She has been on the phone for about two hours.
"Okay, but you don't understand, I can't room with Buffy Summers," Cordelia Chase is not a quitter. She doesn't give up.
"Actually Cordy, by this point I think they understand," says Buffy, lying on her bed with her eyes closed, "I know this isn't what the queen wants, but it sounds to me like there's no other room for you to move to."
"Listen, I didn't work my ass off all summer to get here just to room with you," Cordelia says fuming.
"Why don't your parents just pay for an apartment?"
"I am becoming a more independent person. I don't need their money. New year, new school, new me, y'know? Look, whatever, I have a life to live," Cordelia says while walking out the door.
Cordy pulls out her phone while she walks down the hallway, and tries to think of whom she can call. Most of her friends had dumped her when she confided in them about her dad's finances. Even her ex-boyfriend is gone. Died actually. Sure they had been broken up when it happened, but Cordelia had thought they might… Especially after prom… Everyone is leaving me behind, Cordelia thinks, And here I am, living with Buffy Summers. Cordelia frowns, but holds back a tear.
"H-Hi are y-y-you okay?" asks an extremely quiet voice.
Cordelia glances to one side to see a girl she's never seen before peaking out her doorway, "Um. Yes," Cordy dismisses, and keeps walking. Really, Cordy? The first person to reach out to you in months, and you toss her aside?
Cordelia spins around, walks back to a now closed door, and knocks. After the flash of light in the peephole is covered for a few seconds, Cordelia hears the lock switch open. The girl pokes out once more.
"Hi. I'm Cordelia Chase. Sorry I was so rude before. It's been a whirlwind day. Actually it's been quite the couple of months," Cordelia says while walking into the new girl's room, "No, you know when all this started? Sophomore year of high school. That girl came into my life, mixed things around, and she's still mixing! God, she's a real piece of work. I guess since we're floormates you'll eventually meet her as well. Oh, yeah, did I mention I'm living with her? Someone must have thought it'd be hilarious to put us together. Some cosmic whosit come down to mess with my life! AGAIN," Cordelia had been sitting on the girl's bed for most of her spiel.
"T-T-T-Tara. Maclay. Nice t-to meet you," the blonde says, extending a hand, which Cordelia accepted while smiling, "Would you like s-s-some tea?" Tara sits down next to Cordelia.
"Oh, no, I'm fine… but thank you. Have you ever had someone like that in your life? Someone who's at your every turn messing around with your life?"
"Well yes act—"
"Someone who you thought might have actually been cool when you first met her—she was from LA. How could she not be? Then she starts to hang with all the wrong people and, gosh, you actually even start to pity her, really. We really could have been friends, in a totally and completely different situation."
Tara looks extremely confused, and why shouldn't she? It sounds to her like there's three years of back-story she's missing out on. Add that to the fact that this is the first person outside her family she's spoken with in a few years, and it's all stressing her out quite a bit, but Tara would like to help.
"Sorry for the total lifedump. I can see you're busy with... with tea! So I'll just get out of your way. Tara, right?" Cordelia says while moving toward the exit, Way to go Cordy, scaring off a really nice girl.
"Yes. Yes my name is Tara, b-but you don't have to g-g-go."
Cordelia stops and smiles, "Thank you."
"S-so why don't you start from the b-beginning? S-sophomore year, you said?" Tara is actually doing it, or at least she's hoping. She's making a friend.
Cordelia and Tara stay up half the night talking, well, Cordelia's talking; Tara's interjecting here and there in a supportive tone. Eventually Cordy did take that cup of tea, and she's grateful. Even more grateful that someone—anyone—is taking the time to even listen to two words out of her mouth. Tara's grateful that someone's talking to her at all. Who knew that conversation could be so fun and lively? She's jealous of how Cordelia can just open up the way she does. She trusts people so quickly and so fiercely. Tara is sure no one had ever spoken to her as truthfully as Cordelia does that night.
By three AM, Tara has a working knowledge of Cordy's life over the past few years. The ups, the downs, and everything in between. Well not everything. Not about vampires. Now Cordy's wondering how she even spoke for that long about her life without mentioning them because ever since Buffy came to town it'd been, "Vampires this," or, "Demons that." Cordelia is happy. For the first time in months she's actually happy, "But now," she said in a more serious tone of voice, "Now she's living in my room, and it'll just be a constant reminder that Xander's still…"
"Well, if you guys have had the history you t-told me about, then I'm sure she isn't happy about this either. I really hope you two can work it out somehow. I'm sorry that y-y-you're going through all this. And on our first d-day. Especially after that summer," Tara's voice is soft, and so kind. This girl is too nice.
Cordelia smiles wide, she had almost forgotten the feeling, "Well, Tara, thank you for talking to me. I'm going to go to bed now, but next time we have tea, I want you to tell me about you. Deal?"
"Deal," Tara says, Next time. Tara thinks, which makes her smile too.
"Good night, Tara."
"Good night, Cordy."
Cordelia walks back up the hall with a bit more spring in her step than she had had on her way down. She had bared her soul, and someone had cared. College really is different, she thinks happily. Maybe she should give this living-with-Buffy thing a chance—maybe. Cordelia is making no promises when it comes to "The Slayer," which Cordelia feels is a moniker all too cool for Miss Buffy Summers.
When she gets back to her room, Buffy's side is cleared out. There's a sheet of paper on her bed that starts "This has all been too much," and talks about stress, and leaving. Cordelia smiles again, but then frowns. Something isn't right about this. The handwriting is clearly not Buffy's. Also, she hadn't even taken her weapons chest with her, which is, like, her favorite thing. Buffy's in trouble, Cordy thinks, And I have to be the one to save her. Who's surpised?
Cordelia is angry that Buffy had to go and get herself kidnapped, or whatever she's doing, but she's still going to go rescue her, "It's the right thing to do," she says to herself. Cordy grabs her biggest purse and stuffs it full of a crossbow, two stakes, and some holy water that she puts into a bottle with a squirt-top.
The lady at the front desk is less than helpful. She had seen a group of people go by with some stuff, but she was playing solitaire at time, so she didn't see which direction they had gone.
"Thanks anyway," Cordelia says with a smile.
"You looking for a group of people? Carrying a bunch of shit?" asks a sleepy-looking boy who had just woken up on the couch.
"Umm, probably," Cordelia responds, "Know them?"
"No, but I saw them leaving when I got back from the library a few hours ago. I think they were headed out toward west campus. The blonde in the lead was saying something about going back to one of the frat houses."
"Well that's not very helpful.." Cordelia thinks about all the fraternities, which she's had memorized since sophomore year of high school.
"Sorry…"
But then, "No."
"I'm… Not sorry?"
"No wait a minute. Only one of the fraternities has lost its house recently. The vampi—uhh, vandals must be living there," Cordelia decides.
"Sh-should we call the cops?" asks the tired boy.
Cordelia is already walking away, "No, I'll just go ask for my stuff back. We can call someone tomorrow if they're less than helpful.
Cordelia breaks out into a full-blown sprint across campus. When she hadn't been working one of her three jobs that summer, she'd been doing a lot of fitness training. She was in the best shape of her life. It's easy to get work done when no one is around. When she gets to the house a few minutes later—not even close to being out of breath—literally every light is on. How is no one on this campus suspicious? No one is supposed to be living in this house, yet here it is, clearly being lived in. Buffy got beat by these guys? Cordelia asks, not too surprised.
The door is wide open. The grandiose lack of thought these vampires put into their plan is starting to annoy Cordelia, but she doesn't have long to think about that. She can hear a fight in a nearby room. As she rounds a corner, the sound of a bone shattering pierces the air followed by a loud grunt. Buffy's grunt! Cordy pulls the crossbow and the holy water out of her bag, and walks into the next room.
A blonde vampire is on top of Buffy, holding her arm in a way that it shouldn't bend. Cordelia squirts some holy water onto the vampire's head.
"Get off of her," Cordelia can barely hear herself over the girl's screaming.
The vampire looks up at Cordelia with anger, but quickly backs off when she notices the crossbow raised against her.
"Get up, you look like a fish flopping on dry land down there," Cordy commands, extending a hand with a stake in it to Buffy.
"Cordelia, what are you doing here?" asks Buffy as she's helped up.
"Rescuing you, duh."
"No I meant. Okay, later then." Buffy says, now standing upright.
"So, where do you want to start?" The sound of a crossbow being fired is kind of beautiful, Cordelia decides as one of the vampire's lackeys decomposes.
Buffy smiles, "Well I'm actually kind of tired," she says while tossing her stake through the air, "Maybe we should just go home," she turns as the vampire who'd had Buffy in her clutches just moments before faded away.
"Sounds good to me."
The girls walk back across campus together with Cordelia carrying most of Buffy's stuff. Buffy feels bad that she can't be much help because of her arm, but Cordelia is sympathetic.
"Will you… when will that be okay?" Cordelia knew that Buffy healed fast, but that crack didn't sound too clean.
After the afternoon they'd had together, Buffy was surprised Cordy was even speaking to her, "Oh, this? It'll probably be fine when I wake up tomorrow."
Cordelia's stomach twinges as she remembers an old injury of her own that had taken a bit more than a few hours to stop hurting.
When they are back in their hall, Cordelia says, "Just because I rescued you, don't think I'm happy with this," she gestures to their room, "But I think it might eventually be kind of fine."
"Uhh, thanks. For coming for me I mean. You might have really been roommate-less if you hadn't," she laughed uncomfortably.
"Don't remind me. And don't expect me to do that again. That was a one-time thing," This has been my best night in a long time, Cordelia thinks.
Through her peephole, Tara sees the girls walking back. Both of them look as if they'd had a crazy night together. Tara felt betrayed. If she didn't want to keep talking to me she could have just said so. She didn't need to make up some lie just to go to a party. Tara had thought she'd met a friend, but it turned out to be just another person using her.
