
Around
you
And
I know that I'll be leaving soon
Spike furrowed his eyebrows in a clear sign of hurt.
“I’m just being honest.” She said with a smile.
“Ok, so maybe you are right.” He finally admitted with a grin of his own.
My eyes are on you,
they're on you
And
you see that I can't stop shaking
The two blondes froze, staring intensely at each other, as they realised
that they were having a civil conversation without the usual banter or sparing.
The music continued to play in the background and a chill ran down Buffy’s
spine. She shook her head as the moment became too much and looked down at the
sheets avoiding his piercing gaze. She regretted it the moment she did it as
the lyrics wheeling around them described her actions.
No, I won't step back but I'll look down to hide from your eyes
'cause what I feel is so sweet and I'm scared that even my own breath
Oh could burst it if it were a bubble
And I'd better dream if I have to struggle
So I put my arms around you around you
And I hope that I will do no wrong
My eyes are on you they're on you
And I hope that you won't hurt me
“So…” She started never daring to glance up at
him. She froze when she realised he was standing up and coming to sit on the
bed next to her. She remained still, holding her breath has he reached for a
loose strand of her hair and slowly pushed it behind her ear.
I'm dancing in the room as if I was in the woods with you
No need for anything but music
Music's the reason why I know time still exists
Time still exists
Time
still exists
Time still exists
As he leaned in something inside of her
snapped. She jumped up and was standing by the bed in a flash, her voice over
enthusiastic and high-pitched:
“Ok! I think we’ve practiced that enough for tonight!”
The Brit teen stared at her under a furrowed brow until he understood
what she meant.
“Well, we-we better get some sleep, tomorrow being a school day and all.
And-“ She spoke quickly and awkwardly as she
searched for the remote, which had somehow slipped from her hands and was lost
between her sheets. “Ha! Found it!” She said triumphantly, standing up straight
and holding her prize.
So I
just put my arms around you around you
And I hope that I will do no wrong
My eyes are on you they're on you
And I hope that you won't hurt me-
Silence once again filled the room as she
pushed the off button. Buffy set the remote on the nightstand and stood beside
the bed looking at him with a plastic smile on her face. Clearly embarrassed,
Spike stood up to take his place on the floor once again.
“Well… Goodnight.” She piped up as she snuck
under the covers, but she had no answer.
She felt something tug at her racing heart,
but ignored it, closing her eyes and forcing herself to fall asleep.
The hours passed and soon it was seven am and
the alarm clock rang. Buffy’s hands reached up and pressed the off button. She
yawned audibly, pretending to have slept the entire night, as she moved to the
edge of the bed. There he was, laying on the floor,
curled up into a little ball pulling at the blanket to cover himself as much as
he could.
“Spike…” She called softly, but had no answer.
“Spike…” She whispered once again, this time reaching for him and lightly
pushing him.
“Hum…” She heard him mumble as he turned his
back to her.
“Spike… Wake up… My mom’s gonna be here any
minute.” She said climbing off the bed
and sitting on the floor next to him.
Her hands rested on his arm, pulling at him to
turn him around as she spoke. Eventually, he did but he was still fast asleep.
She watched as he nestled his face against her thighs. He looked so peaceful,
so… non obnoxious.
Instinctively, she ran her fingers over his
sharp cheekbones leaving her thumb behind to caress the amazingly soft skin
there. She caught her breath as he nuzzled against it, his lips curling
slightly up for a lazy smile. She heard him mumble something in his daze and
she leaned in to hear him whisper in a drooling tone:
“Dru…”
Her eyes grew wide as she felt her stomach
twist in disgust. In a flash, she was up and shaking him gruffly:
“Wake up!”
“Hum… What?” The Brit blinked wildly as he
tried to ascertain where he was. A deep furrow marred his eyebrows as his sight
focused on the petite blonde violently walking around in circles. “Oh, God… It
wasn’t a nightmare.” He grumbled with a hoarse voice.
“Get up, get under the bed and don’t get out
of there until I tell you!” She said simply before she opened the door and
walked out of the room, leaving a dumbstruck, sleepy teen behind.
~+~
The moment the front door closed and she was
sure her mother was out of the household, Buffy raced up the stairs. She
stopped abruptly when she reached her bedroom. Taking in two deep, long
breaths, she turned the doorknob and entered the room.
