FicWad

Willow sat at the dinner table. She was beyond bored. The phrase 'episode one bored' kept floating through her mind. But she wasn't sure why. She rarely watched television. Except when she was at Xander's. And that was usually just to watch 'A Charlie Brown Christmas and watch him do the Snoopy dance. Being Jewish, she wasn't allowed to watch at home.
That brought a little smile to her face. But the renewed argument between Ira and Sheila Rosenberg, her loving parents, quickly made that smile fade. She couldn't help but wonder how many times that two people could have the same argument over and over again. And it all revolved around her life. Wasn't she supposed to be the one that chose where she went to college?
Finally having enough, she quietly spoke up. "Can I be excused? I have lots of homework to do."
Sheila looked at her daughter with a smile. "Of course you can, sweetie. It's nice to know that your grades are still important to you."
"Yeah." She quickly bolted for her bedroom. Even as she shut the door, she could hear the argument continue. She sighed heavily as she walked over and turned on her computer. She really didn't have any homework. She'd finished it all after school. She had waited around hoping to see Tara.
Tara! Now there was a pleasant thought. The girl was usually the only thing on her mind these days. Is was something else. Even when she had had a crush on Xander, she hadn't been quite this transfixed on him. It seemed that nothing could take the blonde's place in her mind. Not even school, which said a lot. School was one of the most important things to her.
Not really paying attention to what she was doing, Willow began surfing the net. Since her mind was on her anyways, she type Tara's name into the google search engine. She knew that a high schooler was unlikely to have anything on her, but she still typed it in.
What came up in the results surprised her. There were a few articles about the new arrival. And the girl that had stolen her heart. There were also some articles on a Henry Maclay. She assumed that those were her father seeing that they were both from the local newspaper in Hershey, Pennsylvania. She clicked on the one about her father first.
It was about an award of some type. Apparently he was a writer on the local newspaper and had won a local award. It also mentioned the fact that his wife couldn't be there do to illness. And this was only four months ago.
Maybe that was why her Tara wasn't allowed to go anywhere. They really hadn't talked. She didn't know if she had any siblings. Maybe she helped take care of her mom. That would explain why she was never allowed to go out at night.
The other articles on Tara's father were very similar. Local newspaper man wins award. Many people attended to wish him well in his new endeavor. He was going to start working for the local newspaper in Sunnydale California. As chief editor, no less.
Willow than clicked on the articles about Tara. There were only three of them. The first talked about a freak bicycle accident and she had gotten hurt and had to stay in the hospital for a few days. She had broke both her arms. Willow's heart hurt at the thought of the blonde in any type of pain.
The second article was about another apparent accident. Tara had been trying to help retrieve their cat from a tree in the backyard. Apparently she had lost her footing on the ladder and fallen. Again, she had received a broken arm and sprained her ankle. Another pang shot through Willow's heart.
The third article was about Tara getting hurt as well. Her father hadn't known she was behind him when he pulled his car out of the driveway. She had received a broken leg and a sprained wrist out of this incident.
Now Willow's heart did more than just ache. Three separate times her girl, she wished she were her girl, had been hurt. And they all seemed like funny circumstances to her. But maybe it was just her big brain working overtime. Or maybe there was more to the stories than met the eye. The red head had a new mission. She was going to find out what was happening with Tara. If something were happening, she would get her the help she needed and make sure she was safe.
**
Tara stood at the kitchen sink. She was busy doing dishes as she did every single night. What was different about this night was that her wrist was sore. And it was sore because of her father, yet again.
She had managed to get up the courage to ask her father if she might go to the dance on Friday. She knew it was probably a mistake. But she had to ask. She so wanted to go with Willow. If they only went as friends she really wanted to go.
It had turned out to be a huge mistake. He had reacted the way that she had thought he would. He had started yelling and screaming. Who was going to be there to take care of her mother. Who was going to be there to make dinner. Who was going to do the cleaning. It had gotten so bad that he had grabbed her wrist. She managed to calm him down before he did any real damage.
But her wrist still hurt. It might be sprained again. And she could tell that it was going to bruise. She would have to find a way to cover it up. Which she was now very good at. This wasn't the first time her father had hurt her in some way. But she had always come up with a story of some sort.
And back in Hershey, that was a good thing. Her father had become fairly famous. He won several awards, including a couple of humanitarian ones. If the truth ever got out his career would be over.
And that meant that she was often hurt or in pain. She never told anyone. In fact, she covered up for him all the time. His temper was something else to see indeed. The blonde was surprised that other people had not seen it. But somehow he hid it well from strangers.
Tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. She sniffed hard to keep them from falling. The pain that was making tears threaten wasn't from her wrist, although that really did hurt. And it hurt quite a bit. What had her so near tears was the thought of Willow.
The red head was so sweet. All she wanted was to make sure that Tara was happy. She had offered her friendship without even knowing a thing about her. The girl was more than special. There were no words to describe her. And that's why the tears.
How long could she expect the girl to keep waiting for her? Most teenagers at least liked sometimes to go out with their friends. But that would never happen for Tara. She was to be home forever. And she had to be good. If she kept irritating her father she would someday really get hurt.
But now, she was hurting Willow. When all she wanted was to be with the other girl. One solitary tear fell down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away. She had to stop thinking about the girl. But how could she possibly do that? She was now inside of her heart.
**
"Not going out tonight, Sweetie?" Joyce Summers called from the kitchen. She was in the middle of clearing the dishes from their supper.
Buffy still sat at the table. Her mind was elsewhere. It took a minute, but she finally realized that her mom had said something. "What did you say Mom?"
Joyce made her way through the kitchen door. She could tell her daughter's thoughts not here in the present. And the older woman knew where those thoughts probably were at. "So, what's his name?" She smiled at the look her daughter shot her.
Buffy smiled and shrugged. "How could you tell?"
"I'm a mother. I'm supposed to know these things." Joyce laughed a little. "Besides, it wasn't that long ago when I was your age. I remember the way things were back in high school. Granted times have changed, but still."
"Well, yeah. There is this guy." Buffy smiled at the thought of Spike. "He even asked me to the dance on Friday. And I said yes, if that's all right. I know I'm still kinda on thin ice from what happened back in L.A."
"I've seen some real changes in you over the summer." Joyce came and sat next to her daughter. "And you told me you've already made some friends. Isn't Willow supposed to be really good in school? Maybe she could help you with your school work. But as far as the dance, I think you've earned it."
"Thanks, Mom." Buffy smiled. "Yeah, Willow is really smart. That's part of why I wanted to get to know her. I've only known her like two days. But she is really a sweet girl. She really tries to watch out for others. I'm glad we're friends."
"So, are you gonna tell me his name?" Joyce smiled an evil grin. "And I get to meet him, right?"
Buffy laughed. "You are so loving this." She sighed. "His name is Spike." Joyce raised her eyebrows. "Relax. He doesn't have any piercings that I can see. And I don't see any tattoos. Although he does wear that leather duster all the time. He's just a really nice guy. Or it seems like he is."
Joyce got back up and finished getting the remaining dishes. "Well, just be careful. And don't give me the look. I just want to see my little girl happy."
"Thanks." Buffy sat for a few minutes. Her thoughts went to Spike immediately. The dance was still a couple days off. She wondered if she would get to spend any time with him before that. Heck, she wondered if she would get to spend anytime with her new friends outside of school. So far, only one night at The Bronze. And that had been a magical night. The night she got to dance with Spike. She thought for a moment. That was going to change. Starting tomorrow, it was going to change.
**
Spike could hear the loud music coming from down the hall. His brother was trying to irritate their parents. All he was really succeeding in doing was irritating him. Which was also part of the plan.
Spike jumped up and grabbed his leather duster. He quickly made his way down the stairs. Trying not to be seen, he snuck past the dining room where his parents were having an impromptu dinner party. The banging of the music followed him down the stairs. Nobody in the dining room even seemed to notice.
