Spike yawned as he approached the usual group of friends in the commons. "Morning all." he said as he plopped down in an empty spot on one of the couches.

"Did Faith have to wake you up again?" a small red-headed girl asked smiling.

"I practically had to drag him out of bed." Faith smiled.

Spike rolled his eyes and looked around at the group of friends he'd had since his freshman year, some even longer than that. There was Willow Rosenburg, the girl who spoke first, she may be small and innocent looking, but if you got her mad, you'd have a ferocious imp on your hands. Next to her was a tall, lanky brunette. This was Xander Harris. Xander was Spike's best friend. He and Faith once had a one night stand during their sophomore year. Everything was fine till Willow found out about it. She'd had a crush on Xander since kindergarten. After a month, they started talking and everything was back to normal. They'd been friends with Spike since he moved here when he was in sixth grade.

Two others had joined the quartet over the years. One was Oz. Just Oz. He didn't talk much. He had joined the group in his senior year, taking an interest in Willow automatically. He ended up having to repeat his senior year, which is why he had his arm around Willow's shoulders. The other one was Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. He was the second smartest kid in school, Willow being the first. He and Faith had been dating for almost three years. They got together about two months after the Faith/Xander thing.

Spike smiled, remembering everything that had happened to bring these misfits together. His smile soon faded as he remembered this was, more that likely, the last year they'd all be together. "Something wrong?" Oz asked.

Spike shook his head, "Nah. Just thinking."

"Stop that." Wesley said sternly.

"Yeah," Xander agreed. "It hurts the brain cells man." The group laughed at Xander's comment.

"Um, excuse me." a soft voice said, the laughter finally dieing down. "Can you tell me where the principal's office is?"

Spike stared in awe at the angel in front of him. She had golden blond hair that was tied back in a French braid and was dressed in casual blue and black. "Why would you want to go there?" Xander asked.

The girl blushed, "I'm new here. I need to go pick up my schedule."

Spike stood, "I'll show you where it is."

"Maybe you shouldn't." Faith said. "You're already on Snyder's list this year. Better let Willow take her."

Willow stood, "Okay. Follow me please."


Buffy stood awkwardly in the commons. At least, that's what she thought it was. I knew I should've stopped to ask for directions, she thought. With a frustrated sigh, she headed towards a group of students sitting together and laughing. They seem friendly. As the laughter died down, Buffy spoke, "Um, excuse me. Can you tell me where the principal's office is?"

A slightly cute brunette boy looked at her funny, "Why would you want to go there?"

She blushed, "I'm new here. I need to go pick up my schedule."

A blond guy stood, "I'll show you where it is."

A tough looking girl intervened, "Maybe you shouldn't. You're already on Snyder's list this year. Better let Willow take her."

The red headed girl, who Buffy guessed as Willow, stood, "Okay. Follow me please."


"I'm Willow Rosenburg by the way." Willow introduced herself.

Buffy smiled, "Buffy Summers."

"Nice to meet you." Her smile faltered, "Just to let you know, by hanging out with me, or just being seen with me, will jeopardize your chance of being popular."

Buffy shook her head, "I gave up being popular a long time ago, when I got—" She abruptly stopped talking.

Willow could tell there was something wrong, but didn't pry. "So, when'd you move here?" she asked, changing the topic.

"We just got settled in yesterday. We moved from L.A."

"Wow. I bet the change from a big city to little old Sunnydale is a BIG difference."

Buffy smiled, "You have no idea."