“Spike?” She asked when the bleached teen was nowhere in sight. “Spike?”
She walked in and headed for the bed, bending
down to check under it. Nothing.
“Spik-“
“Bah!” Two jabbing hands were on her waist as
a loud voice filled the room.
“AHH!” She screamed off the top of her lungs, twisting around suddenly, her
right knee hitting its target right on the spot.
It was Spike’s turn to howl – in throbbing
pain. Buffy’s fingers automatically went for her mouth, her eyes widening as
she watched the bleached teen laying on the floor wailing while his hands were
buried between his legs.
“I-I’m sorry.” She stuttered, frozen in place,
her eyebrows wrinkled in a painful frown.
“Bloody hell, woman!” He yelled, still lying on the floor, his face the picture of agony.
“I-I..” She
stammered as she kneeled next to him.
Immediately, he jumped back, fear coming over
him.
“Just stay away from them!” He ordered between
howls.
“Well… “ She
said outraged as she stood up. “You-you shouldn’t have grabbed me like that.”
“It was a joke.” He protested as he tried to
get up to his feet but failed. “I think I’ll just stay down here for… a while.”
He said as he sat back down, leaning on her table.
“Suit yourself. I’m going to take a shower.”
She replied as she stalked out of the room.
~+~
Spike waited patiently on the floor, still
nursing his sore parts when he heard the door squeak. He turned to see Buffy’s
drenched head pop in.
“Turn around.” She ordered.
“What?! I can barely move here, luv, and you want me to turn around?” He asked,
cocking up an eyebrow.
“Well then… Close your eyes.” She insisted.
“It’s not like I haven’t seen a girl wrapped
up in a towel before, you know?” He said sarcastically, annoying smirk on.
“Do you wanna get kicked again?” She
questioned innocently as she put on her sweetest, fake smile.
A hint of fear flashed in the teen’s eyes
before he closed them. He heard sloppy footsteps entering the room and a faint
scent of vanilla hit him. Instinctively, he inhaled a little deeper and the
aroma surrounded him. He was about to attempt to open his eyes when he heard:
“You open your eyes and I swear you will leave
this room with a vocal tone higher then ten Michael Jackson’s put together.”
She threatened.
Swallowing hard, he kept his eyelids closed
shut, patiently waiting for her signal. He listened carefully to the shuffling;
the sound of the wardrobe door opening and closing a few times and then there
was silence.
“Buffy?” He asked as a frown settled on his
eyebrows.
“Keep your eyes closed.” She commanded.
“They’re closed!” He replied shrugging.
He heard more shuffling and then felt heavy
covers being dropped on him.
“Hey!” He protested.
“Don’t peep!”
The minutes crawled by and nothing.
“Are you ready?” He finally asked.
“No.”
“You haven’t even picked out your clothes,
have you?” He questioned, a hint of exasperation in his
voice. There was a pause. “Buffy?”
“No, I haven’t.” She finally said in one
breath and the teen under the covers groaned.
“Will you hurry up, woman?”
“Stop calling me that!” She snapped.
“What? Woman?”
“Yes! I have a name, it’s Buffy!”
“Whatever, pet.”
“Grrrr…” He heard her growl.
Another ten minutes passed and Spike restarted
the conversation.
“So… What was that whole thing with your mom?”
Silence.
“Buffy?”
“I don’t wanna talk about it.” She growled.
“Her first date after
your da?” Having no answer he
continued. “It’s ok to feel kinda weird about it.”
A furious stomp broke the silence.
“It was kinda strange for me too when my da
first started going out.”
The stillness returned and Spike was about to
continue when Buffy mumbled:
“You’re parents are divorced?”
“My mom died when I was a kid.”
“Oh…”
An uncomfortable silence returned but was soon
broken by the Brit still hidden under the covers.
“It’s normal, you know? For your
mom to want to go on with her life.”
“I know.” Buffy admitted reluctantly.
“You’ll get used to the idea. Who knows, you
might even like the guy.”
“Never!” Was the petite blonde’s immediate response.
Spike couldn’t help but chuckle.
“It’s not funny!” She protested with a pout.
“You’ll-“ cough
“You’ll-“ cough “Can I come out from under this thing? Breathing is becoming a
problem.”
