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Three faces continued to stare up at the blonde. For someone so cool to ask to sit at their table was unheard of. At least for Willow and Xander it was. Willow wasn't so sure how it was for Tara. They were still getting to know one another.
"Did I say something wrong?" Buffy looked at each of the group who a moment ago were full of laughter. And they had seemed so happy. Until she came along they had been happy.
"Aren't you hanging out with Cordelia?" It was Willow that finally managed to find her voice. Even though Xander was usually the one that was the most talkative. At least, until Willow was comfortable around the people she was with.
"Well, yeah, I was." Buffy looked confused. "I can't do both?" She looked at the redhead. There was something unique about the girl. Something that seemed so sweet and innocent. And yet, there was a strength there as well.
Willow shrugged. "Not legally, no." She tried to smile. But she was so confused by this, not intrusion, but more like a defection. Or was it that the blonde was seeking asylum from the wicked and evil Cordelia Chase. "You really want to sit with us?"
Buffy looked at the girl a few seconds before she answered. "Look, Cordelia was nice, sorta." She shrugged. "I just don't know if being popular is worth having to hang around her. She kinda seems a little..." She trailed off as she couldn't find the right words to describe her.
"You mean, the Queen of Mean?" Xander finally found his voice. Even shy Tara smiled at the nickname. "We've been calling her that for years." He turned towards Willow. "Ever since we were in preschool and she stole Will's coloring book."
"It really traumatized me." Willow couldn't help but smile at the memory. "But Xander came to my rescue. He took it back from her and pushed her. He had to spend the rest of the day in the corner." She looked up at Buffy. "This is really boring. But this is who we are." She got a quizzical look on her face. "Not to keep repeating myself, but why do you want to sit with us?"
"Listen, I was popular back in LA. It's not what it's cracked up to be." The three looked at her with a 'year, right' kinda of expression on their faces. "People aren't nice. Even those that you think are your friends, well, they somehow turn out not to be nice. You guys seem to be, well, who you are."
"That's right. Me Xander. Me good guy." Xander smiled a big smile at the blonde.
"And also annoying sometimes." Willow laughed a little. "I still love you, big guy." She turned towards the blonde. "I'm Willow. This is Tara. She's new here too."
"Hey." Tara only nodded in response. "I'm Buffy." She looked at the three of them. "I take it it's all right for me to associate with you now."
"Please sit." Willow smiled. "But you've been warned. The likes of Cordelia, Angel, Spike, and any of their sheep will have it in for you. Now that you've lowered yourself to be seen eating with us well known losers."
"You don't seem like losers." Buffy sat down and started taking out her lunch from a brown paper bag. "I mean, you seem really nice. The loser thought never crossed my mind."
"Not even when you were agreeing with Angel that I am a loser?" Xander smiled at Buffy.
"I, uh, well, about that..." Buffy's face turned a nice shade of red as she struggled for a way to explain her behavior earlier. "It's just..." She sighed.
"It's cool." Xander couldn't help but laugh a little. "You probably said it so that they wouldn't totally lump you in with the loser class yourself. And now look at you. You've lowered yourself to actually eat with us losers."
The whole group laughed at this little realization. Buffy had indeed said what she said to cover up the fact that she hated to see someone so tortured. Even when she had been with the popular crowd back in LA, she never tortured anyone that way. It was just cruel.
But at the table she had just left, there was a totally different conversation going on. And of course, the Queen of Mean was leading the discussion.
"I can't believe she did that." Cordelia was shooting daggers at Buffy with her eyes. But Buffy was too oblivious as she was trying hard to make some new friends. "Right in the middle of me talking. She has the nerve to leave. And for what? The nerd squad." Cordelia shook her head. "She has so not got a clue about how to survive here in Sunnydale."
Angel walked up and sat down next to Cordelia. "Who has no clue on how to survive?" He shoved half a sandwich in his mouth all at once.
"Eww!" Cordelia rolled her eyes. "And that would be one Buffy Summers. Have you met her?"
