They had all been waiting for this. Willow had worked harder than the rest. She's study alll night to get good grades. The hard work had paid off for her too. Xander... well... worked a bit less than the rest. Sure he'd studied. Yeah, studied the girl sitting in front of him biology. He'd managed to pass through high school by a thread. Oz was doing it for the second time, nothing was new to him. He was used to the excitement. Yet, he couldn't help but feel excited hinslef. Cordelia was more worried than excited. She had to clue what would happen to her now that all the money was gone. But boy were her nails looking bad. But then there was Buffy. She was also unsure of her future, but in a more complex way than Cordy. Buffy was the chosen one. The slayer. Her fate was to kill vampires. She didn't have much of a future.

Xander had his watch set to the second. He stared at it, thinking of how true it was that if you watch the clock it moves slower. He tried to pull his eyes away, but the excitment proved to be too much for him... just 163 seconds left.

In the seat next to him Willow looked near tears. She was glancing around the room with a sad look on her face, she would miss this place. Xander just couldn't figure out why. But all Willow felt right now was sadness. Though she was happy for this day, she couldn't but feel like a lost little puppy. She had liked school, and would miss it. But she was really looking forward to college.

Buffy was in the table in front to Xander and Willow's. She too seemed to be watching as the clocked ticked down the last few seconds. She looked neither sad nor happy... expressionless really. Though she was happy about being done with school, she knew there wasn't much to be too happy about. When you're the slayer you know about all the evils and demons in the world. You know that when the sun goes down everyone is in danger. And when the sun comes up you know that everything will be alright, for a few hours at least. Buffy just wanted to get this school stuff over with. Maybe go on to college and maybe even do some studying. But how much studying could she really get in when she spends all night killing vampires?

Cordelia and Oz were down the hall, around the corner, pass the loung area, and 3 doors to the left. Sitting in the hottest room in the school for the last few seconds was almost torturous. Oz was ready to get this schooling thing done with. Sure he could have been done last year, but with all the support he had gotten from Willow and the rest of the gang he was glad he had decided to come back to graduate.

On the desk in the next row Cordelia seemed oblivous to the heat, though Oz noticed it was making her hair flat. She was too busy shining up her nails. Though, now that the money was gone, Cordelia doesn't think of just hair and nails and clothes. She's got other things to worry about. But right now, her nails just didn't look good.

Throughout the entire school you could almost here the last 10 seconds being counted down by the students, and even the teachers and other faculty members. Summer break meant 3 whole months of not having to be around each other, and for the seniors it meant their last time around anyone.

9 seconds. In every class students began to squirm with excitement. Their heads starred at the clock. One teacher just decided to let his class out early. 20 or 30 students were now racing happily to their lockers.

7 seconds. A breeze flew through the windows of the classrooms on the east side of the school. Papers flew around, but no one seemed to care. The kids that had been let out early were still racing down the hall towards their lockers. Grins on almost everyface.

5 seconds. It seemed to move so slow. The time seemed to stop almost. More squirming. The papers hit the floor. Still, no one cared.

3 seconds. Students began to stand up. Most of them halfway sitting, halfway standing. They all looked anxoius. Still the papers sat there. Still the students ran towards their lockers.

1 second. Most of the students in the school were standing by now. Heading towards the doors. The papers still sat. Not like anyone cares about them anyway, it's the last day of school after all. Some of the students that were let out early have reached their lockers.

The bell rang. Shouts rang out through the school. They belonged to everyone. The students and teachers alike. Students ran down the halls to their lockers. Those who had gotten there already were throwing useless papers into the hall. The janitor sat in his office cringing. Only he disliked the last day of school.

"Finally! I'm done! Thank you God!" Xander shouted out, not caring who heard him, if anyone could hear him over all the shouting.

Yup, just another normal last day of school for the kids of Sunnydale High.

Willow, Xander, and Buffy met up with Cordelia and Oz in the hallway. Tears were streaming down Willow's face as Oz went over to her, and hugged her, kissing the top of her head. Xander, Buffy, and Cordy joined into a little circle of celebration. They had finally finished high school. They were finally done. They could now leave.

And leave is what they did. The ran out of the school together, not caring that they had left their lockers pretty much a mess with old papers, and whatever Xander called that goo at the bottom of his. They had what they wanted, and now they were done.

Together they ran down the sidewalk, laughing, one of them crying. They felt a sort of freedom that will only come once in your life, or for Oz, twice. The saw the end of the sidewalk coming near. They still cheered.

"Okay, enough of that. Giles wants us right away," Buffy said as the reached the end of sidewalk. Together they stopped cheering, turned around, and headed back to the school.

"Boy, I've never done that before," Cordelia made sure to point out, slightly exhausted.

"Xander does it every year," Willow chiped in. Xander looked at Cordelia with a sort of I love summer vacation because it means to school look. They were almost back to the school now.

I stood by and watched it all. I knew what each of them was thinking. What each of them felt. Not because I had gone through the same thing. No, I had never gotten that far in life. But I could feel their energy running through me. I could heard their voices, just mere whispers in my head, but I could hear them.

My name is Deirdra Dommalee. I am not a human. I am not a demon. This group does not know my name. They do not know my face. But they will. Soon. And I am someone they will never soon forget.