Disclaimer: All BTVS characters belong to Joss. All others are mine.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: This takes place between season 5 & 6. All characters from the show are alive and well except Joyce, basically no one died battling Glory. Dawn plays dodge ball.
Feedback:Yes. please R/R . This is a mult-part story so the more comments the better the story gets.
Distribution: Cool that would be great just ask me 1st.


Chapter 2: Dodge Ball

When Dawn heard the gym teacher say they were going to play dodge ball she had to stop herself from protesting. She didn't want to look like a goof in front of James. Dodge ball why dodge ball, she thought. Any other game she would have loved to play but being beamed in the head with a large rubber ball wasn't her idea of a good time. Then she thought of how James would see her squeal like a little girl if the ball hit her. That was not going to make her the most attractive person, she thought to herself. Here was big jock football star and little Dawny running for her life afraid of a stupid circular piece of rubber. She wanted to crawl up and die.

"Cool." responded Bo when he heard they were playing dodge ball "I get
to hit something"

"We're going to get killed," commented Hannah.

"Destroyed," Lawrence chimed in.

"It can't be that bad," said Dawn.

No, it's probably worse," said Lawrence.

"Come on now, I don't want to hear that kind of talk," said James. "
Where's your team spirit. We can take these guys."

"If you say so," Lawrence said unenthusiastically.

"Come on guys, James is right. We can take these guys," Dawn says
trying to rally them up. "Every time you think you will lose you do. If we
think positive we can do this. We just have to get psyched up for it
that's all"

"I'm just trying to be a realist," said Lawrence.

"No you're a pessimist Lawrence. I have faced Gods and demons. Uhh.. I
mean inner demons and godly awful stuff and have survived. That first
time you were embarrassed you never thought you could live it down but
you did. The first time you never thought you could pass that test you
studied and passed. The fist time you stood up and accomplished what you
never thought you could. That time was because of one thing,
confidence. That is the key to winning. You can have the greatest skill in the
world but without confidence you will lose every time. Anyway Jasmine and
Holly are on their team so I think we have a shot," replied Dawn.

"Yes Dawn is right we can win this." Said Lawrence smiling adoringly at
Dawn.

"I guess I'm in then. I'm good at taking tests so I guess this is just
another one just without the homework or number two pencil," said
Hannah.

"All right that's the spirit. Is everybody ready, let's go get them"
said Dawn starting up a cheer.

"Let's go get them," everyone shouted in unison.

As the gang went over to their positions to start the game James
grabbed Dawn and pulled her over to the side.

"Thanks for the pep talk Dawn," said James " I really appreciate it."

"No problem, " Dawn replied. This was working out pretty well. James
had liked her speech and was smiling at her when they took their
positions. He was smiling at her. Maybe he really did like her. No she couldn't
think that. She had to concentrate on the game. It was just dodge and
weave that was all there was to it. She could do this. At least she
thought she could do it until she saw the other three members of the other
team.

The first guy was Wesley Putnam. He was on the Sunnydale track team and
probably the fastest guy in Sunnydale. Great, she thought, this guy was
born to play dodge ball.

The next guy was Wan Lee. His dad ran the local martial arts academy.
Images of Mr. Miyagi in those karate kid movies kept entering her head.
Another person who could be a candidate for the Olympic dodge ball
team.

Buster Thompson was the next kid. She was surprised he wasn't already
in jail. He had more fights than anyone Dawn had ever met except for maybe her
sister Buffy, but then again those were job related. He just liked
hitting people. There was a rumor that he once beat up a teacher. Even if
Dawn could beat him he probably would beat her up afterwards. The
intimidation was something else she didn't need added to her already nervous
condition.

"I'm dead," she whispered to herself.

"You ready Summers," said James.

"Uhh ready as I'll ever be," she said shakily.

"OK people on my mark," said the gym teacher putting his whistle to his
lips. "Mark!"

The whistle sounded and a furry of balls flew in the air, Dawn saw a
ball heading right for her and she froze. She couldn't move, she was just
staring at the ball heading towards her like a deer caught in the
headlights. All her talk about going for it and confidence was gone. She was
going to be the first eliminated and embarrass herself with all that
fancy talk she couldn't even use herself.

Before the ball slammed into Dawn Lawrence ran in front of it. Lawrence
did it in a chivalrous move but still he was eliminated and the next
round was about to begin.

"What did you do," Hannah said to him as he walked past.

"She was going to get hit by the ball. So I stopped it," he replied.

Hannah just rolled her eyes. Luckily jasmine had targeted her and it
was a really bad throw so she dodged it easily. She looked over at Dawn
and frowned. The girl totally was freezing up. She had been an expert at
freezing up and Dawn was displaying the classic symptoms. Her eyes were
open wide. Her hands were frozen to the sides of her hips. She should
just have worn a bulls-eye that says hit me.