His answer came when the covers were swiftly
lifted off him. He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light, after a few
seconds his sight focused on the short blonde girl standing in front of him.
She wore low cut jeans and a light-blue turtleneck sweater.
“All that time for that?” He frowned as he got
up.
“What’s wrong with this?” She protested as she
opened the wardrobe door and looked at herself in the mirror.
“Nothing. It’s fine!” He immediately jumped in between her and the mirror. “Let’s
go!” He continued as he dragged her out of the room by her arm.
The first thing the bleached Brit did when he
stepped out of the house was light up a cigarette, which immediately earned him
a look from the short blonde who walked next to him.
“Don’t look at me like that.” He warned her as
the smoke flowed out of his mouth.
“That’s disgusting.” She retorted, making a
face. “I’m not kissing you today.”
“A-ha! I knew you’d chicken out! Gotta say– good excuse, luv.”
“It’s not an excuse,
I just don’t want to have a bad taste in my mouth.” She explained as she looked
down at her feet.
“How do you know it tastes bad?” He asked her
with a smirk, his eyes on her.
“It smells bad, it tastes bad. That’s my
motto.” She replied pushing her lips together. The weight
of his stare starting to get to her.
“You’ll never know till you actually taste
it.” He said as he suggestively ran his tongue over his lips.
“I already did, remember!” Her face contorted
for a disgusted look.
“Tell you what,
I’ll buy a pack of breath mints before lunch. Happy?” He suggested as they
continued to walk down the street.
“How about we just postpone the kissing scene
for tomorrow and you don’t smoke till then?” She looked up at him with hope in
her eyes.
“Nice try, pet. It’s today or never.”
“Hum… Never?”
She quickly opted giving him a plastic.
“Come on, luv. We’ve talk about-“
“Ok, ok. No need to bring on the whining
skills, I know you’ve got them.” She grumbled.
“That’s my girl.”
“I’m not your girl, William.”
“Don’t call me William.” Seriousness dawned in
his voice.
“Don’t call me pet or luv or woman.”
“Deal.” He agreed.
They continued to walk in silence for a couple
more minutes till Buffy sighed and grumbled:
“Why didn’t you bring your bike?”
“It’s in the shop.” He answered.
“I hate walking.” She continued to protest as
the high school finally came into view.
“Gotta say I agree
with you on that one, pet.”
“Thanks… William.” She said with a fake smile
as he looked at her from under a frown.
They walked up the steps to the main door of
the teen-filled building and entered the halls. They reached class 209 and the
two teens stopped.
“This is me.” She said as she played with the
cover of her history book.
Spike awkwardly nodded as he shoved his hands
into the back pockets of his jeans. Buffy’s gaze bounced off the walls and
scanned the entire hall as she tried to avoid the bleached teen standing in
front of her. She froze as she saw Angel and Dru walking towards them, the
quarterback’s heavy arms draped over the black clad teen. Spike followed her
eyes and swallowed hard as the couple quickly approached them.
“Well… bye.” She uttered quickly as she turned around to enter the classroom, when
she felt herself being pulled backwards by her left arm.
Before she could register Spike’s arms around
her or her chest pushed against his, his lips came down to crush hers in a demanding
kiss. She froze, feeling his hands slip under her sweater to caress her lower
back for a split second before he pulled away from her.
“Didn’t taste that bad, did it, luv?” He
whispered in her ear before he walked away.
Buffy was left behind, completely dumbstruck,
staring at the parting teen as he strolled pass Angel and Dru.
“Dru. Angel.” She heard him greet them before
Mrs. Finch’s high-pitched voice pierced its way
through the haze that engulfed her.
“Miss Summers are you planning on joining us
anytime soon?”
~+~
Buffy yawned loudly as she walked out of the
classroom after Oz and
“Buffy, I knew you didn’t like Spanish, but I
had no idea the subject bored you so much.” The redhead noted as they walked
down the hall.
“I just didn’t get much sleep last night.
That’s all.” Buffy explained in a low voice.
“Bummed over your mom going out on a date,
huh?”
“I’m adjusting.” Buffy mumbled.
“Hey guys!” They heard Xander’s booming voice
as he approached.
“Xander, you don’t have to shout.” Cordelia
grumbled as they all walked towards the cafeteria, suddenly, Buffy stopped.
