The weekend flew by quickly. During the entire summer, Buffy worried about the first day of school but found comfort with Faith. The two sisters attended Sunnydale High. Angel—along with Spike—went to the local college, UC Sunnydale.
Angel drove both Faith and Buffy on the first day of their classes. Buffy was lucky enough to nab the passenger seat. Faith sat in the back of Angel's convertible but constantly leaned in between Buffy and Angel.
She tried to get her hands on the radio. Angel playfully smacked her fingers away from the buttons.
"C'mon Angel! Lemme get my tunes!"
"Faith, I said no! I'm doing you a favor by driving you to school. And this is my car—"
"Aw, cut the crap," Faith yelled over the music and the wind. Buffy smiled. "Ladies first, right Mr. Gentleman?"
"You wouldn't know," snickered Angel. "Now sit back and let me drive."
Faith gave up with a sigh. She leaned back into her seat, allowing some breathing room for Buffy and Angel.
The siblings pulled into the Sunnydale High parking lot. Before Angel had a chance to stop the car, Faith was already leaping over the door. He scowled. Buffy laughed.
"Faith's already blending in with the crowd," Angel observed. "Think you can find your way to the office?"
Buffy smiled. "I think I can manage." She shifted her backpack over her shoulder and exited Angel's vehicle. "Thanks again for the ride. Have fun in class."
Angel rolled his eyes. "Fun? In class?"
The two shared a laugh. Buffy waved goodbye as he sped away. "Now," she muttered to herself as she turned around, facing the school. "Time to find the office."
She walked through the swarm of high school students, anxious to start her senior year at a new high school. Buffy passed a shaded area next to the gym, and caught sight of Angel's friends. Xander, Willow, and Cordelia were sitting under a tree. All three of them were seniors, as well. Buffy inhaled deeply and walked over to the group.
Willow waved as Buffy approached. "Buffy, right?"
The blonde nodded. "Willow?"
"Double right," laughed Willow.
Xander jumped up from his sitting position under the tree. "I'd like to just clarify that two rights, unlike two wrongs, equal one-hundred and eighty degrees."
Buffy looked to Willow, who was rolling her eyes. The rest of the group simply stared. "And how does that make the least kind of sense?" Cordelia asked.
Xander cleared his throat in a performance-like quality. "You turn right—" he stuck out his right arm and turned right, "—and turn right again—" he turned right again, "and you end up completely turned around from where you started!"
Buffy laughed in spite of herself and Xander took a bow. Cordelia rolled her eyes and flicked her lengthy brown hair. "Takes a screwball to laugh with one, I guess," Cordelia said. Buffy and Willow shared a look. "I mean, what kind of name is Buffy, anyway?"
Briefly, Buffy wondered why two fun people like Xander and Willow took the time to hang out with Cordelia. Maybe it was because they were friends with Angel and Spike—two guys Buffy could definitely see Cordelia going for.
"Obviously it's a rare yet easy name to remember, Cordelia," Buffy answered with a smirk. "Or maybe, unlike you, it's my budding charm and wit that helps you attach my name to my face."
Willow and Xander poorly held in their laughter. Cordelia was left awkwardly standing in front of Buffy. She groaned and walked off. Probably in search for some new plastic friends, Buffy thought to herself.
"So," Xander said as he swung his arms around both Willow and Buffy's shoulders. "Angel and Faith. Spill the deets, Buffy. What's it like living with the two of those knuckleheads?"
"Faith is really headstrong," Buffy reflected. "And a lot of fun to be around."
"And Angel?" Willow prodded.
Buffy grinned in response. "He's great. A really awesome guy to be around."
"You know," Xander pipped, "if I didn't know better, it would sound like you guys have the hots for each other."
Buffy blushed. "I do not!"
Willow gently poked Xander in the side. "Don't listen to him, Buffy. Just because this guy is always horny doesn't mean all guys are."
"Hey!" Xander mockingly shouted. "I resent that!"
"We're brother and sister, anyway," Buffy grumbled.
"Foster," Willow emphasized.
"I guess we're allowed to think of each other in that way…but it would be too weird. Right?"
"It is kind of hard not to stare."
"Xander!" both Buffy and Willow exclaimed. He smiled sheepishly in response.
x.x.x
When her last class was over, Buffy escaped from the halls and found herself outside. She found Xander and Willow walking in her direction. She waved in recognition and headed towards them.
"So, verdict on Sunnydale High?" Xander asked.
"Not bad for a first day," Buffy said with a grin. She put on her sunglasses and looked around. "Where does Faith usually go after class?"
"You mean when she's not ditching?" Willow murmured.
Buffy hadn't seen Faith since lunch. It turned out that Faith hung with a different crowd than Buffy—different age levels, different clothes, different attitudes, different everything. "I'm supposed to meet Faith and Angel somewhere after school," she mused allowed. "Just can't remember where."
"Just try back at the tree," Willow offered. "That's always been the general meeting spot."
Buffy said goodbye to Willow and Xander and made her way to the infamous tree. She stood underneath it in the shade, and watched as the wind ruffled through the leaves. It was only the beginning of September, but already a few of the leaves had started to fall and turn an off-color brown.
"Hey, B!"
Buffy turned around and saw Faith. She had taken off her jacket and was proudly walking with a tube-top on, midriff exposed and all. Buffy raised her eyebrows and grinned. "You weren't wearing that this morning."
"Hell yeah I was," Faith answered. "Just kept it covered so big bro didn't find out." With that, Faith slipped back into her jacket just as Angel pulled up in his convertible. Buffy noticed, in quiet annoyance, that Spike was sitting in the front seat. Angel put the car in neutral and left the gas running. It looked to Buffy like he and Spike were having an argument, but it was clear to even the common observer that there was some kind of deep-rooted friendship between the two.
"Hey Spike," Faith interrupted. Spike glanced over at the younger girl and saluted lazily. He took out a pack of cigarettes from the inside pocket of his leather jacket.
"You know the rules," Angel said. Spike groaned and hopped out of the car. He put an unlit cigarette in his mouth, letting it hang low—the complete bad-boy image, Buffy thought to herself with a smirk.
Faith looked from Spike to her brother. "I'm going to go with Spike," she said. "Be home in a few hours, maybe?"
Buffy was surprised to hear over-protective Angel's answer. "Sure. Be back before dawn."
Spike lit his cigarette and blew a puff of smoke out. Buffy coughed and waved her hands in her face. "Hey, watch it!"
"Not like a puff of smoke would kill you," Spike drawled.
"Actually, it would," Buffy countered. "It's called second-hand smoke. Look it up."
He blew another puff of smoke out, this time through his nostrils. "Best teach this one some manners, then, mate," he yelled to Angel. "Just like a mule, that one is—"
"Are you calling me an ass?" Buffy asked incredulously. Despite her small stature, she took a threatening step towards the peroxide blond.
Spike looked bored. "If you want to take it that way, fine, but—"
"So you were calling Buffy an ass?" Angel said, his arms crossed over his chest. He raised an eyebrow at one of his oldest friends. Spike looked back at Angel with wide eyes before throwing his hands up.
"Whatever," Spike grumbled. "You just want to be her knight in bloody armor?"
"Spike, if you're gonna start something, just leave B out of it," Faith mediated.
"Leave is exactly what I'm going to do!" Spike turned on his heels and angrily walked away from the siblings. Faith looked from Angel to Buffy and waved with an apologetic smile.
"At least I can listen to my radio station," Angel mumbled to no one in particular as Buffy got into the car.
