If It Makes You Happy
by MDC
Description: AU as in no Hellmouth, no slayers or other unnatural stuff. Except maybe the hotness of Faith. Just Sunnydale High in all it's teenybopper glory confronted with Faith and her... super hot glory?
Author's Note: Yeah, I know, I know. But I just had to get this little incomplete AU fiction out of my head. Apparently I've hit a little block with my other B/F fics. I'll try harder.
Chapter 1: Like, oh my god!
There was something missing. She didn't feel quite...right. Her life, though far from bad, wasn't quite enough. Sometimes, when these thoughts managed to creep into her otherwise relatively carefree mind, she would feel guilty. Many would kill to have her life, to be her. Some almost did trying. Figuratively speaking of course. Anything more than juvenile shoplifting was unheard of in Sunnydale California.
Her days were filled with inane teenage banter about who wore what and who dated who and very rarely, school. Although she was a bright young girl, you wouldn't know it by the looks of her grades. She wasn't failing, her mother would kill her if she was, she made just enough effort to pass.
Being seventeen, there were other, more important things that occupied her mind. As one of Sunnydale High's top five in the popularity poll, school wasn't a priority. Naturally, her boyfriend was also included in the top five.
So living in a peaceful town, having more friends than she could count, passing grades, a loving mother and sister, a handsome boyfriend and plenty of admirers, Buffy Summers was definitely not unhappy.
But there was something missing.
Another weekend had come and gone and as Buffy entered the school halls, she was quickly joined by her usual clique. Cordelia Chase, another top five member and Buffy's best friend, linked arms with her and excitedly started chattering away. The other girls hovered around the two, some talking to another, most content on listening to their idols' conversation.
"Oh my god! Buffy, did you hear? Steve just totally broke up with Sarah on Saturday!"
"Oh my god! He did?" Buffy said semi-sarcastically. "The world must be coming to an end! Steve and Sarah no more? But it was 'S-heart-S'! It was destiny!" She mockingly gasped.
Cordelia sighed patiently.
"That's amusing, sweetie. But do you not see how a major hottie is now perfectly single?"
"Steve's an idiot, Cordy."
"But he's a stud!"
"And possibly dumber than Jessica Simpson."
Cordelia stopped at her locker and looked at her best friend accusingly.
"You know I have one of her albums." She pouted.
"Yes, I know. So do I." Buffy shrugged. “I'm just saying she's..." The blonde frowned, trying to find a nicer way to make her point. "... intellectually challenged."
Cordelia giggled and nodded ruefully as she opened her locker.
"This is true." She conceded. "So that's a no on Steve?"
Buffy shrugged again while rummaging through her shiny purple purse that perfectly matched her purple/pink summer dress.
"It's your call, Cordelia. I'm just saying you can do better."
The brunette cheerleader hummed in agreement and retouched her lips.
"Anyway, speaking of better. How's your hunky boyfriend?"
She nudged her co-captain playfully. Buffy smiled and put the found lollipop in her mouth.
"Angel's..." Buffy didn't get the chance to finish her sentence.
"Incoming!" A boy screamed.
The girls surrounding Buffy and Cordelia quickly jumped away. But the two best friends were too late as Xander Harris crashed into them, sending the trio, skateboard and all, down to the floor.
"Argh!" Cordelia shrieked. "What the hell are you doing, you freak?" She panically got up and inspected her clothes and hair.
The clumsy skateboarder wasn't capable of speaking as he found himself lying on top of the girls of his dreams.
"Uhh..."
Buffy looked up at him, exasperated. It wasn't the first time she was confronted with Xander. She had noticed him following her around like a love-sick puppy on various occassions since ninth grade. She thought it was sweet though and made sure she wasn't too crass with him. Even on times like these.
"Xander, right?" She patiently smiled at him.
The boy seemed to wake up from his catatonia as Cordelia began hitting him repeatedly with her black Gucci purse. Buffy pointedly looked down between Xander and herself. As Xander followed her gaze, he grew an even darker shade of red.
"Do you mind?" Buffy asked as nice as she could under the circumstances.
Before Xander could answer, he was kicked off his crush forcefully by Cordelia Chase.
"Disgusting perv!" She screamed at him and helped up her blonde friend.
The furiously blushing Xander was about to stutter out an apology, but Cordelia had already stomped away, dragging Buffy with her and angrily cursing the existance of what she called 'pathetic annoying loser freaks'.
Any other day, Xander might have cared. Been hurt even. Instead, he scrambled to his feet, grabbed the first passer-by and breathlessly said:
"I touched Buffy Summers' boobs and she knows my name!"
"Oh, did you?"
Xander looked up, recognizing the voice.
"Uh...Angel. Hi."
Chapter 2: The New Girl and Buffy's Boobs
Willow Rosenberg was waiting at the principal's office. Most kids who sat where the shy redhead was sitting, were sure to receive some sort of punishment or at the very least, to get reprimanded. Willow, however, had been waiting here several times before, to be applauded and congratulated. Sometimes, Principal Flootie would ask her help with another student.