Willow arrived at the gymnasium just as the first dodge balls were
thrown. Buffy had asked her to check up on Dawn because she was worried
that Dawn might cut class again. When she saw what was going on she made a
sigh. Oh no not dodge ball, she thought. She hated dodge ball in school
and when she saw poor Dawny just frozen there petrified like a log the
old pain of high school came back to her. When she was young dodge ball
was the excuse to whale the ball at the geeky kids and Willow was one
of those kids. The hyena episode with Xander popped into her head.

"No, that was then and this is now. I can do something about this now,"
whispered Willow to herself.

No one in the gym had seen Willow so she was protected from anyone
interrupting her as she started her spell. She closed her eyes and started
to chant.

"Goddess of Darwall."
"Goddess of Braim "
"Let Dawn's body miss the ball"
"And her arms have perfect aim"

The spell complete Willow smiled to herself and walked out quietly
unseen.

Wesley knew that his next victim would be Dawn. If it wasn't for the
geek jumping in she woul have already been eliminated. It was easy
pickings, he thought to himself. Buster aimed the ball at the bus that was Bo.
The larger target the better he thought to himself.

As the balls whipped through the air Bo was the first casualty and as
Wesley watched the ball head for Dawn he thought he had her but at the
last minute she dodged the damn thing inches from hitting her. "Damn",
he whispered to himself as he saw a ball heading right for him. Quickly
he dodged away from the thing but Buster unfortunately was behind him.
Another one eliminated.

"Good going Summers," said james.

"Umm Thanks I guess," said Dawn. She hadn't thought she would dodge
that ball and then all of a sudden something kicked in and she felt
different. She felt confident. She felt like she could take on the world. She
threw the ball at Holly and slam a hit.

"Ow that hurt you little geek," said holly shouting after being
eliminated.

"Sorry," she said apologetically.

Wan Lee got a lucky shot in at James and Jasmine actually nailed Hannah
as she was looking longingly at Lawrence. Both of them were out and it
was now two against one as Dawn chucked the ball at Jasmine knocking
her out. Back to Wesley again. This was exactly what he wanted. Even if
the little girl could dodge his throw there was no way she would be able
to hit him. He knew he was too fast for that.

"You're dead Summers," he shouted out to her.

"Bring it on," she shouted back.

"You can do it Dawn I have faith in you," James shouted out.

"She's dead isn't she," said Lawrence to Hannah.

"He's playing really good but dawn might be able to uhh.. Ahh.. who am
I kidding your right she's dead," Hannah said to Lawrence.

Wesley whipped the ball as hard as he could to Dawn. It curved and
moved in direct sight of her. There was no way she could dodge this one but
then again at the last second before it would have slammed into her she
side steps the ball like it was nothing.

"That's the best you got," she shouted back and picked up the ball to
throw it back. "Let me show you how it's done."

The ball sailed through the air at Wesley and he kept his eyes on the
ball ready to dodge the thing as it got near. He was watching it and he
waited for the right time and then swung away from the thing. Somehow
though the damn ball seemed to turn in mid air and slammed into his
side.

"Damn It!" he screamed as he was eliminated.

"Good job Summers. Hit the showers," shouted the teacher.

Dawn's teammates ran up to her and congratulated her.

"I knew you could do it all the time," said Lawrence " See Hannah I
told you she could do it"

Hannah just rolled her eyes again. "Good job Dawn. I can't believe you
did that"

"That was pretty amazing," commented James.

"Yea that was sweet. You just rocked that guy. " Added Bo.

"Thanks I can't believe it myself. It was like I was possessed or
something," she said.

"Dawn!", shouted Jasmine from behind her.

"Yes.", said Dawn.

"That was a good game you played," said Jasmine.

"And.." said Dawn waiting for the insult.

"And nothing. I just wanted to say that was a good game. I can be
magnanimous you know," said Jasmine.

"You don't even know what the word magnanimous means," said Hannah.

"Yea well it sounds like the right word so I don't have to know it's
meaning," commented Jasmine.

"That's the right word," said James "And that's good sportsmanship to
compliment the other team. A very admirable quality"

When Jasmine heard James compliments her smile widened to an almost
unholy length.

"Oh yes I'm very admirable. People admire me all the time. Just not the
right people," she said winking at James. "I got an idea. Why don't you
come to my party Friday night"

"All of us." Said James to Jasmine.

"Are you Crazy...", Jasmine started to say and then stopped herself.
She couldn't look bad to James but she didn't want to invite the blimp
and the geek patrol. "Arghh I mean are you crazy of course I would but
I'm sure Dawn and the others have plans. Maybe you could just come by
yourself."

Jasmine smiled again at James.

"I don't have plans," said Lawrence.
"Neither do I," said Hannah.
"No plans here." Said Dawn.
"This is so cool, invited to Jasmine's party. I'm so stoaked," shouted
Bo.

"Then it's settled we'll see you there Jasmine," replied James.

"Yes I'll see you there" Said jasmine as she walked away.
"Oh god what have I gotten myself into. Night of the living geeks," she
whispered to herself.

"Well Dawn I guess we'll be seeing more of each other," said James.
"Yes I'm looking forward to it," said Lawrence trying to slip in
between them.

This is going to be a cool summer, Dawn thought

End of Chapter 2: