"…And I can show you all the cool places! Like behind the shed where all the bigger kids blow smoke at each other like my mom does, and all the vending machine's. Especially the one that gives you free stuff if you kick it hard enough!"
Faith was acting strange today, Buffy thought as she listened to her ramble on as they were shepherded onto a grassy oval ready to be instructed what to do by the camp leaders who were all teachers, most of which Faith knew.
They were at Sunnydale elementary school, and for the first time in a long time Faith was excited to be there. She hated school and skipped as often as she dared, but she'd go this year if Buffy was going to be taking lessons with her.
Buffy bit her lip. She thought she knew exactly what Faith was thinking and she was aware she couldn't keep the fact that she was leaving to herself much longer, but she didn't want to crush Faith's uncharacteristic bout of excitement.
If Faith asked her a direct question like 'whether she would sit next to her in class all year' then there was no way she could lie and say yes when she knew she couldn't be there. The guilt was killing Buffy as it was.
"Faith…I…" Buffy started, unsure of what she was really about to say.
"GIRLS and BOYS!" Boomed a small snivelly man, balding on top. "My name is Principal Snyder, and I along with my assistant…uh... I can't keep track of my faculty… who are you again?"
"Call me Spike?" The bleached blonde man said with a grin.
"Mr Spike." Snyder confirmed.
"Hey!" Faith whispered to Buffy excitedly. He's the only teacher in this damn school that gives a damn about me. He teaches physical education, and tells me I can throw better than any of the boys. I'm so glad he's here.
Buffy looked at him warily. He seemed familiar to her but she couldn't place where she'd seen him before. But he sure gave her the creeps.
"Right, kiddies." Spike said. "Let's get you all into groups now. We're going to stay in the same groups all day, so don't pair up with sods you don't like."
"Ahem." Principal Snyder cleared his throat.
Spike looked confused. "Oh, right then. Mr Snyder here is a bloody dictator…" He coughed noisily and put a hand to his mouth. "Sorry… Mr Snyder here is in charge and you must obey everything he says when he comes around."
Faith turned to Buffy, happy that for the first time in a team situation, she'd have someone to group with. However, Buffy was already talking to a boy and a red headed girl who Faith was pretty sure 'hated' her.
The boy was grinning bashfully at Buffy and the girl equally so.
"I'm Xander." He said reaching out his hand. "And… this is uh…my best friend Willow." he offered when Willow stood rooted to the spot clutching a headless Barbie doll.
Buffy smiled warmly at them both with all the Buffy charm she could muster. "Hi, I'm Buffy." She said.
"You're new here." Xander tried not to stare at the blonde, the tone in his voice causing Willow to slump her shoulders. Why did Xander have to pay more attention to EVERYONE but her? She couldn't hold it against Buffy though. She was pretty, but to her credit she didn't seem mean like Cordelia.
She realized Buffy was talking to her. "What happened to your Barbie's head?"
"We-well…" Willow stuttered. "A few years ago Xander stole her…I don't know what he was going to do with her bu-but and he's really good at breaking stuff, but not on purpose…ju-just by accident so somehow it got broke and I was re-really sad and I cried lots and was real mad and told him I would never kiss him again cause we were going out then…" Willow blushed. "so Xander dipped the head into the glue pot at school and stuck it back on…but that only worked for a minute or so cause that glue's meant to be just for paper not Barbie's and I realized he head is smaller than her body so I'm more likely to loose that pa-part so I stuck it in a shoebox at home and open it to ta-talk to her sometimes and brush her hair… but she's my only Barbie and I want to carry some of her… you kn-know?" Blushing furiously now she ducked her head and when she looked back up Buffy was smiling at her and not running away like people usually did when she babbled like that. Feeling braver she decided to ask the blonde to group with them, but Xander beat her to it.
"Will you be in our group?' He asked Buffy with a lovesick grin.
Faith who was watching the whole scene slumped her shoulders and looked at her feet and began to turn away.
"Sure!" She heard Buffy answer brightly. "But only if my best friend can be in the group too." She said gesturing to Faith's retreating back.
"FAITH'S your best friend?" Willow asked incredulously. She wasn't aware that Faith liked people at all. It was said in the playground that Faith was a witch who cast spells on her classmates. But what was really wrong with that, Willow thought? It kind of sounded like fun. Unless the spells were evil and bad and hurt puppy dogs.
"Who's Faith?' Xander said, his expression clueless.
Buffy dragged Faith back over by the hand and smiled.
"Oh. That Faith." Xander said a little afraid.
"Its okay guys, I won't bite." Faith said standing a few steps back so not to scare them, glad they all seemed to be somewhat okay with her being there.
"All groups must have five members!" Snyder bellowed. Buffy began searching for another person and Spike came up to Faith.
"How's everyone treating you love?" he asked concerned, knowing that Faith was usually the last to get picked by her classmates.
But Spike liked her. During sport lessons, he often called her and her alone, the nickname 'pet' leading to 'teacher's pet' jeers from her class.
Faith didn't mind though. It was nice to be liked. "Spike, this is my friend Buffy." She said.