This was one of those times. The eccentric principal had approached her last week, asking if she would mind showing a new student around, make her feel welcome. He didn't say it outright, but Willow got the feeling that this particular newcomer was a special case.
Although Willow was very shy and nervous by nature, she liked helping out other kids, so she humbly accepted the offer and the ulcer she would undoubtedly get by worrying about the event. As the door to the principal's office opened, she shakily stood up and smiled her usual 'welcome to our school, I'll be your friend until you find some cooler ones and dump me'-smile.
She could've saved herself the effort, for the moment the new girl stepped out of the office, Willow's jaw fell open and erased all signs of the smile.
The brunette girl in front of her wore tight black faded jeans, a blood-red T and an open leather jacket. Her feet were clad in heavy black boots and stood defiantly apart. As Willow scanned the newcomer, she couldn't help but blush at the sight of the very woman-like curves. She quickly focused on the girl's face and blushed even more to see big deep brown eyes staring straight back at her. An amused glint in them and in the small grin tugging at her full cherry red lips. Willow was unnerved by the completely unafraid stance of the girl. Yet the brunette's eyes seemed to want to put her at ease.
Willow had no doubt in her mind that Principal Flootie was right. This girl was definitely a special case. The blushing redhead was grateful when the principal began to speak.
"Faith, this is Willow Rosenberg. She'll be showing you around." He smiled.
Willow smiled nervously and was about to give a small wave when the brunette held out a hand, looking Willow straight in the eyes. Hesitating a little, Willow accepted the outstretched hand. She half expected Faith to pull away the last second and laugh at her. What was this beautiful and generally cool-looking girl doing, shaking her hand? Did she not notice Willow's obviously not-so-popular appearance? The shake was brief but firm.
"I'm sure you two will get along very well." Principal Flootie said enthusiastically. He wished them the best and excused himself.
Faith cocked an eyebrow at his first statement. Though she instantly liked the timid redhead, she didn't figure they would be voted 'most-likely-to-be-best-friends' on first sight. But her first impression of the nervous girl was nevertheless a positive one. She liked the way she had a slight stutter and an always present little blush on her slightly freckled cheeks. She found it amusing how Willow had difficulty looking Faith in the eye and constantly played with her notebook. Obviously nervous and insecure.
"Um, Faith?"
The distracted brunette looked at her guide to be.
"Sorry, what was that?" She asked.
Willow blushed yet again upon hearing Faith's voice. She wasn't at all surprised that it had a deep, seductive smoky quality about it.
"Um. I was just wondering where you'd like to start. We could go left and head to the cafeteria where people get food and eat lunch and...talk. Or we could go right towards the gym where we usually have PE or-..."
"Woah, chill out there, Red. It's all good for me. We got all the time in the world, right?" Faith chuckled.
Willow's eyes widened. Did she hear correctly or had she misunderstood? If her ears weren't deceiving her, Faith, who could easily skyrocket her way into the Sunnydale High's top five, had just implied that she was in no hurry to leave Willow's company. ... And did she just give her a nickname?
"Um. I guess. Uh... Well... Oh my god, Xander!"
Faith grimaced at the high-pitched exclamation and turned around to see what had apparently caused it. A goofy-looking boy stumbled towards them, one hand covering his left eye, the other clutching a bag and skateboard.
Willow rushed to his side and gently pulled away the hand covering his eye, revealing an ugly purple bruise.
"What happened?" She gasped.
"I touched Buffy's boobs." Xander smiled, but quickly thought better of it as he felt the twinge of pain in his eye.
"You what? And she hit you? Oh my god! Why? You touched her-... Xander! How? Are you insane?" Willow squealed.
"Well no, it was Angel. He-.."
"You touched Angel's boobs? He has them?"
"I-... What? Wills, you need help. No. Angel does not have boobs. At least I hope not. But then again, maybe Buffy would dump him if he did. That would b-..." Xander trailed off as he finally noticed the smirking brunette behind Willow.
"Oh. My. God..." He breathed.
Willow took a second before realizing that he was focused on Faith.
"Oh! Xander, this is Faith. She's new, I'm showing her around. Faith, Xander." She blushed, embarrassed that she forgot her manners.
Xander immediately huffed up his chest and straightened his shoulders, though somehow still unable to keep his mouth closed. Faith nodded politely.
"Hey, man. So Angel socked you one cuz you touched Buffy's boobs?" She asked.
Xander looked surprised.
"Who told you? You know them?"
The amused brunette shook her head, grinning.
"I just have wicked cool powers of deduction." She shrugged.
Xander blinked a few times before understanding and nodding excitedly.
"Yeah. Definitely. Wicked cool. And...Yeah. Wow. I mean... Yeah." He stammered.
Faith smiled at him. After a moment of silence, Faith shoved her hands in her pocket and started walking.
"So what kind of a weird-ass name is Buffy anyways?" She off-handedly asked.
