Chapter 6
“Speak.” She said entering her bedroom.
Spike remained silent for a moment, scanning her room. A cocky grin settled on his lips as he saw a stuffed pig on her bed.
“What?” she asked annoyed.
“Nothing.” He mumbled, shaking his head.
“So, what about tomorrow?” She sighed audibly.
“We have to figure out the details.”
“Such as?”
“What do we tell your buddies?” he offered.
“That a piano landed on my head and suddenly going out with you doesn’t seem as revolting as it should?” She quipped looking up at him with a boastful grin.
“You’re cracking me up, luv.” He grunted sarcastically.
Sighing heavily, she let herself fall on her bed.
“I don’t know what to tell them.” She mumbled as she stared up at the ceiling.
“Well, we have to come up with something convincing.”
She turned her head towards him and made a face.
“I don’t think this is such a good idea anymore.”
“Oh, come on, Betty! You can’t back out now. It’s just for a few of days. If I can stand it so can you. I mean, don’t you want to have the poof grovelling and drooling over you. Just imagine him on his knees begging for you to come back to him and you telling him to get a life in front of the whole school.” Desperation was clear in his voice.
Images matching the description the blonde had made flashed before her eyes and she felt the overwhelming rush of power and vengeance course through her veins. She exhaled sharply and sat up on the bed.
“Ok! I’ll do it.” She agreed, causing Spike to sigh in relief. “But first you are definitely going to have to memorise my name. It’s Buffy. Get it through that bleached head of yours. Bu-ffy. It’s not that hard.”
He nodded and sat down on the bed next to her.
“Now… about the guys. I’ll just tell them that… I changed my mind. I don’t know. I’ll just say that…” She looked up at the ceiling as she pondered. “I got it!” She piped up triumphantly. “I’ll say that I was being mugged and that you came in the nick of time and saved me. Brilliant!” She congratulated herself.
“And you think they’ll buy it?” He asked a bit suspicious of their plan.
“They’ll have to.” She shrugged. “Now, one thing’s important, we can’t just announce all of a sudden that we are… you know…” Her index finger danced between them , alternating between pointing at him and at herself.
“Snogging?” Spike offered.
“Yeah.” Buffy rolled her eyes. “It’ll have to take time. Be gradual. Otherwise no one’s gonna go for it. I mean, everyone at that school knows we hate each other’s guts.”
“But that way it’ll take forever.” Spike protested.
“I know Willow and Xander, they won’t go for it if it’s any other way.” She insisted.
“Fine.” Spike reluctantly agreed. “So what do we do tomorrow.”
“We take it slow. You’ll sit with us at lunch. Something like that. No touching, no nothing. Just friendly talking.”
“What do we talk about?”
“I don’t know. We’ll figure it out as we go along.”
****
Joyce Summers let out a deep sigh as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. They were out of her room, finally. Thank God! She was really starting to feel very uncomfortable with her daughter being in a room alone with a teenage boy.
“So, did you get the notes?” She tried to act nonchalant about it.
“What?”
“The notes you needed from Buffy?”
“Oh, those! Yes, Mrs. Summers.” Spike answered promptly.
An awkward silence filtered between the three and Buffy was the one to break it:
“Well, you gotta go do that… thing. Don’t you?”
“Hum… Yeah! I do. Gotta go. I’m actually late.” He said quickly heading for the door. “Thanks for the hot chocolate, Mr. Summers and good evening.”
Buffy closed the door behind him and turned to jog up the stairs when she heard her mom clear her throat in the international Mom-daughter code for ‘We need to talk’. Sighing audibly, the teen came down the steps and entered the kitchen after her mother.
“Buffy, what was your idea taking that boy up to your room. I mean, he’s a nice boy and all, but you know what I’ve told you about boys in your room. It’s strictly forbidden, I don’t-“
“Mom, calm down. We weren’t doing anything. I promise.” Buffy guaranteed. “We were just talking.”
“It doesn’t matter, you can’t have boy in your room. You never know what might happen and…”
“Believe me, nothing was or will ever happen between me and Spike. I guarantee you. I’m *definitely* not his type.” Buffy tried to explain to her mother.
“What do you mean not his type?” Joyce enquired.
“Just trust me on this one.” Buffy spoke as she recalled the strange affection the bleached teen had for Dru. She had never really understood it. It just seemed psychotic, he followed her everywhere, was constantly concerned with her well being, papering her and doing everything she asked of him. It seemed like an obsession. “I’m definitely *not* his type.”
“Oh!” Her mother brought her hand to her lips as a realisation struck her. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know he was…” Joyce pondered her words carefully.
“He is mom.” Buffy admitted, as she thought her mom was referring to his being totally head over heel over another girl.
“Oh, in that case it’s ok.” Joyce agreed as she returned to her dishwashing.
“What’s ok?”
“Him being in your room. If he’s gay he’s like a… girlfriend.”
Buffy’s eyes widened.
“What? Mom, he’s not-“
She was cut short as the phone rang. Quickly she went to pick it up, making a mental note to talk to her mom and make sure she got things straightened out.
****
Willow mindlessly shovelled her food around in her plate, her eyes scanning the cafeteria. Suddenly, they widened as she saw a certain bleached teen heading their way and eventually sitting next to Buffy, dropping his tray next to hers.
“Hey!” he greeted.
Everyone at the cafeteria froze, including Xander; his fork dangling from his lips.
“Hey!” Oz calmly replied.
Buffy braced herself as she noticed the questioning looks Willow and Xander were shooting at her.
“Hello, Spike.” She piped up in a low voice; her eyes never diverting from her plate. It wasn’t a very pretty sight, but at least it kept her safe from the hundreds of eyes that fell upon her.
“So…” The Brit tried to start up a conversation, but it seemed impossible considering the near catatonic state Willow and Xander were in.
“So…” Oz repeated. Outstretching his hand he introduced himself. “I’m Oz.”
“Spike.” Spike replied shaking his hand.
“I know.” Oz stated.
The silence at the table seemed heightened by the low whispering that now plagued the cafeteria.
“Why are you here?” Willow finally managed to snap out of her daze.
“Just felt like sitting with the damsel in distress here.” Spike answered shovelling the food into his mouth.
“Damsel in distress?”
“Yep. Betty-“ Spike winced as Buffy kicked him under the table. “Hum… Buffy, here was being mugged on her way home and…” Spike glanced towards Xander only to realise that a fork was still dangling from his mouth. “Ok! That” he pointed at the boy. “Is really starting to freak me out. Is it normal?”
Immediately, Xander pulled the fork out of his mouth and set in on the table.
“Anyway, I happened to be passing by and was her knight in shining armour.”