Author's Note: The beginning of this chapter is still in the early stages because I want the first meet to be special. They will officially speak in Chapter 4, which should be coming out very soon. I scanned through this chapter so many times that I cannot look at it anymore. Hopefully, I haven't skimmed over mistakes. Sorry if I did. By the way, thank you Spuffygirl for your nice comments, I truly appreciate it. I hope I can meet your expectations! ∩( ・ω・)∩

Young Girl

Chapter 3

The library was completely packed, which surprised Buffy, considering it was the first day of school. Spotting Xander and Willow from the entrance, she waved and strolled over to their table.

"What are you guys up to?" said Buffy brightly.

"AGHH!" Xander groaned putting his head and arms flat on the table.

Buffy giggled, then examining the clock she said, "Xander, we're like 3 hours into our first day. If you're already tired, I'm pretty sure that's a bad sign."

Willow smacked his arm and said, "Big baby didn't get enough sleep because he was so excited to see you."

Buffy laughed and watched as Xander turned bright red. Pulling a chair out, she sat down next to him and observed his blush that was now spreading to his neck. She had missed these small exchanges with her friends during the summer. She traveled with her mother to London to inspect some sculptures heading back to Sunnydale, so she hadn't seen either one of them since the beginning of the summer.

Xander peered up at Buffy and trying to hold onto some sense of dignity said, "I wasn't that excited to see you. Just glad to have you back." Trying to change the subject, he continued, "I bought this new video game called 'League of Death Assassins' and. . ." then Buffy was gone. She started spacing out as soon as she heard "video game" in the sentence.

Buffy leaned against her arm and tried to pay attention, failing miserably. She thought back to her early years at Rockwell, when everyone considered her a loner. Other than eating lunch with Faith, her now ex-childhood friend, she rarely opened up to anyone about her personal life. She kept to herself on most days and spent way too much time in the private work rooms coming up with new designs. It wasn't until she met Angel that she opened herself up. She still remembered how sweet and enduring his "tortured soul" act had been when they met. But his overbearing need to control her life made her distant, causing him to seek out Faith for comfort. After his blatant betrayal, she almost reverted back to her old self, but met Willow and Xander coincidentally at a local coffee shop.

Thinking back, she remembered how funny their first meeting had been.

1 year earlier

Buffy was trying not to let Faith and Angel get to her, but the fact that they were now displaying their "love" near her work room was excruciating. She sipped her coffee while watching as it stormed outside the little family owned coffee shop she had found spontaneously on her way home from school.

Every time she saw them, her mind would trigger back to the day she found them in the art supply closet humping like wild animals. Since neither one of them had classes in Gregory Hall, at the time, it was clear, Angel had set up the encounter hoping for some dramatic fallout and makeup session. What he didn't expect was for Buffy to open the door, grab several painting utensils, and shut the door absentmindedly. Her complete disregard towards his actions had only irritated him more.

Now, he was trying, with no luck, to get a rise out of her by forcing her to see him with Faith every day. Everywhere she went they were kissing or hugging inappropriately. They even went as far as to get into some of her classes, just so they could torment her more often. Luckily, she was offered a coveted position in the advanced program, so they couldn't ruin every class she was in. Buffy had vowed to never show Angel how hurt and badly wounded she actually was because then that would mean he had won. No, every night she would come home crying and violently punch her sandbag in the garage. She knew he would eventually get sick of her, but until that time came, she would need to completely turn off her emotions.

As if by fate, she stood accidentally bumping into someone holding a very full coffee. That person happened to be Xander, who was accompanied by Willow. By the time he had noticed, her uniform was drenched in white mocha goodness. And no matter how many times both him and Willow apologized, the damage was done. She had felt like someone kicked her in the stomach at first, because it had taken months for her to save up enough money to buy the uniform, but watching them try to scrub the coffee off with their sleeves had been her downfall. Without realizing it, she had started laughing uncontrollably at her shitty luck and the pair of hands rubbing her down in public. Plus, the scene was so funny to her, she felt like she was starring in her own episode of "Seinfeld". After that, Xander and Willow had offered to buy her a coffee to make up for the mess, and with no hesitation, she had agreed. Since that day, they had not only been her best friends, but her protectors against Angel and the Chase sisters' retaliation.

Present

Now, whenever she needed a critical eye to examine her work, she came to Xander and Willow to tell her the truth. And, since all of them were assigned to different paths, the need to be competitive with each other was nonexistent, which, to Buffy, was a nice change of pace. She realized after she met Xander and Willow that her art could grow and become more mature with connections from outside forces. Whether it was just a regular day or seeing your boyfriend have sex with your friend in a supply closet, Buffy noticed more profound reactions to her work when she had used her emotions to paint or draw.

As much as she enjoyed watching people look at her works, it wasn't about their opinions. Their opinions didn't matter as much as the integrity of the pieces she put on display. Though Xander and Willow would give their opinions, she always had the final say. None of her art pieces ever went out half done. They were either completed or she wouldn't show. Many of the professors had commended her honor, and she intended to keep it that way.

Noticing Buffy's eyes glaze fully over, Willow waved her hand in front of Buffy's face and said, "Earth to Buffy, you there?"

