Disclaimer: I do not in any way own anything Buffy or Buffy related. Got it? Good.

"Buffy you ready? You're gonna be late for school again!" Mrs. Summers yelled up to her 16 year old daughter. Buffy moaned and rolled over in her bed throwing off the covers in the process.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm up." She mumbled getting up. She jumped into the shower, taking the shortest shower of her life. She slipped into a pair of baggy jeans and shrugged into her black zip up hooded sweater, pulling it over her tank top. After pulling her long blonde hair into a loose bun on the back of her head, she grabbed her book bag and hopped down the stairs.

"Come on, I made you a bagel, extra cream cheese, you can eat it in the car." Joyce ushered her out the door and into the passenger seat of the car. Buffy gobbled her bagel up and leaned back into her seat.

"Oh mom I'll be a little late today after school."

"Why is that hunny?" Joyce asked pulling up beside the school.

"It's Thursday, I have Drama club remember?"

"Oh yes, yes. OK. Do you need a ride home or anything? I might be working late at the art gallery but I'm sure Richard would be glad to give you a ride home." Buffy flinched at the sound of his name but it went unnoticed.

"That's ok, I'll walk home." She said quickly opening the car door.

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Summers asked glancing at her daughter.

"Yeah mom, I'll call when I get home." She closed the car door and hurried off to school not wanting any more discussion. Not paying attention to where she was going she bumped into her best friend Willow.

"Oh I'm so sorry Will. I wasn't watching where I was going." Buffy helped her red headed friend pick up all her papers and books that had fallen.

"Yo mi amigos!" Buffy looked over and saw her friend Xander rolling over to them on his skateboard.

"Hey Xander!" Willow yelled. She had the biggest crush on him.

"Watch out!" He yelled as he rolled right by them and into a bush. Buffy and Willow giggled and ran over to help him up.

"I haven't learned how to use the breaks yet." He explained as he got up and fished his skateboard out of the bushes. The girls just shook their heads and walked off towards the school.

"So do you know what part you got in the play?" Buffy asked as they sat in their usual seats in class. Willow shook her head.

"No, I was going to go see Mr. Gerard this morning but I got here a little later than I thought I would." She pulled out her books and fiddled around with her pen.

"Then I guess we'll just wait until after school."

"How are you getting home? Isn't your mom working late again?"

"Yeah she opted that Richard gave me a ride but that's the last thing I need." Buffy shuddered.

"When was the last time he know…hit you?" She whispered.

"Last week. As usual it was my fault. I got home later than I thought and didn't call." Buffy rolled up her the bottom of her shirt and showed Willow a fist sized bruise on her stomach. Willow winced, seeing it just caused her pain. Buffy put her shirt down slowly.

"Buffy, you really need to tell your mom. He can't do this to you anymore. Has he touched you recently?"

"You mean besides the daily beatings? No, he hasn't touched me like that recently. But then again, he and mom haven't been home all night for almost a week. I've called his apartment and as real as the sun is, she's there. Of course I haven't called very much anymore because of certain consequences." Buffy sighed putting her head in her hands.

"Well that's at least that's a plus right?"

"I guess. Hey look whose coming." Buffy pointed to the door where Willow's boyfriend of almost a month had just walked through. He spotted them and walked over.

"Hey Willow, Buffy." Oz kissed Willow on the cheek and nodded to Buffy.

"Hey Oz. Are we still on for the Bronze this Saturday?" Buffy asked. Oz nodded.

"Yea. Can you come to my house so we can rehearse tomorrow?"

"That's affirmative." Buffy said then started doodling in her note book. Oz sat down next to Willow and they started chatting until school started.

In the middle of class there was a knock on the door. Principal Snyder walked in followed by a guy with bleach blonde hair, a dark red shirt, black pants, combat boots and a duster to top it all off. He looked kinda mean and menacing in a hot way. Buffy still had her head stuck in her note book writing lyrics, until Willow elbowed her.

"What?" Buffy looked up and saw the guy at the front of the class. She just kept staring until he looked at her and she turned away, her face turning red. Willow just stifled her laughs. Spike (they learned his name later in class) sat down behind Buffy and Willow's table.