“What’s up, Buffster?” Xander asked.
“I-I don’t think I’m hungry.” She stuttered
awkwardly.
“Are you going on one of those stupid ‘eat
nothing and get anaemia’ kind of diets?” The boy questioned.
“No, you guys just go along and I-I’ll join
you later.”
“Buffy, you really should-“
Before
“What’s up with the Buffster?”
“It’s her mom.”
“Hey, red. Where’s Buffy?”
“She wasn’t feeling well. She doesn’t want to
have…” She wasn’t able to finish her sentence as the Brit turned around and
left.
“I won’t.” Oz piped up, worming his arm around
his girlfriend.
~+~
Buffy walked idly down the hall as she made
her way to the football field when someone grabbed her by her arm and dragged
her into an empty classroom.
“Spike.” She jumped when she saw him and asked nervously: “What are you doing
here?”
“You’re not getting off the hook that easy.”
He said tilting his head as he leaned on the door, blocking her way out.
“Wh-What are you
talking about?” she stuttered.
“Buffy…”
“Well… We already kissed,
so… no need to do it in front of the whole student body anymore.” She blurted
out.
He remained silent giving her a disapproving
look, watching as she tried to excuse herself:
“I-I mean, we’ve achieved our goal, right? We
kissed, people know we kiss. We are officially perceived as a kissing couple.
Goal achieved. No more kissing required. End of kissing talk.” She ended her
rambling taking a deep breath and waited for his reaction.
Without a word, he walked over to her and she
instinctively stepped back until the back of her legs hit the edge of a desk
and he was able to close the distance between them. He towered over her as he
questioned in a low voice, a smirk on his lips:
“Why does the thought of kissing me make you
so nervous?”
She froze for a split second, before jumping
up and awkwardly slipping away from him to quickly put the table between them.
“Nervous? I’m not nervous.” She tried to sound
as sure of herself as possible, but failed as her voice came out in a squeak.
“Just admit it.” He said plainly, leaning over
on the desk.
Buffy immediately stepped back.
“Admit what?”
“That you’ve got the hots for me, pet. It’s
only natural.”
“Ha! You’re funny!” She chuckled, but the
uneasiness was still clear in her voice.
Spike remained in place, just smirking at her.
“Stop that!” She protested.
“Stop what?”
“That grinning thing. It’s disconcerting.”
“Oh! A big word!” He
mocked widening his eyes while she narrowed hers.
She stood up straight, crossing her arms
around over her chest.
“What do you want?” She grumbled.
“Why are you afraid to kiss me?” He finally
asked seriously.
“I’m not afraid, just disgusted.” She retorted.
“Come on, Buffy…” He sighed audibly plopping
onto a nearby desk.
“Oh, fine, let’s do it.” She said crossing the
room and sitting on the table opposite to him, her eyes closed as she pushed
her lips together.
She waited and nothing. Finally, she opened
her left eye to find Spike shaking his head at her.
“What?” She asked bringing her shoulders
together.
“You…” He started pointing at her, before
turning his finger on himself. “Kiss me.”
Buffy’s
eyes widened at his short statement.
“What?!” She exclaimed as her legs dangled off the
desk.
“You
heard me, Summers.” He gave her a cocky smile and his scarred
eyebrow rose up high on his forehead.
She
was about to protest, her mouth opening and closing a couple of times as a
frown settled on her forehead, but soon realised it was no use.
“Fine. Let’s get this over with.” She exhaled
sharply as she jumped off the table and closed the distance between them.
“It’s
so nice to feel wanted.” He said with a sardonic tone, which earned him a forced smile from the blonde teen that
now stood in front of him.
A moment of silence filtered
between the two of them and Buffy took in a deep breath, closing her eyes and
pausing before opening them again. She slowly moved in, leaning into the bleached teen
who still sat on one of the desks when suddenly, she backed away.
“What?!” The bleached teen gasped, with a frown as he
watched her walking around in circles.
“Still
haven’t gotten over the ‘yuck’ factor.” She mumbled as she stopped to face him.
He
simply looked at her with an annoyed expression plastered on his face.
“Take
your time, Betty.” He grumbled, emphasizing the last word.
In a
flash, she was standing in front of him, cheeks flushed and anger flashing in
her green eyes.
“It’s
Buffy! How many times do I have to tell you? Buffy, Buffy, Buffy!”
She almost screamed. “God! You know, I don’t know why I’m
doing this.” She waved her hands in the air as she started rambling. “I don’t
think seeing Angel grovel at my feet is worth all the effort. You’re just so…
so…” She struggled to find the right word.
“Sexy?”
He offered with a grin.
“Grrrrrr…”
She growled in his face. “I hate you.” She said between clenched teeth.
“Ditto.” Spike answered with a plastic smile.
Once
again, she sighed audibly as she frantically struggled with her hair, pulling
it away from her face and curling it behind her ears. She shook her arms at her
side as if preparing for a race. Spike simply smiled. Closing her eyes once
more and inhaling sharply she tried to calm herself. After a few moments of
silence she was able to do so. Her eyelids fluttered open and she looked down
on him for a few seconds before quickly running her tongue over her lips to
moisten them and leaned in. She could feel her heart slamming violently against
her ribcage, her knees threatening to buckle from under her, the palms of her
hands soaked as she tilted her head sideways and closed her eyes. Her mouth
barely brushed over his bottom lip, for a first innocent contact. She pulled
away, just a bit, to breathe in before she returned to her task. This time, she
parted her lips, taking his lower one between hers, pulling lightly at it as
the kiss built up.
He
remained frozen, his arms at his sides, partially supporting his weight on the
desk, while she kissed him. He let out a deep groan as she sucked his lower lip
into her mouth as if wanting to devour it and instinctively wrapped his arms
around her, gruffly pulling her towards him until she was between his legs, her
arms crushed against his chest. His left hand slowly made its way from her
lower back to the crook of her neck, cupping her face to deepen the kiss.
Buffy’s
heart skipped a beat when she felt his tongue gliding over her mouth, as if
asking permission to enter. Before she could even process the information, she
was parting her lips, letting him in. A moan escaped her as they fought for
dominance and the kiss intensified.
They
pushed and tugged at each other’s clothes as teeth and hands came into play.
Buffy’s fingers curled around the collar of his shirt, bringing him closer to
her while she leaned into him. They battled away and light moans occasionally
filled the empty and silent classroom. Eventually, as lack of oxygen started to
become an issue, Spike was forced to pull away from her. He looked at her from
under hooded and dazed eyes, his forehead resting on hers as he tried to speak
coherently:
“Think you’re…” gasp “Over…”
pant “the ‘yuck factor’?” He managed to ask her between gasps, his gaze
alternating between her eyes and her swollen lips.
“Not
sure…” She inhaled sharply closing her eyelids, trying hard to control her
breathing before uttering: “Better make sure.”
“Better
safe than sorry…”
Buffy nodded in agreement as his hand hungrily
snaked under her ear to pull her toward him for another kiss.
She
had time for a short breath before he once more crushed her lips with his; his
tongue slipping inside of her mouth with ravenous urgency. His hands slid down
to her thighs, hooking under them and pulling her skywards as he stood up; her
legs instinctively wrapping themselves around his waist.
Buffy
was so lost, she didn’t even notice she was being carried across the classroom
and set on a hard surface. She partially opened her eyes to quickly glance down
and realised she was sitting on the teacher’s desk with Spike nestled between
her legs. She let out a deep groan as he nibbled his way across her jaw,
towards the sensitive spot just below her earlobe.
Spike
inhaled sharply and buried his nose in her turtleneck sweater for a second as
her scent surround her him. The sound of her gasping sent chills down his spine
and his grip on her thighs tightened as his tongue caressed the tender skin of
her neck.
Suddenly,
a sharp, high-pitched sound pierced through their combined haze.
“Wha…”
Buffy tried to ask, but it seemed impossible.
“Hum…”
She heard him moan as his mouth glided across her chin to reach her lips once
more.
“Sp-“ She
wasn’t able to finish the word as he kissed her once again. “Spike…” She gasped
when she had a chance. “The…” kiss “Hum…” kiss “The… ah…” She gave up and
leaned in to deepen the kiss.