Coming out of her daydream trance, Buffy said with a grin, "Of course, just got lost in the video game conversation." Pausing for a moment to broach a different subject, she asked, "Do either of you know a student named Spike?"

Xander, now fully aware said with a frown, "No, why are you asking about a guy? I thought you were taking time off from men?"

Willow gazed at Xander and burned imaginary holes into his head. Turning back to Buffy with a smile she said, "No, I don't, but I could check the music department. Why do you ask?"

"I. . ." Buffy stopped to consider whether she should tell them about the garden or not, "I. . . found something that belongs to someone named Spike, but I don't know anyone by that name, so I can't return it." Struggling to keep her month shut she continued, "And. . . ya know. . . if I knew him I could. . .give him his stuff back." She put her hand over her mouth to avoid any more lies from spilling out. She wanted to talk to the infamous "Spike", but it wasn't to give him anything back. Buffy just wanted to threaten the boy into keeping her garden a secret from the rest of the student body.

Xander getting annoyed at the "boy talk" got up from the table and said, "Ladies, if you will excuse me, I believe my lunch time is starting."

Waving at Xander, Willow twisted toward Buffy and spoke softly, "So, what's really going on?" Before Buffy could speak she added, "And don't even think about lying, you really stink at it."

Buffy quickly explained how her first period had gone horribly wrong with Faith being a bitch and Angel egging her on, not to mention, being late and receiving a detention slip from Professor Pratt. She told Willow about the secret garden she had been drawing at for years and how some guy ruined it by showing up. Making Willow chuckle, she told her about the note and how she wanted to meet the guy so he wouldn't tell the rest of the student body about her garden.

Once Buffy was done venting, Willow said, "Alright, Buf, I'll ask around, but more than likely it's an art student." Realizing Buffy wasn't getting the connection, she stated the obvious, "Since it seems you two have the same lunch."

"I didn't even think of that!" Buffy said smacking her head lightly and laughing. "I knew there was a reason I kept you around."

Willow smiled broadly then looked down at her alarm abruptly sounding from her wristwatch. "We have to get going. You said you have sketching dynamics at 12:30, with Professor Finn right?"

"Yeah, room 326 in Gregory Hall," said Buffy staring down at her new schedule with a squint. Realizing she may need a favor from Willow, she smiled shyly and asked innocently, "Is there any chance I could borrow your glasses until tomorrow? I don't have my spare set with me, and well, you know, Faith broke my other ones."

Willow not being able to say "no" to Buffy's cute face said, "Yeah of course you can borrow them, though they aren't that fashionable." Willow reached into her bag and handed Buffy her wide rim glasses and said, "If anyone can make them work, it's you."

Throwing on the glasses, she vogued in front of Willow to gauge her response. "You look so cute with those on," said Willow slightly jealous of Buffy for making her glasses look adorable, while she made them look completely nerdy. "Those look like they were made for your face."

The more Spike thought about the artist, the more he was determined to figure out her identity. He had grabbed a yearbook from the previous year and was meticulously scanning through each student's picture.

How are there only 5 girls with B.S. as their initials in the entire bloody school, thought Spike annoyed by his findings. He rubbed his forehead in exasperation. I already excluded 3 because their work doesn't even compare to what I saw earlier, and the other 2 are from different programs, he thought becoming more and more agitated. Why'd I even care, he thought momentarily, because her work is brilliant and fresh and riveting. He paused and realized how crazy he was acting.

"I just talked to myself inside my own head," he muttered. "Anyone finds out 'bout this and I'm gettin' sent to the bloody nuthouse."

Someone cleared their throat unexpectedly, causing him to jerk up. His entire class had witnessed his internal struggle play across his sharp features. Feeling mortified, he stood and decided to lecture more to take his mind off the young woman he had seen. He was determined to identify her, but now was certainly not the time. He placed her note and sketch into his planner, so he could suss out his dilemma later during detention.

Every second of Buffy's last class was torture. Professor Finn was completely incompetent and clearly, only paid attention to students willing to pet his ego. Infuriated by his self-proclaimed lecture entitled, "Sketching for your Audience", she zoned out and thought of new designs for her mother's showcase coming up at the end of the month. The idea that artists were merely sketching for their audience caused Buffy to lose complete respect for the professor.

I cannot believe I have to sit here and listen to this bullshit, she thought while glaring at Professor Finn at the bottom of the lecture hall. This class cannot end soon enough. I would much rather be sitting in detention watching paint dry than listening to this load of crap.

Every second was agonizing. Tick. . .tock. . .tick. . .tock. . . She looked over at the clock hoping that it was almost over. You have to be kidding me, she thought, how has it only been 10 minutes!

The rest of the period went on like that. Buffy tried to listen, but her self-preservation caused her to shut his words out completely. As soon as the bell rang, she rushed out and bolted straight to her locker. Buffy wasn't about to be late to detention for being late to class. Just thinking about it, she laughed at the irony of the situation. With no after school activities starting until week two of school, she enjoyed the quietness that laced the hallways. One second she was putting books away with students floating around her, and the next minute, she was completely alone and immersed in her own thoughts. Grabbing her tote bag, she hightailed it to detention.