"Yeah, she was defending that Harris guy earlier." His gaze took in the now four losers sitting at the lunch table. "And you know that anyone that defends a loser like him has got to be a loser themselves." For some reason, he couldn't take his eyes off the petite blonde. It was as if she had him under a spell. Which couldn't happen since those things just weren't real.
"Hey!" Cordelia smacked his arm. "Pay attention much?" She had been going on about the upcoming dance. Even though school had just started, they were holding the first dance. "I asked if you had our tickets to the 'school's back in session' dance."
Finally, he managed to tear his gaze away from Buffy. "What? Oh, tickets. Yeah, about that..."
Spike came up from behind him. "Sorry, Cordy. But his royal highness doesn't have any money at the moment. Mommy and daddy got mad at their spoiled rich boy and took away his allowance. If the two of you are going to the dance, you'll have to be the one to spring for it. Simple as that."
Cordelia was now shooting daggers at Angel. "I can't believe that you pissed off your parents. I'm going to have to pay for them? What evil world has this turned into. First, a supposedly smart and popular girl disses me for a group of nerds, and now I'm going to have to spend my own money for tickets. Guys are supposed to be the ones that buys things like that."
Spike looked around the cafeteria. "Wow. She really did diss you to hang out with the nerd herd. She's got some guts, that one. You gotta admire that."
Cordelia looked up at Spike. "Admire what? That she has no brain cells? That she would rather be with nerds over those that have class? Puleez!" She quickly stood up. "Maybe you need to rethink things, Spikey."
"I don't have to." He smiled. "See, I'm Angel's baby brother. It showers me with the cool factor. And if not, I don't give a rat's ass what you think of me. I'm not one of your little followers. I have a mind of my own."
"Mind?" Cordelia shook her head. "I think we all know what part of the body you are thinking with." She smiled big. "She is a pretty blonde. But just remember this, don't come crawling to me when the loser turns you down. She will. Losers like her only tend to date other losers."
Spike sighed heavily. "Cordelia, for someone who is so smart and so popular, you are so stupid sometimes."
Cordelia watched Spike storm away. "I wonder what exactly his deal was. Maybe he does have a crush on the little blonde."
"She is good looking." Cordelia shot Angel a look. "Hey, I'm with you babe. But I can't help but say that she is one good looking babe." He stood up and pulled her closer. "Not as hot as you are, but she is good looking." They hesitated for a moment before they kissed. It was a pretty intense kiss.
Until a weaselly voice startled them. "No public displays of affection on my watch." They broke apart. It was Principal Snyder. "You kids make me sick."
They watched him go. Laughing from the table of the nerds caught both their attentions. "I wonder what's so amusing to those losers?" Cordelia stared for a moment before she returned to kissing Angel.
The four friends couldn't help but laugh as Principal Snyder broke up the make out session. "Just in time. I almost lost my lunch, here and now."
"Xander, that's gross." There was more laughing from the group. "So, I know it's a school night and all, but are we going to do the bronzing thing?" Willow asked hopefully. She really didn't want to go back to her house anytime soon. She assumed that Xander didn't want to either.
"You know, anything to avoid the ole homestead." Buffy looked at him. "Parental issues. Not of the good."
She smiled. "I don't have that big of issues. Only me and mom. Dad stayed back in LA."
"Sorry." Tara's spoke for the first time since Buffy had joined the group. When Buffy looked at her, her gaze quickly met with the table and what was left of her lunch.
"It's no big." The petite blonde shrugged. "Things like that happen all the time."
"Still, must be harsh." Willow smiled. She knew that Buffy didn't feel like talking about it. "So, we all up for a night of the bronzing than?"
"Bronzing?" Both Tara and Buffy said at the same time. Both looked at each other for a moment.
"The Bronze." Xander smiled big. "It's like a night club. They let anyone in. For a fee. And they have great bands. Well, above average bands.." He shook his head. "They have live music."