The bleach blonde grabbed his motorcycle helmet as he walked past the table by the door. He slipped it on as he made his way to the driveway where his shiny new motorcycle was sitting. It was a present for keeping his grades respectable.
There was a long tread mark as he sped out of the driveway. He really didn't know where he was going. It didn't really matter to him. As long as he was away from his family. Especially from Angel.
The cool night air felt good on his face. It made him feel alive instead of so beat down. That's what the rich life felt like to him. Rules and regulations. Do this. Don't do that. All he wanted was to be able to be his own person.
And than, his thoughts drifted to a certain blonde. Buffy Summers. He rarely even tried to date. Most of the girls he knew were well aware of the fact that he had money. Or, more accurately, that his parents had money. It was sad, but a majority of those girls were only after his money. They didn't even care about who he really is.
But Buffy Summers seemed different. She had at first laughed at the incident with Xander and his brother. But she than had defended him. And that took a lot of guts, especially for somebody new to the school.
He realized he really didn't know that much about her. But given a little time, they could maybe make a big time connection. At least, he hoped they could. If his brother didn't ruin it for them. And that's what his brother was good at. Making people miserable. He really hated his brother for that. As anger flared up, he sped up liking the rush of the wind on his face.
**
Angel sat in his room. The loud music was doing nothing at all for him. Since his parents hadn't come up, he assumed that it wasn't irritating them either. And that was the whole point.
He got up and turned it off. There was homework he could be doing. But why? It really didn't matter. His futures was set. His father would buy his way into any college he chose to go to. So why bother caring?
There was only one thing that he did care about. And that was Cordelia. Usually he wouldn't lower himself to date a freshman. But there was something different about her. She had one of the greatest sense of humors he had ever been around. And she was the most beautiful girl in school. It was only fitting that the two of them were dating.
The image of Buffy jumped into his mind. He couldn't understand why. She was hot, that much he'd give her. But she gave off this interesting vibe. One he couldn't quite figure out. She was definitely very different from everyone else.
And he really didn't like different. He was more comfortable with things being the same. After all, he had to put up with a brother like Spike that was just plain weird. So much a loner. And he took pity on the nerd herd. What was the guys deal, anyway? He really wished he knew.
He was cursing himself. It was such a boring night. Tomorrow, they would definitely have to do The Bronze thing. No matter if Cordelia said she wasn't feeling well. Sitting around doing nothing was just way too boring.
**
Cordelia smiled at the guy at the bar. He was definitely a college student. And he was making eyes at her. But she was with Angel. Than why wasn't she here with him? Why had she supposedly told him she wasn't feeling well?
To get away from his jealous grip, that's why. She felt like she couldn't even breathe around him sometimes. And yet, she was supposed to be all right with him checking out a certain new blonde girl.
She had noticed the look he had given the other girl at lunch today. Cordelia new all those looks so well. Most of the time she was on the receiving end of those looks from some guy. Like the guy that was making his way from the bar. But she wasn't interested in him.
In fact, she found it hard to believe, but she was only interested in Angel. Even if he could be the biggest jerk at times. She knew that her heart belonged to him.
The guy smiled at her. Before he had a chance to say anything, she spoke. "Sorry. Already seeing somebody. Just here by myself. Move it along, pal." The guy looked at her for a moment with a look of astonishment on his face. He didn't even bother saying anything. He just walked away.
She shook her head. That guy had been really lame. Didn't even really try at all. It was a shame. She looked up stage and saw that Oz's band was playing yet again. Now there was a hot looking guy. But he was too different for her. Again, it seemed that there was only one guy for her. So why wasn't he here with her like he should be?
**
Anya sat alone in her room. Her mother had died several years ago. It was just she and her dad now. Since losing her mother at a young age, she had learned not to take life for granted.
That's why when she had found herself even the tiniest bit attracted to Xander, she had made her move. Twice over. She had asked him to dance with her at The Bronze. And she had asked him to the dance on Friday.
