Chapter 1
College.
It's supposed to mean new faces, exciting curriculum, and parties all weekend.
To Buffy Summers, however, college just seemed to like an extension of High School; she was still patroling every night, with classes that she hated going to, and hundreds of other students that didn't have the slightest idea what was really going on around campus. The only real difference that she could identify was that she was living in a new place, minus her mother, and didn't see Giles and Xander nearly as often.
After her first weeks at U.C. Sunnydale, things seemed to be looking up, at least as "up" as possible. Buffy was meeting new people, and had even managed to impress her psychology professor-a big accomplishment that even Willow was a bit jealous of. She was starting to think that maybe life would be a little happier, but then after being basically used by a boy named Parker, having to deal with a demonic roommate, and helping her best friend cope with her break-up and being left behind by her newly ex- boyfriend, Buffy was starting to think that maybe things would never be good for her.
"I thought in college you weren't supposed to be sitting in your dorm, bored, on a Friday night," Buffy said. "Aren't we supposed to be out partying, and getting really drunk and silly, and making lots of new friends, and.partying?"
"Well, I guess we could be, but."
Buffy knew what Willow was getting at. Ever since the party-disaster last weekend, and Buffy having a little too much "prehistoric" beer to drink, she and Willow had vowed to give up the party life for a while.
"We could go patrol, Buff."
"No. Tonight's my night off. Plus, I really don't feel like going out in this weather and waiting for some idiotic, egotistic vampires to come and try to fight me. It's nice and dry in here."
"Yeah. You've got a very good point there," Willow said as she glanced one more time towards their sole dorm-window. The window, usually half open when the girls were in the room, was closed tightly, and drops of rain slammed against the glass, driven by the unusually strong winds. "Isn't this kind of strange. The weather, I mean."
"Rain is kind of a common thing this time of year, Wil, you know, like snow is in Vermont."
"Yeah, but we don't usually get wind like this. Do you think maybe there's some.other cause?"
"You mean something supernatural?"
"Maybe."
"I doubt it. It's not like the sky is falling. Plus, I really don't feel like dealing with another apocalypse right now. I have too much studying to do."
"You're probably right, definitely on the studying part. Have you studied for the Psych exam tomorrow?"
"Actually, Riley asked me the same question when I ran into him earlier. We both had a few minutes, so we went over some of the stuff that's supposed to be on the test."
"Ooh. I see. So, um, how was "going over stuff"!?"
"Kinda like studying, Wil. Nothing else. I don't like Riley like that."
"He is cute, though, and he's definitely into you. Maybe you should give him a chance. I mean, there's nothing wrong with going out once or twice, it's not like you're really involved.." Willow's voice trailed off on the last few words. Even though Angel and Buffy had basically broken up and left eachother, and for good this time, she knew that there were still some pretty tender feelings there, she herself wasn't quite healed from Oz's leaving.
"He's just kind of.dim. I mean, not in a bad way or anything, but he lacks some of the qualities that I usually like in men," Buffy said. She wasn't trying to put Riley down, she just wasn't into him. She said sarcastically, "You know, he's not a brooding, mysterious, blood-sucking man of darkness."
They both laughed at the last part; then Willow glanced at the clock and decided she better start studying. Unlike Buffy, she didn't get the opportunity to "go over stuff" with the Teacher's Assistant. Buffy went to go take a shower before going to bed.
It's supposed to mean new faces, exciting curriculum, and parties all weekend.
To Buffy Summers, however, college just seemed to like an extension of High School; she was still patroling every night, with classes that she hated going to, and hundreds of other students that didn't have the slightest idea what was really going on around campus. The only real difference that she could identify was that she was living in a new place, minus her mother, and didn't see Giles and Xander nearly as often.
After her first weeks at U.C. Sunnydale, things seemed to be looking up, at least as "up" as possible. Buffy was meeting new people, and had even managed to impress her psychology professor-a big accomplishment that even Willow was a bit jealous of. She was starting to think that maybe life would be a little happier, but then after being basically used by a boy named Parker, having to deal with a demonic roommate, and helping her best friend cope with her break-up and being left behind by her newly ex- boyfriend, Buffy was starting to think that maybe things would never be good for her.
"I thought in college you weren't supposed to be sitting in your dorm, bored, on a Friday night," Buffy said. "Aren't we supposed to be out partying, and getting really drunk and silly, and making lots of new friends, and.partying?"
"Well, I guess we could be, but."
Buffy knew what Willow was getting at. Ever since the party-disaster last weekend, and Buffy having a little too much "prehistoric" beer to drink, she and Willow had vowed to give up the party life for a while.
"We could go patrol, Buff."
"No. Tonight's my night off. Plus, I really don't feel like going out in this weather and waiting for some idiotic, egotistic vampires to come and try to fight me. It's nice and dry in here."
"Yeah. You've got a very good point there," Willow said as she glanced one more time towards their sole dorm-window. The window, usually half open when the girls were in the room, was closed tightly, and drops of rain slammed against the glass, driven by the unusually strong winds. "Isn't this kind of strange. The weather, I mean."
"Rain is kind of a common thing this time of year, Wil, you know, like snow is in Vermont."
"Yeah, but we don't usually get wind like this. Do you think maybe there's some.other cause?"
"You mean something supernatural?"
"Maybe."
"I doubt it. It's not like the sky is falling. Plus, I really don't feel like dealing with another apocalypse right now. I have too much studying to do."
"You're probably right, definitely on the studying part. Have you studied for the Psych exam tomorrow?"
"Actually, Riley asked me the same question when I ran into him earlier. We both had a few minutes, so we went over some of the stuff that's supposed to be on the test."
"Ooh. I see. So, um, how was "going over stuff"!?"
"Kinda like studying, Wil. Nothing else. I don't like Riley like that."
"He is cute, though, and he's definitely into you. Maybe you should give him a chance. I mean, there's nothing wrong with going out once or twice, it's not like you're really involved.." Willow's voice trailed off on the last few words. Even though Angel and Buffy had basically broken up and left eachother, and for good this time, she knew that there were still some pretty tender feelings there, she herself wasn't quite healed from Oz's leaving.
"He's just kind of.dim. I mean, not in a bad way or anything, but he lacks some of the qualities that I usually like in men," Buffy said. She wasn't trying to put Riley down, she just wasn't into him. She said sarcastically, "You know, he's not a brooding, mysterious, blood-sucking man of darkness."
They both laughed at the last part; then Willow glanced at the clock and decided she better start studying. Unlike Buffy, she didn't get the opportunity to "go over stuff" with the Teacher's Assistant. Buffy went to go take a shower before going to bed.