Willow and Xander looked at each other baffled. Looked at Faith walking off. And then quickly ran after her. A special case indeed.
Chapter 3: Twilight Zone
God, can you believe that loser? They should ban his kind. Or at least give him a restraining order or something." Cordelia huffed.
Buffy sighed.
"Yes, Cordelia. You're absolutely right, Cordelia. But the whole 'Loser freaks with skateboards should burn in hell or just never leave their loser basement'-thing? Sooo last period. So can we please drop it?" She asked pleadingly.
The irate brunette cheerleader seemed to think about it but finally gave in.
"Fine. What is it with you and the whole... being nice thing anyway? Aren't you over that phase yet?" Cordelia teased.
Buffy giggled and shook her head in mock desperation.
"The doctors say it's permanent..." She sighed.
"What's permanent?"
The two girls looked around to find a handsome young man looking worried. He was tall, broad-shouldered and therefore not surprisingly, the school quarterback. He had short brown hair, and dark eyes. The boy was quite handsome and many a girl would swoon as he passed by.
Buffy leaned up to give him a peck on the cheek but was surprised to find him stepping back and holding his hands up protectively.
"Whoa there, baby. What's permanent? You're sick? What's going on?"
Buffy rolled her eyes at her boyfriend and shot Cordelia a look. The brunette cheerleader got the hint.
"Angel, the only disease Buffy currently has, is an annoyingly insensitive boyfriend whose intelligence and sense of humor are as of now under critical re-evaluation."
A blank look hit the quarterback.
"Huh?"
Buffy and Cordelia sighed.
"God, Angel. There is nothing wrong with me. I was just joking around with Cordy. But thanks for letting me know you'd be there for me if I was sick." She snapped.
The boy quickly recovered from his apparent mistake and a well-practiced look of regret came over his features. He stepped closer to his girlfriend and gently wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Buffy..." He quietly said, with a pleading note. "I was just kidding, baby. You know that. I love you."
He leaned in for a kiss but was abruptly pushed away by the annoyed blonde.
"What I know... 'baby', is that I have a class to get to. I'm pretty sure you have one too so...run along now." She waved her hand dismissively. "You can continue groveling at my feet during lunch."
Angel batted his eyelashes and gave her his best puppy eyed look. Cordelia, having a soft spot for good looking boys, whimpered a little. Buffy tried to hold her uninterested gaze but couldn't help but smile.
"Fine!" She smiled and gave Angel a quick kiss on his cheek.
He contentedly beamed at her and then jogged off to catch his own class. Cordelia couldn't help but watch him leave and sighed.
"Damn that boy is fine." She uttered.
Buffy swatted her arm playfully.
"Maybe you and Steve would make an excellent couple."
Just as Cordelia was about to express just how offended she was by the comment, her attention was drawn to a certain clumsy skateboarder.
"He is such a stalker!" She mumbled. Buffy cocked an eyebrow.
"Steve?"
"No." Cordelia nodded haughtily behind Buffy.
Buffy turned around to catch Xander quickly look away and blush. Beside him were two other girls. She recognized one of them as Willow Rosenberg, the president of the Chess Club. By the way Xander and Willow were blushing and intently staring at their feet, she knew that the trio were talking about her. Buffy was surprised however as she settled her eyes on the other girl.
The girl was exceptionally good looking. But it was the fact that the unknown brunette was staring right back at her that surprised Buffy the most. The girl unabashedly looked Buffy up and down, an amused grin on her naturally seductive face. After the initial shock, Buffy grew annoyed. What a nerve! she thought. Hello! I just caught you talking about me! Look away and be embarrassed!
But the girl didn't. Instead, she said something to her two companions. Buffy grew even more annoyed as Willow covered her mouth and apparently chocked on her laughter and Xander coughed to hide his. The annoying brunette simply chuckled, her eyes still on Buffy, and then walked away. Not even sparing her a last glance. Willow and Xander quickly skittered after her.
"Alright. What the hell just happened there?" Cordelia exclaimed.
Buffy couldn't answer the question, she had too much difficulty holding in her anger. She felt like screaming and perhaps throwing random objects at the cocky brunette. Did the world just totally go Twilight Zone on her? Did she miss something? No offense to Willow and Xander, but since when do good looking people hang out with them? Confident good looking people even. Confident to the point of arrogant. Arrogant to the point of annoying. Very very annoying. Since when do people not like Buffy? Alright, she wasn't that full of herself. But since when did people openly not like Buffy? Since when do people openly mock her, knowing full well that she knew that they were talking about her? She turned to Cordelia, ready to verbally bash the annoyingly arrogant defiant good looking brunette girl.
"Did you see that?" Cordelia asked disbelievingly.
Buffy nodded angrily.
"Did you see the look on his face?" Cordelia continued. "When will he get that I am just totally out of his league!"
Chapter 4: Love at First Sight
" That was the almighty Buffy Summers? Those two rule the school?" Faith shook her head in disbelief as she strolled through the school halls.
