"Stupid Pythagorean theorem, stupid triangles, stupid math!" I announced to
no one as I accidentally snapped my pencil in half. I pulled another from
my school bag. What relevance does this have? None! Grrr. I messaged my
temples as I leaned back in my seat. "Just seven more questions to go." I
told myself. Yeah, seven more questions and I'll be finished my math
homework. I frowned. Then I get to work on my stupid Geography project,
which I can't do much of because my partner hasn't e- mailed me his part of
the assignment.
I stared down at my textbook, which now appeared blurry to me and I tried to focus on the next question. "Okay. A squared, subtract C squared equals B squared." I said as I wrote down the formula for the problem. "A squared being fourteen squared, which is one hundred ninety six- Ah, screw it. I'm taking a break!" I stated and pushed my self away from my desk and head downstairs. I walked into the kitchen as I stretched, and grabbed a glass from the dish rack and moved over to the fridge wear I found the half drunken jug of orange juice. I poured the liquid into my glass and downed it entirely in one gulp. The phone rang and I picked it up. "Hello?"
I heard the Pakistan accent of one of my friends. "Dawn why aren't you here at the Bronze?"
"Anila?" I asked; to confirm who it was.
"Yeah, now come over to the Bronze. Jessica, Sandra and I've been waiting for you to show." She orders.
"I can't. I haven't finished my homework and-"
The voice on the phone changed and I knew that Jessica had taken the phone from Anila. "Come on Dawn. Josh's been waiting for you-Sean stop it; I'm on the phone! So come on. If you don't come he might end up with Vanessa." She taunted. Josh. I'd seen him a couple of times at the Bronze, he was way easy on the eyes and Jessica had noted my faint interest in him.
I debated it for a second. Buffy told me to stay in, but if I go out and come back before eleven then neither Willow nor Buffy will be the wiser. So, let's see, hang out with the girls and a bunch of cute guys at the Bronze, or go back upstairs and answer those dumb math questions. that answer's easy: I'm going to the Bronze. "Give me twenty minutes." I said before I hung up the phone. I quickly slipped my denim jacket on. Then, of course, I put on my shoes and locked the door as I headed out.
* * *
I took one last puff of my cigarette before tossing it off to the side of the street. I exhaled the smoke and pulled open the doors to the fast food restaurant; my dark, dingy, clothes in contrast with the clean, florescent, lit area. As expected, I found her working the register.
"There you go. Thank you for ordering at the Meat Palace, have a good night." She said brightly but inside I can tell she was anxious for her break to come.
"Next." She said. And I stepped up to the counter.
"Hey there love." I said giving her one of my mischievous smiles.
"Spike." she said with notable annoyance in her voice. "What the hell have I told you about coming here when I'm working?"
"So you'd rather me come to meet you after closing?" I said arrogantly.
She looked at me with utter disgust on her face, while I played it cool and hid the pain that I feel whenever she gives me that look. "No." She said in a low tone, just loud enough for me to hear. "I told you. It's over between us. What do I have to do to get that through that tiny brain of yours?"
I chose to ignore her remark "You know, I'm not like'n your attitude much. I don't know if I want to order anything from here." I said loud enough for that pathetic assistant manager of hers to hear.
"Buffy? Are you being rude to this costumer?" he asked.
"Yeah that's right!" I jumped in, pretending I actually wanted to buy something. "But I think I'll take my business elsewhere." I turned and headed out. Leaving Buffy's manager to scold her. A smile curled on my lips. Okay that was a cheap shot, but after all the crap she's put me through these passed few months she deserves it. Despite what she thinks, I actually didn't come to try and get into her pants. I just wanted to bother her, shake her up a little, after toying with my feelings I have a right to do that. She says she hates me; that she's disgusted with me- she just abruptly puts an end to our "relationship" and then complains that it's hard. Hard for her? Hey! Who trampled on who's heart huh? Who's risked his ass dozens of times to protect not only her but her li'l sis as well? And who's the one who's getting used- to give what you want and treated like dirt? Me that's who.
I think I'll go to the Bronze. Yeah. I feel like onion rings and they've got that neat little thing with the sour dip-what are they called? Oh I can't remember. I turned the corner and headed off in that direction.
* * *
I sipped my drink and nodded my head, pretending to be interested in what he was saying. Josh was okay, well he was good looking but that's about all he going for him. His brain must be about the size of a peanut and his friends who just so happened to be hooed up with Anila, Sandra and Jessica, didn't appear to be a whole lot smarter. I took another sip of my drink and again I nodded.
He started playing with a tendril of my hair; twirling it around his finger. He traced my jaw line. I feltl really uncomfortable.
"Oh, look at that," I said abruptly. "Out of punch," I gestured at the cup in my hand and excused myself. I slowly walked across the floor over to the counter, when someone caught me eye. Crap, Spike. I've gotta get out of here. I looked around for an exit other than the one he'd just entered then I quickly dashed off. I made it out side only to hear the door that I'd just passed through open again.
"Dawn? Where are you going?"
I turned around, "Oh, hi Josh. Um, just coming out to get a little fresh air." I said innocently.
"Oh?" he says, taking a step towards me.
"Yeah. It's so noisy in there, and-" he cut me off before I could continue.
"You wanted to be somewhere where we could be alone?" He said taking another step. There was something about him I just didn't trust and my trust was further lessoning.
"I- I never said that." Before I even realized it, his hand wrapped my wrist and I couldn't get away. "Let go of me!" I struggled as he tried to lead me into one of the nearby alleyways. "No-" he silenced my protests by covering my mouth with his free hand.
