It was early morning on another weekday in Sunnydale, and that meant another boring school day for the Summers sisters. Well boring for me anyway, thought Dawn Summers. Her sister Buffy on the other hand always had something interesting and new, being the chosen one after all. Dawn really felt she was more or less referred to by Buffy's friends as the little human sister who gets in the way of her superhero big sister, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. All she wanted was to be known as…well… just Dawn.
Buffy and her friends didn't see her as just Dawn though. She even thought her mother sometimes did not see her originality. Everyone just grouped Buffy as her keeper. That was not how it was for Dawn but she knew that Buffy wasn't the only special one. It wasn't that she didn't like Buffy. Buffy was her sister she loved her but she just wanted to be noticed by her. It was true she thought Buffy's friends were older and they did cool stuff like fighting demon and vampires. She just wanted to be included whether it was killing vamps or watching a movie fest with Buffy's friends Xander and Willow. Even if she had helped save the world and Buffy, no one would admit it. They acted like she was never there because she wasn't supposed to be in the first place. Well if they asked me to help I wouldn't have to sneak in to help, Dawn sighed as she idly stirred the Colonel Crunch cereal that sat in the bowl in front of her. I never get to be included in anything cool, Dawn thought.
Joyce Summers grabbed a container of orange juice from the refrigerator and poured three glasses of juice. As she passed a glass to her youngest daughter she looked up the stairway toward her oldest daughter's room. "Buffy! You'd better hurry up! You're going to be late for school!" Joyce shouted up the stairs.
Some rustling could be heard on the second floor. As Buffy rushed quickly to get ready, her muffled voice returned down the stairs, "Coming!"
Dawn, still stirring her bowl of cereal, rolled her eyes and said grumpily, "Mom, I don't know why you try. Buffy is late all the time. Besides "the slayer" doesn't take orders."
Joyce smirked at her at young daughter knowingly as she began to drink her juice. "Dawnie eat your cereal it's getting mushy."
Dawn said cheerily," But I like mushy… crunchy is the gross one."
"Oh! Well if you want mushy I can make oatmeal instead?" Joyce said with a motherly smile.
"No." Dawn replied quickly, " Mom that's okay. Oatmeal is too mushy."
Just entering the conversation Buffy enters the kitchen looking confused, "What's too mushy?"
"You and your boyfriend Scott Hope at the Bronze making with the smoochies." Dawn teased her sister making fish faces.
Buffy dumbfounded by the attack, " What! No it's not like that…we were…Um… How did you…?"
Their mother turned to Buffy looking interested but not trying to look too worried. "Buffy you have a new boyfriend? Why am I always the last to know…" Joyce said sounding more hurt then she liked herself to.
Buffy calmed down some not expecting this morning to start out like 20 questions. Buffy started to explain, " Well he not really…we are just friends Mom. No worries okay."
"Like you were just friends with Angel…" Dawn said, pleased with herself for making her sister uncomfortable and still making fish faces.
Buffy was starting to get annoyed. " Will you stop?" She said through gritted teeth. "Wait a second? How do you know about Scott anyway? Were you…? Dawn were you reading my diary… Again! That is not cool!" Buffy turned to her mom for help and jumped to assumptions." Mom she read my diary!"
Dawn was now the one who was shocked, " No… no I didn't …I …"
Joyce turned to her youngest daughter and sternly said, " Dawn… now we talked about this before. You respect Buffy's privacy and she respects …"
"…Yours!' Dawn said finishing her mother's sentenced. "I know Mom and I didn't. I swear! Chole Jacobs sister Ambrosia saw Buffy and Scott Hope at the Bronze." Dawn looked dejected. " I was just having some fun. Buffy teases me all the time."
Joyce and Buffy looked at each other not believing the younger Summer's girl.
Dawn looked at them incredulously. She was telling the truth and they didn't believe her. "Really I didn't this time." They still didn't believe her and now she was angry. They never believed what she said and it was only one time she read Buffy's diary. Okay maybe twice, but still this time she was telling the truth.
"Besides who wants to read about that freak." Dawn snapped at Buffy as she grabbed her school bag. " I already know more then I want to. And if it weren't for her we'd all have a normal life." She exited out the door.
Buffy was completely hurt by the last remark, " Hey what's that suppose to mean?"
Joyce sighed and put her hand on Buffy's shoulder, "It's okay honey. She didn't mean it. She's just…moody."
"I'll say. What's she so moody about anyway? Girls… I was never like that… was I?" Buffy asked smiling while she picked up her schoolbooks.
Joyce just smiled lightly, kissed Buffy on the head and said, "I have two beautiful girls."
"Thanks mom." Buffy smiled, and then stopped smiling as she realized her mom was avoiding." Hey that's not an answer."
A car horn sounded outside the Summers Household. Joyce begin to walk out the door avoiding the question, "Well Oz is here honey you better go. I have to get Dawn to school."
Buffy shouted back to her mom standing the doorway, "Okay but we'll finish this later."
Joyce opened the door to her car. "Bye Honey, have a good day." She said getting into the drivers seat next to her youngest child who was pouting angrily.
Buffy watched her mom drive off and waved. She took a deep breath and sighed. "Another exciting day for Buffy." Buffy said to herself unenthused, "Yay for me." She frowned and walked to Oz's van.