Willow distractedly nodded, then realized Faith wasn't looking and let out a barely audible 'Uh-huh'. Xander was just as shell-shocked as he walked beside the new brunette. Things were definitely different today. This wild and painfully hot new girl was hanging out with him and Willow. This wild and so extremely beautiful sexy new girl was even defending his honor. In a weird sorta way. The way he saw it, Faith liked Willow. Willow liked him. Faith liked him. Angel punched him. Faith didn't like Angel. Angel liked Buffy. Faith didn't like Buffy. ... So... Where did Cordelia stand on things?
He smiled when he thought about the brunette cheerleader. And then he frowned. Why would he be smiling? Cordelia Chase was a bitch. As he walked beside his new and so unforgettably hot hero, he noticed the strangest thing.
Where was the shoving out of the way? Where were the whispered 'losers'? He looked around and was surprised to see people look at them. Really look at them. Alright, so most of them were looking at Faith. But then they would look at him and Willow. And then they would look at eachother, then they'd look at Faith again. And then they'd start talking. But they weren't pointing and laughing. The guys were gaping, Xander swore he saw one drooling and they were reverently moving out of their way. Out of Xander's way! Girls were eyeing Faith, noticing her confident laid-back walk, her clothes, her make-up, her look... They were all making mental notes on how they could somehow be a little bit more like her. They where whispering in hushed tones, eyeing Xander, wondering if there was something between Faith and him. Xander watched them. And Xander smiled.
And then Xander bumped against Faith. She had suddenly stopped and gave Xander and Willow a strange look.
"Spaz out much? What's up?" She asked.
"What do you mean?" Willow replied.
The feisty brunette cocked an eyebrow.
"I musta asked you ten times already where the fuck we're walking and all you do is smile and look around like you took one too many of them 'pills with the cute pictures on them'." She smirked.
"Pills?" Xander asked, confused.
Faith rolled her eyes.
"Right. I forgot. I'm in Sunnydale California." She muttered. "Look, nevermind, just tell me where I'm supposed to be. I already pissed off the bald dude at first period, wouldn't wanna miss out on the second." She winked.
"Um..." Willow looked at Faith's schedule and then looked around the hall. "You've got Math now. That's the first room to your right."
Faith stuck the piece of paper in her back pocket and smiled.
"Thanks, Red. Later, X-man!" She lifted her hand as a way of goodbye and casually strolled towards the mentioned class room.
Willow and Xander stood watching her with goofy smiles. There was definitely something special about the girl. Part of it, probably lay in the fact that she made them feel special.
"I'm X-man." Xander said.
Willow smiled happily and pulled him towards their own class.
As Faith walked into the classroom, she felt all eyes on her. She ignored them mostly and practically threw herself on seat in the back corner. She lazily slouched down, took out her schedule and started doodling on the back.
A few seconds later, the bell rang and the teacher began his lesson. Faith sighed upon hearing his monotone voice and was about to drift off to sleep when the door opened.
“Miss Summers. How nice of you to join us.” Mr Parson commented.
Faith looked up to see the infamous blonde smiling in a Britney Spears ‘Oops I did it again’ sorta way. The brunette couldn’t help but snort. Buffy, upon hearing the unexpected noise, turned her head. Her eyes widened as she recognized the slouched girl and she cursed her own bad luck. She looked around for an empty seat and cursed her luck again as the only free seat was the one in front of Faith.
Anything would have been better. The seat left to Faith, the seat right to Faith… Anything would have been better! But noooo, those seats had to be taken by drooling boys. The seat in front of someone you hate is just unbearable. It leaves you open for any kind of attack, without your knowledge. Not that the annoying new brunette would hold back, even if Buffy was looking.
Buffy begrudgingly took the cursed seat and placed her fluffy pink notebook in front of her. And there it was again! That mocking snort. Buffy gritted her teeth and turned around menacingly.
Faith cocked an eyebrow at her and grinned. Somewhere deep in Buffy’s mind, she couldn’t help but find the action attractive, and kind of exhilarating to be at the receiving end. But mostly, she was annoyed by the sheer arrogance and mocking nature of it.
“Is there something wrong?” She whispered acidly.
Faith smiled innocently and raised her arms in a defensive manner.
“Nope. Everything’s just…” She hesitated, looking the blonde up and down again. “… peachy.” She winked.
The blonde turned red and looked as if she was about to explode. Instead, she briskly turned her back towards the offending girl and icily stared in front of her. What a bitch! She thought.
Faith smirked to herself. She was quite proud of how well she could piss people off. This Buffy girl seemed to be an exceptionally easy target. The rebellious brunette was definitely having fun.
“Psst.”
Faith looked to her right to see the boy next to her smiling.
“Hi.” He grinned.
Faith held in the violent will to scoff. The boy seemed to be thinking that his grin was incredibly charming instead of incredibly ridiculous. The amused brunette settled for a simple eyebrow raise.
“Um… My name’s Jake.” The boy whispered. He looked at her questioningly.
“Faith.” She replied.