Once
again, their moans and gasps filled the room and they were lost in a blinding
haze when, suddenly, loud, gossiping voices broke the stillness. The noise
lasted for a few moments before coming to an abrupt halt. Buffy opened her eyes
for a split second and they grew wide when she saw the door to the classroom
wide open and a crowd of teens standing dumbstruck at the threshold. It took a
while for her to recognize them but, eventually, she did. The short, gawking
boy, whose hand still rested on the doorknob, was Jonathan, the teen next to
him Andrew. The girl, who was still too shocked to close her mouth, was Harmony
and the black clad figure right behind her? Who could it be, if not – Dru!
Buffy froze, wide eyed, staring back at the
mini-crowd gathered at the door. She was still too flabbergasted to realise a
certain bleached teen was still nibbling at her ear.
“Spike!” She called out, pulling at his duster.
There
was no answer besides a deep groan.
“Why
are you guys standing there like a bunch of idiots?” Angel’s voice hovered into
the room as he made his way through the crowd. “Dru, honey, what going-“ He
stopped in mid sentence as he witnessed the same spectacle as the others.
“Spike!!!” Buffy
screamed pushing him away with such strength that the Brit stumbled backwards
and only didn’t fall flat on the floor thanks to a desk behind him.
“Wha’?” He asked with a husky voice.
There
was no need for Buffy to answer his question as he soon turned to see the group
of teens standing at the door.
“Oh…”
He managed to say; his gaze flying from the crowd to the flushed blonde still
sitting on the desk.
“I…
We… I and- I” Buffy struggled with the words, trying to find an explanation for
the event. “I…” She tried once more, but was unsuccessful.
Her
heart raced as everyone eyed her. She felt exposed, dirty. God, she felt… She
had to get out of there. In a flash, she jumped off the table and was running
out the door, pushing her way trough the teens, trying hard to ignore the look
on everyone’s faces.
Spike
was left behind, being now the centre of attentions. In complete silence, he
stood up straight, shoved his hands into his pockets and started to leave the
room when a strong hand gripped his arm. He turned around to see a seriously
pissed off quarterback staring down at him. Angel was about to say something
when Dru leaned into him and whispered something into his ear. The dark-haired
teen remained still for a few seconds, pondering what to do.
“Got
something to say, mate?” Spiked asked between clenched teeth.
Without
a word, Angel let go of his arm and the bleached Brit stormed away while the
small crown started to disband.
~+~
“Buffy!”
He shouted as he watched her run down the hall.
Her
response was to increase her speed as she opened the main door and exited the
building.
“Buffy, stop! Buffy!”
He yelled after her.
She
didn’t answer, just continued to jog her way down the street.
“Buffy!
We need to… talk!” He began coughing as he was almost catching up with her when
she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks and faced him with a murderous look on
her face.
“What?!” She snapped while she watched the bleached
teen bend down and rest his hands on his knees as he gasped and panted
violently.
“I-“
cough “Why are you running?’”
“Why?!” She yelled. “Did you see their faces? Did
you?”
“Yeah! I thought that was the point!” He said
between gasps as he stood up straight, his hand resting on his stomach.
“The point?” She practically screamed.
“Yeah! Make them believe that we’re together.”
“And
that I’m some kind of kinky slut that likes doing it on the teacher’s desk.”
She shouted.
“Come
on. They’re not going to think-“
She
cut him off:
“Of
course they are!” She howled. “I mean, everyone was there! By now the whole
school knows!”
“You’re
exaggerating, luv. There were just a half a dozen kids there.”
“Half a dozen? Did you even see who was
there? Every group in that stupid high school had a representative there. The
nerds, the fashionably, bubbled-gum-brained cheerleaders, the jocks… God, even
Dru was there to represent the freaky black-clad outcasts. But that’s what you
wanted, wasn’t it?”
“What?!” He asked confused as the blonde teen
continued to scream off the top of her lungs.
“You
probably planned the whole thing. God! How could I be so stupid?” She gasped as
she brought her hand to her forehead. “You planned the whole thing! God! I hate
you, so much, I-”
“Ok.”
Spike decided to step in. “First of all - will you stop shouting for a bloody
second, woman? I think you’ve just pierced my eardrum.” He protested, sticking
his finger into his ear as he cringed. “And second, how the hell would I plan
the whole thing? I didn’t even know you weren’t going to eat at the cafeteria.”
He pointed out, but she was so enraged, she couldn’t even see straight.