"So, we could dance and party." Willow smiled. "Although, I hope I don't get too wild. Wild on me equals spaz."
"It can't be that bad." Buffy smiled at her new friend.
"Trust me, it is." Willow looked all sad.
"I hate to say it, but she's right." All eyes turn towards Xander. "Hey, I'm not what you'd call king of the dance floor either, but who cares. It's about us having fun. And, now that I've got two new honeys for me to hang with, maybe it'll look like I'm turning popular or something."
"That will never happen, Xander." Willow loved teasing him. "But you can dream it will. Dreams are what keep us going. My dream is that I'll someday meet somebody nice and I won't go all shy around them and actually be able to form words when I talk to them. Now there is a dream."
"You have trouble with dating?" Buffy asked.
"You'd have to have dating to have trouble." Willow smiled painfully. "No dating here. Never. And not looking too good."
"I think that's sad." Willow turned to look at Tara. "You'd be a perfect person to date." Her cheeks turned very red. "If I were to want to date.." She swallowed hard and began to get up. "I'm sorry. Not of the good." She ran off towards the library.
"What was all that about?" Xander stared after the blonde.
Willow thought she might know. After all, she herself had been having some funny feelings. That's why she had said person and not guy. Wasn't it. "I'm going to go after her. We'll all meet at The Bronze at eight, all right?"
The other two nodded. "What do you think is with those two?" Buffy asked as she watched the redhead chase after the blonde.
"I wish I knew." Xander shrugged.
It didn't take Willow long for her to catchup with the blonde. "Hey." Tara was sitting at one of the tables in the library. Her uncle was no where around. "Are you all right?"
Tara shrugged. "I don't know what I was saying."
"What if I told you I didn't mind?" Willow sat down next to the blonde. "If you were really saying what I think you were saying that is."
Tara looked at the blonde. Her face was full of question marks. "What do you mean? What do you think I was saying?"
"Let's just say that I wouldn't have been offended if you were talking about me and you dating." She looked into the blue eyes of the blonde. Those eyes were bluer than the sea. And so beautiful at the same time.
Those blue eyes widened. "You wouldn't be disgusted by the thought of two women..."
Willow smiled. "Maybe I've had some feelings lately. I'm not sure. All I know is that it doesn't offend me. And actually, if the woman that tried to ask me out was you, I'd me more flattered than anything else."
Tara smiled. Her blued eyes began sparkling. She wasn't ready to admit to the redhead that there was an interest there. But at least they could still stay friends if the ever did.
"So," Willow broke the silence between them. "You up for bronzing it tonight? The rest of us are going to meet there at eight. It'll be fun. I promise it will."
A sigh escaped Tara. "I don't think I'll be able to come. My dad doesn't like me out past eight. And I well, I'm kinda tired. We only moved here last week. I still have some unpacking to do."
Willow smiled. "That's too bad. We'll have to find a way to get you to The Bronze. It really is wicked fun." The bell rang signaling the end of lunch. "Well, we better get to our next class." She started towards the door. Tara kept sitting at the table. Willow turned. "We have so got to get you out of the house. I want to show you the town of Sunnydale."
Tara watched the redhead leave. If only, but it was an impossible dream. For her to have any real life. That was an impossible dream. One that she wished would happen for her.
The thought of going home made her want to cry. She would have to be the one to take care of the house. Her mother was too sick to even try anymore. Her father and brother would not help. It was up to her to take care of the house, cook, and care for her mother. What a life for a fourteen year old to have.
But at least she had something else. There was a little hope for happiness. If only at school, she could hang out with the nicest girl she had ver met. The two of them could hopefully become best friends.
But what about there being more to their relationship than friendship. Tara shook her head at the thought. Friendship was just a little thing. It brought her some happiness. And that was more than she had had since her mother had gotten sick two years ago. Even before that, she wasn't the happiest person.
But there was now this redhead in her life. One that she intended not to let go of. Trying for something more could lead to ruining their friendship. And she simply didn't want to take that chance. Not yet, anyways.