“That’s a pretty name…” He whispered.
Faith and the boy were surprised to hear a tiny little snort coming from a certain blonde. Faith smiled. This could get interesting, she thought. Leaning in, she tapped the girl in front of her on the shoulder.
Buffy turned around haughtily. Looking down on Faith, she quirked an eyebrow. The brunette’s smile widened, which surprised Buffy a little.
“Nice.” Faith stated, impressed and leaned back in her chair.
The surprised blonde focused on keeping the haughty uninterested look on her face as she turned back to the front. The moment she was facing the front though, she couldn’t help but smile at the brunette’s words. Or word. She quickly erased the smile with an annoyed frown though. What a bitch! She thought again.
Chapter 5: Was it Something I Said?
Buffy let out a relieved breath as the bell rang. She quickly gathered her things and rushed out of the classroom. As she stepped out in the hallway, she felt an arm wrap itself around her shoulder.
"Hey, baby." Angel said, giving her a peck on the cheek.
Buffy smiled at her boyfriend but tensed up as she heard a familiar cough behind her. She turned around, gritting her teeth. Faith stood at the doorway, arms crossed. She eyed Angel up and down, an amused smile hinting at her lips. Suddenly, Buffy felt uncomfortable with Angel's arm around her. She squirmed a little but kept the icy glare in her expression.
"What now?" She asked.
"You're kinda blocking the way here, twinkie. Move it or lose it." Faith shrugged.
Buffy felt her cheeks warming up. She didn't know why she was embarassed, but she was. She wasn't about to show it though. She looked up at Angel to see what he thought of the brazen brunette. She frowned as she caught him looking the girl appreciatively up and down. Buffy turned her now furious glare at Faith and got even more mad when she saw a satisfied smirk firmly on her features.
"Whatever." Buffy said through gritted teeth and strode away, fuming. She turned around to unleash her wrath onto her boyfriend but was shocked to see him still standing where she left him, talking with Faith.
For some reason, she was pleased to see Faith act completely uninterested. The girl kept shifting her weight from one foot to the other, her arms crossed, impatiently checking her watch. Finally though, the girl dropped her arms, said something to the tall quarterback and patted his shoulder. She then walked away, shaking her head. Angel for his part looked completely baffled. Buffy quickly averted her gaze from the approaching girl and pretended as if she was looking for something in her purse.
Faith just walked past her, strangely enough disappointing the blonde. Buffy sighed and was about to start walking again when she saw Faith back-tracking towards her. The brunette shot her a dazzling smile, completely confusing the petite cheerleader. She definitely did not understand this girl.
"Er... So B, where exactly does a girl stuff her face 'round here?" Faith winked.
Buffy rolled her eyes pointedly and sighed. She quirked her head to tell Faith that she should follow her. The little blonde tried her best to seem distant, calm and very much annoyed. That would get the brazen brunette to step off her own-made pedestal. But, as Buffy's plans usually end up, it was a complete bust.
"Buffy! Hi." Harmony and Lana stopped in front of them.
"Hey, Faith.." Lana quietly said, her cheeks rosy and her eyes unable to meet Faith's.
Buffy's eyes however, bulged.
"Hey, Burnett, what's up?" Faith grinned.
The now extremely annoyed co-captain nearly wanted to gag. What is wrong this new girl? Is she just not capable of using people's real names?
"Um." Lana giggled shyly. "We were just heading towards the cafeteria. Wanna come with?"
Harmony nodded excitedly.
"Totally. You could like sit with us and stuff!"
Before Faith could answer though, their attention was turned to Buffy coughing.
"Oh. Buffy. Sorry. You were already taking her, weren't you?" Harmony apologized and giggled at her own ditzyness.
Faith scoffed.
"Well, she wasn't taking me as of yet. But I'm workin on it." The wild brunette winked suggestively.
Harmony and Lana didn't quite get the joke. If it even was a joke. But they giggled at it anyway. Buffy for her part paled visibly, but just as quickly blushed a deep red. Faith's attention was aimed solely at the blushing blonde. Buffy looked up to find Faith smiling at her.
"Very funny. And sick." Buffy composed herself. "Let's just go." She impatiently said.
Buffy walked in front while Faith walked behind her, flanked by a giggling blonde on each side. The leading blonde's thoughts were scattered and she was very confused at the moment. Having this new girl around had very strange effects on her.
As they entered the cafeteria, Buffy spotted Cordelia already at their usual table. She sighed. She figured she should probably ask Faith to sit with them. She turned around but was surprised to find only Harmony and Lana.
"Where's Faith?" Buffy asked.
Lana sighed sadly.
"She just thanked us and then walked away." Lana vaguely waved her hand to point out the general direction Faith left.
It took Buffy just a little too long to shrug indifferently to make it completely indifferent. Luckily for her, Harmony and Lana weren't that perceptive. The trio walked over to their table and Buffy was infinitely thankful that Faith was not here. Just half an hour free of Faith would be the best half hour of her life, she told herself. Buffy sat down next to her best friend.