“I
know you did. Just admit it and I won’t have to kill you; just cause you enough
physical harm that will leave you paralysed from the neck down.” She threatened
with a flame in her eyes.
“Buffy, listen to yourself. I
could have never done that. Even if I was *that* much of a prick, I wouldn’t be
able to do it.” He tried to explain when she whirled around and started to walk
away. “Buffy…” He breathed as he walked after her, but she came to a halt once
again.
“Don’t
come anywhere near me, ever again.” She hissed between clenched teeth and
walked away.
~+~
Buffy
entered the house and, without a word, stormed up the staircase and entered her
bedroom. Slamming the door behind her, she flung herself on the bed. In a few
moments, a light knock on the door was heard.
“Honey…?”
Mrs. Summer’s soft voice filled the room as she entered it. “Are you ok? What
are you doing home so early?” She questioned as she came closer to the bed and
realised her daughter was crying. “Oh, honey, what happened? Buffy…”
“It’s
ok, mom. I just wasn’t feeling so good so I came home.” Buffy quickly answered
as she sat up straight and hastily wiped the tears from her flushed face.
Mrs.
Summer’s looked at her from under a frown.
“It’s
true, I’m fine. I just have this horrible headache.” Buffy lied rather
convincingly.
“I
knew you were coming down with something.” The older woman exhaled sharply as
she rested her hand on her daughter’s forehead. “You’re kinda warm.”
“I’m
fine, mom. I’m fine.” The teen insisted, running her hands across her face and
pulling the rebellious strands of her hair behind her ears as she leaned on the
headboard of the bed.
“Are
you sure? I don’t want you to catch something.”
Buffy
nodded with a weak smile and Mrs. Summer’s stood up and walked over to the door.
“Well,
I’ll get you an aspirin and some vitamins, just to make sure. Do you want some
hot-cocoa?” She offered as she stood at the threshold.
“That’d
be great, mom.”
The
moment the door was closed Buffy slammed her head against the headboard as she
let out an audible sigh. She ran her fingers over her face as she contemplated
what had happened only half an hour ago. ‘God,
how could I be so stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Now everyone in school’s
gonna think I’m a slut that does it on the teacher’s desk.” She let out a
deep groan, closing her eyes and trying to erase the thought from her mind. ‘Stupid, stupid, stupid!’ she continued
to insult herself in her mind.
“It’s
all *his* fault!” She finally said between clenched teeth. “God, I hate him
soooo much! I’m gonna kill that bleached idiot! Kill, kill, kill…” She
continued as the anger built up inside of her. “You kiss me.” She said with a
mocking tone. “I’ll give him the ‘you kiss me’. Grrr….”
She
slumped down on her bed and curled herself into the foetal position as she
stared out the window. Soon, the screeching sound of a door opening was heard
and light footsteps followed.
“Thanks, mom.” Buffy started as she turned
around. “I don’t know- Spike!” She exclaimed as she saw the bleached teen
standing by her bed holding a tray. “Get out!” she immediately hissed.
“Now,
luv
don’t want to-“
“I
don’t want to hear it. Put the tray down and get out!” She raised her voice slightly.
He
obeyed to the first part of the command, setting the tray on the nightstand,
but ignored the second.
“Are
you hard of hearing?”
“I’m
not leaving until you tell me why you’re acting this way.” He replied in a low,
calm voice that made her nerves act up.
“Because…
I… Hum…” She struggled for an explanation and finally hissed: “Cause
the entire school thinks I’m a ho and it’s all you’re fault.”
“My fault? How is it my fault?” he
asked defensively.
“You
were the one who caused it. You with you’re ‘You kiss me’ speech.” The last sentence was said with a
high-pitched semi-whining tone.
“No
one forced you to do anything, luv. Actually, as far as I can remember you
seemed more than willing.” He replied with a mocking tone, but the partial grin
on his face soon crumbled as he saw the rage flare up in her green eyes. “Look,
so they saw us snogging, it’s not like the entire world is going to fall apart.”
“You
just don’t get it, do you? People will-“
“Will
what?” He interrupted her. “We weren’t doing anything wrong!” He sighed audibly.
Buffy
remained still, trying to find a reason for her rage, but couldn’t find any. He
was right; there wasn’t anything wrong with what they had done. Sure it
bordered on the kinky, but so what? They were teenagers; they were supposed to
do dumb things.