And he had happily accepted on both counts. She knew that the others in school found him to basically be a huge dork. She'd heard him and his friends referred to as the nerd herd. It was sad that people were picked on just because they were a little different.
She made a point not to do that. She knew that there were several people that would give her a hard time for being different. And that's why she really didn't have too many friends. But she was hopefully going to be friends with Xander.
The dance would be a chance to spend time with each other and maybe just maybe get to know each other a little bit. They didn't have any classes together. And she'd yet to ask if she could sit with him and his friends at lunch. This dance seemed to be a good way to actually get to know a little about him.
Until than, she could always do the fantasy thing. She couldn't spend time with her dad. He worked third shifts at one of the few factories in town. And that meant that she didn't see him very often. It meant that she was quite often alone. And that lead to her living in a fantasy world.
**
Yet another war movie was on. Xander had most of these army movies memorized by now. But he was just so bored. Homework was done. Willow was at home but her parents hated when he called this late. He didn't know Buffy's number yet. And Tara, who he really didn't know that well, said she didn't have a phone.
There was one other possibility. And no, not his cousin Faith. He really like her, but he knew that she would probably be out on the town. Her parents were cool, she just didn't seem to be able to sit still for too long of a time. The girl had way too much energy.
The one option was Anya. But again, there was a problem. The same one he faced with Buffy. He hadn't gotten her phone number. And that would have to change. He would have to be the bold one and ask for it. Or maybe he could just slip his to her and that way she would have to call him.
God! He was just so frinkin bored. The movie was about over. He heard a glass bottle break against the wall. He had been so into the movie and his own thoughts that he hadn't realized that his parents were at it again.
In his defense, he had long ago learned to ignore the telltale sings of one of their arguments. They were constantly arguing. But it was rare that the arguments lead to anything physical. Smashed glasses, picture frames, and other things lying around getting broke were common place.
He really wished that he and his friends had gone to The Bronze. It was more than just a cool place. It was an escape. There was another sound of something breaking. If only a temporary escape.
**
Faith was getting her groove on. She spent every single night at The Bronze. It wasn't that her parents weren't cool, they were nice enough. It was plain and simply the fact that she had trouble sitting still.
And the band was grooving away. She could see a certain guy that had blonde hair today. He was the lead guitarist. And he was oh so hot. If he saw her, he didn't let on. Oh, well. It wasn't like he was going to have any time to spend with her tonight.
Or Friday for that matter. His band was going to be playing at the dance as well. And that meant a lot of her by herself. Maybe she could hang with one of her cuz's friends. They all seemed to be all right. If Tara showed up, maybe she could try and get Willow and her to hookup. That would be cool.
She didn't like the thought of anyone being alone. Not even her big brother. Before she had left, he had told her that he himself had a sorta date for the dance. But in an adult chaperoning kind of way.
That was cool. She hoped the girl was good enough for him. Her brother really is a good guy. He understands her need for freedom. To not be cooped up all day long. If she had her choice she would be on the open road and never stop traveling. Even go around the world a time or two.
But she was here and only fourteen. Not a lot of possibilities when you are that young. But when she gets her driver's license she would so be on the open road.
She looked back up at Oz. Maybe he would like to come with her. He didn't seem to be the one for lock down either. But she really didn't know him. Hopefully that was going to change.
**
Oz could see Faith checking him out. He made like he hadn't seen her. But he couldn't help but miss the girl. She was dressed in all red leather. She definitely stood out in a crowd.
And he really liked that fact. He wanted someone that was comfortable with who she is. Not someone trying to play up to an image that she thought he wanted.
Being in a band sometimes did bring you groupies. But those girls usually would do anything to meet with someone who was relatively famous. Not that he himself was famous. Just well known because of all their gigs at The Bronze. And there were girls that tried to get with him to be in.
Faith was obviously not like that. Or at least, he didn't seem to be like that. And that was a good thing. He wanted to get with someone that was different. And not like him, either. He wanted someone who told it like it was. And would accept people at face value. And that so seemed to be Faith.