"God, Cordy, you will not believe this new bitch of a girl!" She breathed.
"Buffy! You used the b-word!" Cordelia raised an eyebrow. She wasn't used to have her best friend speak so negatively about someone else.
"Yeah, I know. So not me. But this girl is just...Argh." Buffy popped another lollipop in her mouth and closed her eyes in an attempt to calm down.
"That is so weird though." Cordelia commented. "Because there's this other new girl, she's like my locker neighbor. And she's totally got some potential. Her name's...Hope or-"
"Faith." Another girl provided.
"Faith!" Cordelia exclaimed. "That's it. You should see her, you'd totally like her. She's really cool."
"Oh, we already met her, didn't we Buffy?" Harmony said.
"Buffy?" Cordelia looked to her left only to find that the seat was empty. She looked under the table. "Buffy?"
"...Buffy?"
Chapter 6: Cherry Lips
Several weeks had gone by since Buffy's life had been abruptly turned upside down. These days, as the little blonde entered the school, she would have a strange feeling of apprehension. Anxiety. Perhaps even excitement. She found it rather strange but shrugged it off, not willing to analyze the change in her previously predictable life.
To her frustration, she found that she nearly had all her classes with Faith Lehane. For some reason, she always ended up sitting somewhere near the feisty brunette and although she refused to admit it even to herself, she rather liked her time with the girl. Their time consisted mainly of verbal battles, annoyed glares and plenty of sneering, but she enjoyed it nevertheless. As she sat down behind a desk in the back of her Bio class, she wasn't surprised that her sworn enemy wasn't present.
A few moments later, the bell rang and the class settled down. Mrs Pratchet began scribbling on the board and Buffy sighed. Classes were boring when Faith wasn't around, she bedrudgingly admitted to herself and she absentmindedly browsed the contents of her purse. Fifteen dollars and thirty-six cents. A flyer for Harmony's party on Saturday. Her pink fluffy pen. A number two pencil. Her tiny cellphone. Three vanilla lollipops to get her through the day. And one single cherry lollipop. She raised an eyebrow at the last item.
She remembered buying the cherry treat. She was stocking up on sugary goodness the day before, buying loads of her own personal addiction: vanilla lollipops. For some reason she rather didn't think about, she was thinking about Faith. She thought of how infuriating the girl was. She thought of her annoying eyebrow quirks, her throaty chuckle, her dimpled smile. Her full red lips... And then cherries popped up in her head. Cherries... Sweet, seductive, red cherries... And then she grabbed a cherry lollipop. It was as simple as that. She figured it had nothing to do with Faith, nothing at all. She just had a craving for something cherry-like. Yet, she hadn't eaten the treat. After paying for her purchases, she had put the lone cherry lollipop in her purse and she was strangely aware of it since.
Sitting next to Angel at the movies, his arm around her shoulder, a diet coke in her hand, the purse besides her, she couldn't stop thinking about it. It was annoying. I know where my purse is, she thought to herself, why the hell do I keep thinking about it? Helping her sister with the dishes, Dawn complaining about her homework, Buffy was very aware that her purse sat upstairs on her bed. Mocking her. And it pissed her off.
Buffy sighed once again as Mrs Pratchet's voice droned on and on about an assignment.
A playful knock caused the second period Bio class to fall silent. The door swung open and a tired looking Faith stood behind it.
"Faith. Is there a particular reason why you're late?" Mrs Pratchet inquired.
The brunette smirked as she sat down in front of Buffy.
"Yeah, there is actually." She chuckled. "But I don't think it's a good one Mrs Patchit."
The fifty-five year old bioteacher shook her head in disapproval.
"Pratchet, miss Lehane. Mrs Pratchet."
"What I said." Faith shrugged. "But please, don't let me further interrupt your undoubtedly riveting class, Mrs Patchit." She deadpanned.
The class laughed and Mrs Pratchet frowned.
"Miss Lehane, if you didn't already have detention for the next couple of months..."
"You could always still give me a tardy note." Faith said in a comforting tone.
Mrs Pratchet sighed again and shook her head.
"I don't believe it would do anyone any good. Anyway, class, as I was saying: For the next assignment, I'm pairing you up." She waved a piece of paper in front of them.
The class groaned as one as she began teaming them up. Buffy watched Faith as she subtly put on her earphones. The blonde cheerleader was disappointed. No verbal sparring for now.
"Buffy Summers and... miss Faith Lehane."
The class fell silent once again. It was no secret that Buffy and Faith had a complicated sort of relationship. Many theories circulated through the school. Most believed that they flat-out didn't like eachother, but those privy to their exchanges couldn't help but think that maybe the little jabs and sneers weren't completely fueled by hate.
Buffy squirmed under the stares of her fellow students. She slowly slid down her chair and kicked the seat in front of her. The distracted brunette looked up to find Mrs Pratchet standing in front of her. Faith swiftly pulled out one of her earphones.
"Er...Yeah?" She asked.