"Shut up!" he ordered. Thinking fast, I struggled and freed myself from his grasp ever so slightly and elbowed him in the ribs. He let me go and I instantly dashed into a run. But he recovered; caught up to me and pushed me from behind. I fell on to the ground and before I could even move he rolled me over to face him. His hand's covering my mouth again and suddenly I felt a cold blade pressed up against my neck. "You do as I say or I'll slit your throat."
I stared down at my textbook, which now appeared blurry to me and I tried to focus on the next question. "Okay. A squared, subtract C squared equals B squared." I said as I wrote down the formula for the problem. "A squared being fourteen squared, which is one hundred ninety six- Ah, screw it. I'm taking a break!" I stated and pushed my self away from my desk and head downstairs. I walked into the kitchen as I stretched, and grabbed a glass from the dish rack and moved over to the fridge wear I found the half drunken jug of orange juice. I poured the liquid into my glass and downed it entirely in one gulp. The phone rang and I picked it up. "Hello?"
I heard the Pakistan accent of one of my friends. "Dawn why aren't you here at the Bronze?"
"Anila?" I asked; to confirm who it was.
"Yeah, now come over to the Bronze. Jessica, Sandra and I've been waiting for you to show." She orders.
"I can't. I haven't finished my homework and-"
The voice on the phone changed and I knew that Jessica had taken the phone from Anila. "Come on Dawn. Josh's been waiting for you-Sean stop it; I'm on the phone! So come on. If you don't come he might end up with Vanessa." She taunted. Josh. I'd seen him a couple of times at the Bronze, he was way easy on the eyes and Jessica had noted my faint interest in him.
I debated it for a second. Buffy told me to stay in, but if I go out and come back before eleven then neither Willow nor Buffy will be the wiser. So, let's see, hang out with the girls and a bunch of cute guys at the Bronze, or go back upstairs and answer those dumb math questions. that answer's easy: I'm going to the Bronze. "Give me twenty minutes." I said before I hung up the phone. I quickly slipped my denim jacket on. Then, of course, I put on my shoes and locked the door as I headed out.
* * *
I took one last puff of my cigarette before tossing it off to the side of the street. I exhaled the smoke and pulled open the doors to the fast food restaurant; my dark, dingy, clothes in contrast with the clean, florescent, lit area. As expected, I found her working the register.
"There you go. Thank you for ordering at the Meat Palace, have a good night." She said brightly but inside I can tell she was anxious for her break to come.
"Next." She said. And I stepped up to the counter.
"Hey there love." I said giving her one of my mischievous smiles.
"Spike." she said with notable annoyance in her voice. "What the hell have I told you about coming here when I'm working?"
"So you'd rather me come to meet you after closing?" I said arrogantly.
She looked at me with utter disgust on her face, while I played it cool and hid the pain that I feel whenever she gives me that look. "No." She said in a low tone, just loud enough for me to hear. "I told you. It's over between us. What do I have to do to get that through that tiny brain of yours?"
I chose to ignore her remark "You know, I'm not like'n your attitude much. I don't know if I want to order anything from here." I said loud enough for that pathetic assistant manager of hers to hear.
"Buffy? Are you being rude to this costumer?" he asked.
"Yeah that's right!" I jumped in, pretending I actually wanted to buy something. "But I think I'll take my business elsewhere." I turned and headed out. Leaving Buffy's manager to scold her. A smile curled on my lips. Okay that was a cheap shot, but after all the crap she's put me through these passed few months she deserves it. Despite what she thinks, I actually didn't come to try and get into her pants. I just wanted to bother her, shake her up a little, after toying with my feelings I have a right to do that. She says she hates me; that she's disgusted with me- she just abruptly puts an end to our "relationship" and then complains that it's hard. Hard for her? Hey! Who trampled on who's heart huh? Who's risked his ass dozens of times to protect not only her but her li'l sis as well? And who's the one who's getting used- to give what you want and treated like dirt? Me that's who.
I think I'll go to the Bronze. Yeah. I feel like onion rings and they've got that neat little thing with the sour dip-what are they called? Oh I can't remember. I turned the corner and headed off in that direction.
* * *
I sipped my drink and nodded my head, pretending to be interested in what he was saying. Josh was okay, well he was good looking but that's about all he going for him. His brain must be about the size of a peanut and his friends who just so happened to be hooed up with Anila, Sandra and Jessica, didn't appear to be a whole lot smarter. I took another sip of my drink and again I nodded.
He started playing with a tendril of my hair; twirling it around his finger. He traced my jaw line. I feltl really uncomfortable.
"Oh, look at that," I said abruptly. "Out of punch," I gestured at the cup in my hand and excused myself. I slowly walked across the floor over to the counter, when someone caught me eye. Crap, Spike. I've gotta get out of here. I looked around for an exit other than the one he'd just entered then I quickly dashed off. I made it out side only to hear the door that I'd just passed through open again.
"Dawn? Where are you going?"
I turned around, "Oh, hi Josh. Um, just coming out to get a little fresh air." I said innocently.
"Oh?" he says, taking a step towards me.
"Yeah. It's so noisy in there, and-" he cut me off before I could continue.
"You wanted to be somewhere where we could be alone?" He said taking another step. There was something about him I just didn't trust and my trust was further lessoning.
"I- I never said that." Before I even realized it, his hand wrapped my wrist and I couldn't get away. "Let go of me!" I struggled as he tried to lead me into one of the nearby alleyways. "No-" he silenced my protests by covering my mouth with his free hand.
"Shut up!" he ordered. Thinking fast, I struggled and freed myself from his grasp ever so slightly and elbowed him in the ribs. He let me go and I instantly dashed into a run. But he recovered; caught up to me and pushed me from behind. I fell on to the ground and before I could even move he rolled me over to face him. His hand's covering my mouth again and suddenly I felt a cold blade pressed up against my neck. "You do as I say or I'll slit your throat."