Spoilers- season 1 pre Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
Disclaimer- just borrowing from Joss, all will be returned with minimal scaring.
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Cordelia Chase ran the back of her hand across her sweaty brow and grimaced. Yuck! If there was one bad thing about cheerleading practice it was the gross sweaty afterness.
Cordelia rotated a shoulder, sighing as it cracked. Aura had to be more careful, so what if her parents spilt, her mom was moving her to Colorado and her rich, handsome boyfriend dumped her? That was no excuse for a sloppy routine. God, she had knocked Cordelia to ground and landed her heavy self on Cordelia's shoulder. And right now she was probably crying in the girl's locker room, just like she had been for the last two practices.
She was almost getting as bad as that Amy Madison and Buffy Summers had been during their oh-so-rightly- brief time on the team. Did you see the way Amy had run out of the gym during the game? Fre-eak! The both of them.
Cordelia shuddered delicately as she pulled open a door to the school. She had almost befriended Buffy! Thank god that psycho leopard had shown its spots before she was brought into the echelons. Cordelia still had nightmares about that chair leg being thrust towards her, a wild gleam in Buffy's eyes as her lips twisted into a sadistic smirk.
Oh! It chilled her to the bone just thinking about it.
Cordelia trudged down the silent, dark hallways, her sneakers making dull thuds that exploded in the silence. She passed the library, noting that the lights were still on and that the librarian sat at the table surrounded by piles of books.
She snorted. That guy needed to get a life, stat.
Cordelia paused outside the girl's locker room, one hand holding the door ajar. She heard something. She was sure she had. The older cheerleaders had warned her, 'don't stay behind,' they said, ' strange things happen.'
So why did she continue to practice until she, crying Aura and the creepy librarian were the only ones left in the building?
"Hello? Is anybody there?"
The sound grew louder, moving closer. It was the sound of nails clicking on the polished floor.
Cordelia winced. 'Good one, Cor. Let it know where you are. Why don't you just run up the stairs as well!'
Cordelia strained her eyes to peer through the darkness. She heard a growl.
Cordelia froze. Oh, god. They never caught those wild dogs that ate Principle Flutie. One could still be hanging around the school!
The clicking of nails drifted closer.
Cordelia could just make out a dark figure, it was lower to the ground then she expected. It padded closer and Cordelia could make out some of its features. It was less dog-like then she expected, and more rodentine too.
Cordelia gasped and flattened her back to the door. The thing clicked menacingly as it approached her.
She edged to the left, trying to get into the locker room. The creature lunged forwards and growled.
Cordelia screeched and moved back. She whimpered. "Oh god. Somebody help me! Hello! Creepy librarian guy? Anybody? Help!"
Lips curled back from vicious teeth. Malice glinted in beady eyes. Sensing her fear and vulnerability it leapt forward.
Cordelia screamed and threw her hands up in front of her face.
Before the creature could reach Cordelia a blonde blur tackled it away from her.
Still tensed for an attack Cordelia peered through her fingers Her eyes widened in surprise and disgust. Buffy Summers was wrestling with it, rolling around on the polished floor.
"Buffy!" Xander Harris skidded into the hallway, bouncing off the row of lockers. Willow followed close behind him, luckily missing the lockers.
Buffy grunted as she was forcefully thrown onto her back as the creature bucked. With a frustrated squeal the creature scuttled away. Buffy scrambled to her feet and chased after it. Cordelia's head turned as Willow and Xander ran past her.
Willow hesitated and looked back, biting her lip. "Are you okay, Cordelia?"
Cordelia stared at her wide-eyed.
Xander grabbed Willow's arm. "Willow, come on. She'll be fine."
Willow looked at Cordelia then at the hallway Buffy had just ran down.
Cordelia's mouth opened and closed silently.
"It's an improvement," Xander commented. "Come on, we have to help Buffy."
Reluctantly Willow nodded. Xander still holding her arm, they ran after Buffy, quickly disappearing from Cordelia's wide-eyed stare.
Cordelia still stood with her back pressed against the locker room door. Finally she blinked. Cordelia shook her head and moved into the room.
"Oh my god! Aura, you would not believe what I just saw. Buffy Summers was wrestling with some funky looking dog! I have to call everyone I know. God, she is such a freak!"
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End.