"Kindly take your seat next to your lab partner, Faith." Mrs Pratchet smiled.
"Sure thing, teach." Faith straightened herself. "And who's the lucky kid?"
The smiles that creeped up on the whole class disturbed Faith and she raised her eyebrows. Realizing she was teamed up with a certain quirky blonde she frowned. Slowly, she turned around in her chair to find Buffy Summers frowning right back at her.
"I don't think lucky would be the word to describe me right now." The blonde mumbled.
As the class bustled about, everyone resuming their own tasks, Faith sat down next to Buffy.
"Well hey, I'm not exactly overjoyed by this either, twinkie."
"You got us in this screwed up mess." Buffy uttered accusingly.
"Whatever, B. Quit being such a drama queen. It's just a lab assignment."
"I'm being punished for your ridiculous 'look at me, i'm bad-ass' attitude! It's not fair." The blonde glared at her.
"Yeah? Well I like you too, Buffy." Faith snorted and put her earphones back in, turning up the volume. Buffy fumed and gritted her teeth as she copied the assignment of the board. She couldn't help but hear the strange rock guitar-ish sounds from the girl next to her. She glanced at Faith and found her with her eyes closed, softly shaking her head with the music. Buffy, who was curious by nature, fiddled a bit with her pen. Straightened her notebook. Looked around the class. And then tapped Faith on the shoulder.
The girl opened her eyes.
"What?" She asked.
"What kind of garbage are you listening to anyway?" Buffy snorted.
Faith took out her earphones.
"What?" She asked again.
"What kind of garbage are you listening to anyway?"
Faith chuckled and then smiled a dazzling dimpled smile.
"Garbage." She said. Buffy rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, well it definitely sounds like it. Bad-ass chick music, huh? Who is it? I'm sure they have an original name like 'The Badasses' or something." Buffy said distastefully.
She grew even more annoyed when Faith just chuckled again.
"Garbage." Faith repeated. "The name of the band? Garbage." She smirked.
Buffy felt her cheeks warm up as she blushed.
"Well... I guess they live up to their name, huh?" She quickly recovered.
Faith watched her thoughtfully for a moment. It unnerved the blonde but she refused to look away. Just when Buffy was about to ask Faith what she was looking at, the brunette beat her to it.
"Actually I think you might like 'em. The sound itself isn't that hardcore." Faith said, more to herself than Buffy. Buffy's eyes widened in surprise at the non-agressive comment. Was there a catch there?
"What? I'm not cool enough to like the hardcore stuff?" She asked suspiciously.
"It's not about being cool enough, B." Faith shrugged. "Here."
The brunette handed Buffy her mp3-player.
"Check it out, you never know if you'll like something. I highly recommend Garbage for you. Not so sure about Bikini Kill. I doubt you'll like NIN or Rage Against the Machine... But hey, you never know."
Buffy stared at the offered gadget. Faith smiled and placed it on the desk in front of Buffy.
"Just get it back to me tomorrow, alright?"
"Um... You hate me, right?" Buffy asked, confused.
"No, B. I like you. And you like me." Faith looked Buffy in the eye and then leaned back in her chair. "But if you just wanna stick with biting eachothers fuckin head off..." She shrugged and lay down on the desk.
"What's wrong with you?" Buffy asked disbelieving.
Faith chuckled in her arm.
"I dunno, I had a late night yesterday. Guess I'm too tired to play with you, B."
Chapter 7: High school Dramorama
"And then she hands me her mp3-player."
Cordelia grinned at her best friend. She was talking about Faith's latest 'weird thing'. Over the past few weeks, Cordelia Chase had seen a whole different side of her co-captain. Before Faith's arrival, Buffy breezed through life with absolutely no trouble at all. She had the perfect boyfriend, the good looks, the okay grades, the nice family... She had it all really. Yet, Cordelia found that Buffy didn't seem a hundred percent happy. Everything just seemed too... easy. Nothing could get under Buffy's skin. Her blonde friend seemed happy, but there was never any fire really. Cordelia knew that there was a fiery side to Buffy, but it hardly ever came out. It always stayed under the surface.
Faith changed all that. At first, Cordelia was surprised. She didn't immediately link Buffy's new behavior with the new girl. A stranger would think that Buffy was now less happy, more aggrevated. And in a way, Cordelia supposed Buffy was aggrevated. But it was a good thing. It was a healthy thing. Buffy was being more herself. It wasn't normal for a girl to skip through life day in day out. Buffy was a very kind and nice person, of that Cordelia had no doubt. But to be that way 24/7 just creeped her out.
Cordelia took a sip of her Evian, still grinning.
"And then what?" She asked.
Buffy stared blankly in front of her, apparently reliving the moment.
"And then... I mean... She hates me! I hate her! It was freaky, Cordy!" She stammered. "I think she might be sick."
"And you care?" The brunette asked slyly.
Buffy opened her mouth, about to answer, but then looked at her friend. She scrunched up her face in distaste.
"No!" She shook her head almost violently. "No! Ofcourse not. It's just..."
