He watched her dance back and forth across his backyard. She and her friend were dancing goofily to music and laughing, having a good time. He kept his eyes on her every movement. She was his best friend, but he was in love with her. He loved her more than anything. She had no idea, never suspected a thing. They'd been friends since Buffy moved next door to him in the second grade, him being a manly third grader at the time. Now here they were, seventeen and eighteen, his nineteenth birthday in just eight days. Her growing up snuck up on him. Suddenly she was a woman, with the body to match. He'd been in love with her for over a year now and still couldn't find the courage to tell her.
The song ended on the boom box and Buffy and Willow stopped dancing. Buffy went over to where Spike was sitting on the deck and joined him at the small table.
"Done prancing around, luv?" he joked. She shoved him in the arm playfully.
"Yes, for your information" she told him. "I'm just trying to have some fun. This is the last day of our summer vacation. Well ours anyway. You had to go and graduate last year and leave me."
"I'm still here" he told her. "I'm right next door."
"I still can't believe you're not going to college" Buffy told him, taking his glass of lemonade and taking a drink from it.
"Got better things to do" he told her. She handed the glass back to him.
"And what's that?" she asked. Willow came and sat with them on the deck with a bowl of chex mix. She and Buffy took a handful from the bowl.
"Besides working, I got a lot of sitting around and doing nothing to do" he told her and she rolled her eyes at him. "I just got free of high school, do you really think I'm gonna jump right back into classes and homework?"
"Fine, but if I need help I'm coming to you. Since you're being a slacker this year" she told him, getting up and heading into his house. He got up, chasing her into the house and she ran from him. He chased her around the couch, into the kitchen and back into the living room, her screaming and laughing the whole way.
"Spike, stop!" she yelled with a giggle. He was chasing her around the couch again. She tried to make a break for it and he grabbed her around the waist, tackling her on to the couch. He pinned her wrists above her head with his hands as he straddled her. "Let me go"
"Make me" he smiled at her. She wiggled underneath him.
"Spike, let me go" she said, trying to sound serious. He didn't move. "Now!"
"Okay, if you say, 'Spike's the best friend ever, he's amazing" he smirked at her.
"Get over yourself" she rolled her eyes playfully at him. He started tickling her ribs and she let out a laugh. "No, stop!"
"Say it, goldilocks" he demanded.
"I don't even remember what you said" she yelled through laughs.
"I'm amazing" he said.
"I'm amazing" she repeated and he tickled her again. "Okay, okay!"
"Say it" he demanded again.
"Spike's the best friend ever, he's amazing" Buffy said and he got off of her, letting her go. She scurried up. "I hate you."
"No you don't" he smirked at her and lit a cigarette. She grabbed it from him, putting it out. "Bloody hell, what'd you do that for?"
"Your mom would kill you if she found out you smoked in the house" Buffy told him and this time it was him who rolled his eyes.
"Jesus" he grumbled and walked outside, lighting another cigarette. Buffy followed him, noticing Willow was still sitting there.
"Oh, Will, I'm sorry; we kina got carried away there" Buffy told her.
"It's okay. I should go anyway" Willow said as she gathered her stuff.
"Are you sure? We can still—" Buffy began.
"It's okay; I have to be home soon anyway so I better go. I'll see you tomorrow for the first day of school" Willow said.
"Don't remind me" Buffy sighed.
"At least we're seniors this year" Willow offered with a smile.
"True" Buffy said. "See you in the morning."
"Kay, bye" Willow said and left. Buffy turned back to Spike who was still smoking his cigarette.
"Are you ever gonna quit smoking?" she asked him.
"Not likely, luv, unless I have a reason to" he told her, puffing the cigarette once more before putting it out. "There, happy now?"
"Sure, except this is the last day of summer and it totally sucks" Buffy told him. He chuckled at her.
"You'll survive, goldilocks." Buffy sighed.
"I'm gonna go home and finalize my outfit for tomorrow" she said. He rolled his eyes at her.
"Like you don't always look perfect anyway" he said.
"Well, thank you, but I'm hoping a guy will see me in a non-best friend way this year" Buffy told him and turned to leave. He frowned. If only she knew just how many un-friend like feelings he had for her. "I'll see you tomorrow. If you're up when I gotta go to school maybe we could have a quick breakfast."
"Sure thing, luv" Spike said. "Sweet dreams."
"Night" Buffy said and left. Spike sighed and went down in the basement to his room and shut the door. If Buffy started dating some dumb bloke from school he would lose it. None of them were good enough for her. He didn't want to lose her to someone else, but he didn't think she had those kind of feelings for him and he didn't want to risk losing her as his friend if she didn't. He flopped down on his bed face first. He hated the situation he was in, but what could he do about it? He was pretty much stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Buffy walked into her house and her mother was sitting in the living room.
"Hey, mom" Buffy said, joining her on the couch.
"Hi, sweetheart. Are you excited about your first day of school tomorrow?" Joyce asked her daughter. Buffy sighed heavily.
"I guess" she said. "Where's Dawnie?"
"In her room deciding on an outfit to wear" Joyce told her.
"Ooh, that's what I should be doing right now" Buffy said and got up. Joyce smiled.
"You two are so much alike, it's funny" Joyce said. Buffy smiled and went upstairs to her room. She started flipping through the clothes in her closet trying to decide what she should wear the next day. She heard a knock on the door and turned around to see Dawn.
"Hey, Buffy" Dawn said as she entered the room. She had a shirt and a pair of pants in her hands.
"Hey, Dawnie, what's up?" Buffy asked.
"I need your help" Dawn told her, holding up the outfit. "Is this a good outfit to wear to the first day of sixth grade or is it too babyish?"
"It's good, Dawnie, not babyish at all" Buffy told her and she smiled.
"Thanks,, I'm glad I have a big sister to help me with these kinds of things" Dawn said and Buffy smiled back.
"I'm always here to help, Dawnie" Buffy told her and gave her a hug. "Now if you'll excuse me I have to pick my own outfit and it has to be perfect. First impressions are everything and I have to look the part if I'm gonna get noticed at all this year."
"Buffy, why are you so worried about getting a boyfriend?" Dawn asked.
"Because…I just want my senior year to be perfect" Buffy said, beginning to search through her closet again.
"And you have to have a boyfriend for it to be perfect?" Dawn asked. Buffy rolled her eyes.
"When did you become so perceptive?" Buffy asked.
"I just don't think you need to be with someone to be happy. You should just be happy being awesome all by yourself" Dawn said.
"Thank you" Buffy said. Dawn smiled and walked out, shutting the door behind her. Buffy sighed and continued looking for the perfect outfit.
It took Buffy a good two and a half hours to decide on what she was going to wear and how she was going to do her hair for the next day. After dinner she finalized everything and got ready for bed.
"Okay, girls, you should go to bed. Dawnie it's past your bedtime anyway" Joyce said.
"Okay, night, mommy, night Buffy" Dawn said and kissed her mother before running upstairs.
"Night, Dawnie" Joyce called after her youngest and turned to Buffy. "Get some rest, sweetheart."
"I am" Buffy said and kissed Joyce on the cheek. "Night."
"Night, honey." Buffy went upstairs to her room and shut the door and climbed into bed. She looked at the time on her alarm clock and it said 10:45. Buffy sighed and snuggled into her pillows. Tomorrow was the end of her freedom and Spike wasn't gonna even be there anymore. At least she had Willow, Xander and Faith. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.