“Luv,
just calm down and-“
“Don’t
call me that.” She warned him.
“Sorry.”
He apologized sincerely.
They
exchanged a look of truce and silence filtered between them. Finally, Buffy
spoke:
“Did
you see the look on Angel’s face?” She said with half a smirk.
“Yeah,
the wanker looked like he was about to have a fit.” Spike replied with a grin
of his own as Buffy’s smile grew.
“I
never knew a person could turn that green.” She chuckled as she started to
relax.
“Did
you see Dru? Man, she looked like she as about to pop with envy.” He laughed
out loud.
Something
about the way he said it, maybe the sparkle in his eye as he spoke her name,
made the subject a lot less funny to her. But, she ignored the sinking feeling
in her stomach and continued in a low voice:
“Guess,
the plan is working, huh?”
Spike’s
smile seemed to dim at her question: “I guess.”
“Who
would have thought they would fall for it?”
“Yeah…”
Spike breathed as the tension between them grew.
“Well…
I guess you’ll have Dru with you in no time.”
“Yeah.” He paused for a second and swallowed hard
before forcing the words out. “And you’ll have Angel.”
“My own personal slave.” She said with a mocking
tone and a smile. “Let the good times roll.”
Spike
simply smiled, shoving his hands into his pockets. After a few moments of
silence he finally decided to speak:
“Hum…
Summers?”
Buffy
looked at him as his gaze travelled from the floor to meet hers.
“Are
you still…” He paused, waiting for her to answer, but it was clear she didn’t
understand the incomplete question. “Are you still… in love with him?”
Buffy
frowned a bit and tilted her head, but didn’t answer.
“Hum…
I’m sorry; I shouldn’t be asking this, I’ll just be going.” He spoke quickly
and awkwardly as he headed for the door. “Your mom’s probably going to worry
about you having a boy in your room all this time and-“
“She
thinks you’re gay, Spike.” She said with a devilish grin.
“Don’t
remind me.” He grunted as he turned the knob and prepared to leave when Buffy
spoke:
“Hum…
Spike?”
“Yeah, luv?”
“Me
and the guys are going to the Bronze on Friday. Wanna come with?” There was a
hint of insecurity in her tone and when he didn’t answer immediately she
quickly added: “Totally on a ‘make Dru
and Angel face the green-eyed monster’ basis, of course.” He remained
silent. “Dru will probably be there… would be fun to see if she pops this
time.” She continued with a weak smile. “Or maybe not, it’s your-“
“I’ll
be there, Summers.” He interrupted her with a low, calm voice.
“Oh…”
She breathed. “Good.” She said shoving her hands into the back pockets of her
jeans as her feet fumbled with the edge of the carpet.
“See
you tomorrow, Betty.”
“See
you tomorrow, William.”
She
watched as the bleached hair disappeared behind the closing door and held her
breath. A sharp ringing tone snapped her out of her thoughts.
“Hello?”
She asked as she picked up the phone.
“Buffy?”
“Hey,
Willow!”
“Are
you ok?” An extremely anxious and nervous redhead questioned from the other
side of the line. “I mean people are talking that you and Spike were doing the
nasty on Mr. Gulliver’s desk. Is that true? What happened? Are you ok? Did
Spike do something-“
“
“No,
I don’t. That’s why I’m calling. Oh, and by the way, Xander had a heart attack
when Harmony told him that she had walked in on you and Spike stark naked in-“
“What?! God, I’m gonna kill that bleached airhead.”
Buffy grumbled between clenched teeth. “I wasn’t doing anything. We were just
kissing, Willow. That’s all.”
“A-are
you sure?”
“I’m
pretty sure. I mean, I *was* there and all, you know?” Buffy replied
sarcastically.
“So-sorry,
I-I didn’t mean to-“
“It’s
ok, Wills. No need to go on stutter mode.”
“So,
you’re ok then? I was just worried about you. You left school and didn’t say a
thing, I thought…”
“Nothing
bad happened. I promise. I was just a bit… embarrassed out of my mind! Couldn’t
really take the whole Gestapo-like inquiring and gawking.”
“I
understand. Will you come to school tomorrow?”
“Yes,
don’t worry. Ok?”
“Ok.
Bye.”
“Bye,