"There's something off about that girl."
Buffy and Cordelia looked at Angel. They had forgotten he was at their table.
"And I'm pretty sure she's gay." He continued, pushing away his empty tray.
Cordelia laughed at Buffy's almost terrified look. Lana, who was sitting across from Buffy, next to Cordelia, choked on her salad. Angel looked up, confused.
"What?" He asked. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed."
Cordelia grinned at Lana blushing wildly, Buffy still looking scared to death and the defensive Angel. Faith had definitely shaken things up, she thought. Speaking of which, she spotted Faith standing a few tables away.
"Oh? Just because she doesn't swoon every time you pass by, she's gay? She's bisexual. She told me. And she'd tell anyone else who has the balls to ask." She rolled her eyes. "Faith, over here!"
The girl in question turned around and smiled. She gestured for someone to follow her and Cordelia cringed to see Xander and Willow walking with Faith. The brunette cheerleader didn't really have a problem with the redhead, to her surprise. She wasn't as geeky as Cordelia initially thought she was. But that boy!
"Hey, 'sup Cordy?" Faith grinned and sat next to Cordelia. "Thanks for the holler. This fuckin cafeteria is always packed. And the food ain't even that good."
Willow and Xander also sat themselves at the table, still looking slightly uncomfortable, despite the recently frequent mixing of the two 'cliques'. Angel glared at the clumsy skateboarder and Xander looked away, flushed. Cordelia raised an eyebrow at the exchange.
"Hey Faith." She glared at Angel. "It was my pleasure." Cordelia frowned at her own actions. Why was she glaring at Angel?
Buffy squirmed in her seat as Angel protectively placed an arm around her, still glaring at Xander. She glanced up shyly at Faith and caught her winking at Lana. Buffy glared at Lana.
Willow, for her part, looked upon the scene in wonderment. Strange, strange things were going on in front of her very eyes. Angel was glaring at Xander. Cordelia was glaring at Angel. Buffy was glaring at Lana, who was blushing and smiling coyly at Faith. It was quite a sight to see. She was the only one without wiggy drama going on, she realized. She looked around the strange table once more and then shrugged. She didn't mind.
"So..." Lana said. "Have you made up your mind about Harmony's party yet, Faith?"
Buffy looked up, interested.
"Ahh... I dunno. You guys up for it?" Faith turned towards Willow and Xander. They both blushed a little. Faith always did that. Since the 'popular' group of Sunnydale High seemed to be quite fond of her, she was always invited to all sorts of things. She would always include Willow and Xander. When asked her opinion on something, she would frequently drag one of the two in the conversation, naturally catching them completely offguard.
"Well..." Willow started. "Um. I'm not really sure if the two of us are invited." She carefully stated.
"Don't be ridiculous, Willow." Cordelia said. "I'm sure Harmony would be glad to have you over. It's him I'm worried about." She nodded at Xander.
"Cordy!" Buffy chastised. Angel stared at his girlfriend in shock.
"Jeez, it was just a joke, Buffy..." Cordelia answered unconvincingly.
Xander uncomfortably shifted in his seat.
"What's wrong with you Buffy?" Angel demanded. "Why are you defending him?"
Faith quirked an eyebrow at Angel's behavior and curiously watched Buffy. Xander continued feeling extremely uncomfortable.
"Xander is a nice guy, Angel! What's wrong with you? Overprotective much?"
Angel looked at Cordelia for help. Cordelia looked at Xander, looked back at Angel and then sighed.
"Ugh. He may be annoying as hell and have absolutely no sense of style...But I guess he's not too bad." She admitted.
Xander nearly fell off his chair in shock. Faith chuckled.
"What? I can't believe you guys! This is messed up! Everyone's just fawning over Faith! Suddenly everything Faith does is cool. Everything she says, everyone she hangs out with! It's stupid!" He stood up angrily.
"Hey!" Lana cried out to everyone's surprise. Angel stared at all of them in disbelief. He turned to Buffy and held out his hand.
"Buffy?" He gestured for her to come with him.
Faith snorted in disgust and checked if Willow and Xander were done eating.
"Fuck that, jackass." She snorted. "You guys ready to dump this whiney-ass bitch?"
The two nodded mutely and stood up.
"I'll see you later, Cor. Lana, we'll definitely be at the party." She mockingly smirked one more time at Angel and then walked away.
Willow and Xander awkwardly said their goodbyes and left after her. Angel sighed in relief.
"I thought those losers would never leave. That Faith is such a fucking slut." He spat.
"She is not!" Lana almost screamed. She abruptly stood up and ran away.
Cordelia shrugged.
"If Faith's a loser, Angel, what does that make you? Look around you, honey." She clucked with her tongue and stood up. "Buffy, I'll see you in class. Sorry, but your boyfriend is just being a pain."
Angel scowled menacingly at the brunette cheerleader. The little blonde looked at him once more, and then also stood.
"No, I'm going with you, Cordy. I don't have a boyfriend."