"Hello there." The bleached blonde teacher said to the cowering girl. "Any friend of Faith's is a friend of mine." Spike looked the little blonde girl up and down while a strange feeling he didn't recognize came over him. Buffy tried to smile shyly at him, but was too afraid to meet his eyes.
A commotion going on elsewhere attracted his attention. "Bollocks!" he said striding over to the disturbance and seized a small girl in a designer sport tracksuit by the shoulders. He dragged her kicking and screaming back to where Faith stood. "Anya has the same shoes as me!" the girl screeched, displaying her bright pink trainers.
Spike ignored her. "Group member, number five!" he announced to Faith setting her down in front of her.
"What? NO! I can't breathe the same air as these freaks let alone be in their group." Cordelia said, wrinkling her nose at Xander, Willow and Faith.
"Final word." Spike said to Cordelia, shrugging at Faith's confused look. "Sorry pet, Snyder would have made you sit out of the games all day with only four members."
"Cordelia, though?" Faith sighed.
Xander was whispering to Willow. "Yes, this definitely violates the rules of the 'We Hate Cordelia Club." Willow whispered back.
Cordelia flounced around. "Well then, you losers better be in good shape, 'cause the only acceptable end to this day is winning the big obstacle race and adding another trophy to my trophy case."
Buffy had been away from LA for so long that she had forgotten about how she and her old friends used to behave and treat people. It had been very much like Cordelia. For the millionth time, Buffy wished she didn't have to go home.
Faith sensed her distress. "Don't worry, Tigerlily. Cordelia's not so bad, if you like snakes." She said, not knowing the real reason behind Buffy's sad eyes.
Faith trying to cheer her up only made Buffy feel worse.
Spike began to lead them through the warm up, and every now and then he paused by Cordelia and encouraged her to actually participate. "But there might be sweat." She whined horrified.
Spike scoffed. "What else you expect, love?" He turned to hi-five Faith who was turning cartwheels.
The day progressed and Willow and Xander got over their fear of Faith and they began to get along, and soon Faith was showing Willow how to cartwheel and Xander how to whistle between activities. Buffy was an instant favourite within the entire camp group, of course with the exception of Cordelia. Buffy and Faith were unstoppable in the 'three legged-race' and easily outran the others in fun runs. Cordelia hated this, but was secretly glad to have Buffy and Faith on her team. They had won most of the team games so far and she hoped the final obstacle race with the shiny trophy prize would be no exception. Willow and Xander had won nothing individually but it was clear they were having fun. They were also not used to having lots of people around them that accepted them.
Even Cordelia hadn't called them a freak more than ten times today which had to be a record.
Finally, it was time for the obstacle race and Cordelia was buzzing around barking orders at her team. "C'mon Willow!" she said to the redhead who was lying in a very unique position. "Stretch harder!"
"If I stretch any harder, I'm gonna break something." Willow muttered to an unhearing Xander who was panting and running on the spot while Cordelia made whipping motions behind him.
Willow always wondered why Xander always did everything Cordelia said, even though he said he hated her almost everyday.
Spike came over. "Love, I suggest you begin to warm up yourself." He said to Cordelia. "Or, you'll drag them down, not the other way around." Cordelia began to say something venomous back, but Snyder was there in a flash. "Now…uh…" Snyder fumbled.
"Spike." Spike offered.
"Now Mr Spike, lets not be too hasty with whatever we're saying to the princess of Sunnydale elementary here." He said, money and big donations flashing before his eyes.
Willow, Xander and Faith groaned and not to be left out Buffy groaned a moment after them, grinning at her new friends childishly. Snyder turned towards her.
"And who might you be?" He glared, reading her nametag. "Summers. A troublemaker, I'm sure. Hanging around with the naughtiest girl in second grade too." He glanced at Faith disapprovingly. "Bad news you are Summers, I can see it now."
Faith pouted at him as he walked off and Buffy seemed close to tears. "Don't worry, B." Faith said, trying to cheer her up. "He looks like a troll and he'll probably 'never get some'."
Spike burst out laughing at such crude talk coming from a sweet looking little girl with pigtails, and thinking that Faith meant that Snyder would never get any more candy ever again, Buffy laughed too.
Spike ruffled Faith's hair and then announced into the loudspeaker that the race was starting now. It was a tough course, but Faith found it easy climbing over obstacles, since she was so practiced in climbing trees. Having been up and down from Faith's tree house all summer had made Buffy pretty experienced too. Willow and Xander mostly managed fine by themselves, but needed Buffy and Faith's help for the harder ones. Never did Xander think before today that he'd be trusting the baddest girl in the school, Faith Lehane, with his life. Letting go of the handholds in order to clutch Faith's hands as she leaned over and helped him climb to higher ones was one of the scariest moments in Xander's life.
Buffy was equally busy with Willow. "It's okay, if you fall I'll catch you." Buffy assured her as Willow bravely walked across one of the higher balance beams. Willow wasn't usually that afraid of heights, but she had been rattled seeing a frog on one of the lower rungs of the ladder and she was sure it was an 'amen' that she was going to die. Buffy eventually coaxed her across.
Cordelia had no hope though. The ruling stated that each member had to complete each obstacle to win, but it didn't matter HOW they completed them. Faith and Buffy grabbed her under the arms and practically carried her through each course. Cordelia kicked and flailed around until she realized what they were doing and then humbly tried to help them as much as she could.
They reached the end of the entire course miles ahead of the others and jumped up and down excitedly as Spike presented them with a trophy. Faith was especially excited because she had never won anything before today, and Buffy was excited because she had never won anything but beauty pageants and this was very different to just standing still and smiling for judges. Spike hi-fived them all and Willow and Xander hugged Faith at the same time, leaving her embarrassed and pleased. They would never have dared to have done that yesterday, even for a million dollars.
"We were awesome, Faith!" Buffy said to her, linking her arms through hers. Faith had never been happier in her life. She had first place ribbons pinned all over her and three…and a half friends. Xander had just volunteered HER to be the one to keep the trophy much to Cordelia's fury. He was fast developing a crush on Faith (according to Willow who was very used to that sort of thing) and he had told Cordelia that if it wasn't for Faith, she would still be at the first obstacle. Cordelia knew it was true, and flounced off.
Okay…three friends. Faith thought to herself, her mood not wavering. She smiled at Buffy and moved off to talk to Spike. Things were really looking up now. Maybe her mother would even be proud of her when she got home.
Buffy turned to hear Willow and Xander gushing about how fast she could run. "You're fast, like roadrunner!" Willow said admiringly.
"No way!" Xander said. "Like Snoopy!"
"Snoopy is not that fast." Willow disagreed, confused.
"He is when he wants to be." Xander insisted. "He can dash across a field in two seconds flat."
"If you say so." said Willow.
Everyone else had now finished the race and parents were starting to come and collect their children.
"So, Buffy." Xander said, his lovesick focus going back to her. "Will you sit with us at lunchtime when school starts?"
"Oh..." Buffy said deflating instantly. "I won't be going to school with you, I'm only here for the summer."
Willow and Xander's faces fell. "But…we were…" said Willow.
"You're only here for the summer, Buffy?" Faith asked overhearing, all her hopes and excitement about her 'new life' disappearing. She had been standing there the whole time.
"Oh....Faith. I wanted to tell you." Buffy cried, "I just didn't know how."
Faith's face immediately went blank, a skill she had been perfecting for years. Of course Buffy had to be leaving, why should anything good happen to her? She kicked herself for not expecting this and beginning to hope. Because when you start hoping, all you get is hurt.
"I'm so sorry Faith." Buffy tried miserably.
But Faith couldn't shrug off her emotions. She usually could pretend she didn't care, but she couldn't this time. This time she was mad.
Joyce pulled up just then and gestured for the two girls to get in the car, exclaiming loudly about the fact that they were covered in ribbons and marveling at the enormous trophy Faith was carrying. She wondered why the girls barely said anything.
Faith was sitting as far away from Buffy as possible and her daughter looked miserable. "Did you have a good time, girls?" Joyce asked.
"Fine mom." Buffy said. Faith just requested to walk the rest of the way home.
"Oh no, Faith!" Joyce said. "It is much too far for you to walk and I don't mind driving you. It's next door, it's certainly not out of my way." Joyce laughed.
The girls sat in silence the whole way home with Buffy occasionally sneaking glances at Faith who remained expressionless.
Joyce pulled up across from Faith's house. "Thanks Mrs S." Faith said as Buffy handed the trophy to her to take inside.
"You keep it." Faith said.
"No… it's yours." Buffy said tearfully. Faith took it slowly. She realized she had more chance of impressing her mother if she had a trophy in her hand. She walked up her path and when she was out of earshot, Joyce asked Buffy what had happened between them.
"She found out." Buffy said tears running down her face. "She found out I'm going home soon."
"You still hadn't told her?" Joyce asked surprised.
Buffy shook her head sniffling.
"Well, you did bring this on yourself then Buffy." Joyce said, thinking of the lost little girl next door and how hurt she must be feeling.
"I know mom. I have to make it up to her."
"I hope you've got time." Joyce said guiding her daughter indoors.
***
Faith opened the door to her house carrying her achievements and looked around.
"Mom?" She called, hoping Eddie wasn't there. She wanted her mother to herself.
"Mom??" She tried again. "Look what I won?" There was no answer.
Faith ran from room to room and had decided she'd gone out, until a sight stopped her and made her blood run cold.
Her mother was lying on the kitchen floor, her hair fanned out underneath her.
"Geez mom." Faith said nervously dropping the trophy and letting it fall to the ground as she knelt beside her mother. "Come on, wake up now." She slapped her mother's face which usually did the trick in times like these.
No response. She tried it again.
…
No response.
Her mom slept in the kitchen sometimes, but it wasn't usually in a pool of vomit with a syringe in her hand.
Her eyes were closed and her face was bone white. She wasn't breathing.
"Mom… Mommy? Faith stared in shock. "I got something to show you." She said to her numbly.
She stared a little while longer until reality dawned on her and she began to scream and scream.