Chapter 8
So Buffy had been in Sunnydale rooming with Xander for a little over a week, mostly feeling sorry for herself and patrolling, it wasn't long before Xander confronted her about money, he had asked how long she was staying and if she had any money and he told her all about how his job didn't pay much and most of it went toward the mortgage etc. She took a hint, it had happened a few times, she had overstayed her welcome, but Angel had always taken care of it, he had plenty of cash, but she had nothing. Her last jobs hadn't turned out too well and in Sunnydale employment wasn't a good idea, Doublemeat Palace and the counselling gig on a hellmouth had been total disasters. Nevertheless, Buffy figured she'd find something work it for a week pay Xander back or at least get enough money to get out, preferably both but it was all circumstantial. When your source dried up, experience had told her to get gone.
So walking through the main street in the middle of the day was quite the change for Buffy who had become accustomed to Sunnydale at night. She wandered in and out of stores looking for some junior assistant job that paid enough so that she could work a week and pay off Xander and a bus ticket to anywhere. Sitting in the park around lunch time she was surprised when somebody approached her, she wasn't really approachable even though she had on her best pants, well to be fair she only had three pairs of pants, her respectable clothes as she like to call them. Looking up, if it had been a demon she wouldn't have worried, a vampire: no problem, even a mugger, but that boy from the other night had her quivering in her boots.
"Hey." he opened with, cheery considering his broken arm.
"Oh hello," Buffy did her best to sound cheery but she couldn't even manage sincere.
"So Alex was telling me all about last night and how there are a lot of muggers around town and the girl gangs blah blah, I want to know, did I really see a girl explode into dust?"
"Umm well you see when you get knocked on the head.."she could tell he wasn't buying her brand of Bullshit. "Look I'm going to be honest with you Jack"
"Jake."
"-Jake, how long have you lived in Sunny-D?"
"Two years, we moved here from LA, to get away from the gangs and the drugs, you know the drill."
"Yeah I do, I lived it, anyway you've been here long enough to know that Sunnydale isn't a normal town, you know principal's get eaten, schools blown up, I think the Basketball team were attacked by some vampire bats or something last year and the girls choir camping trip were torn limb from limb by a bear, weren't they?"
"Yeah for once I was glad I didn't make the team and my little sister was on that trip, but she wasn't attacked. that isn't the point is it?"
"What I'm saying is this isn't a normal town, the basketball team were eaten by vampires, the girls choir, trolls and virgin sacrifices, do you get my drift?"
"Lindsay's still a virgin!" he said almost outraged.
"That really wasn't the point either, Sunnydale is on a hellmouth, everything you watched on the X-files could conceivably happen here, except for the smoking man. well there are plenty of smoking men and that whole cancer thing was completely unrealistic, although my mom did die of cancer. wow I'm having some revelations today." She could tell this wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear from her.
"Jake, keep your eyes open, don't stay out past 10, watch out for pale skinned people in out dated clothing, if somebody has bad skin, chances are they're probably not human, listen to my advice and you'll be fine," She finished actually feeling better than she had when she had started.
"Look."
"Buffy," she supplied.
"- I just came to give you this and don't open it until I'm gone, it's a card and a token of mine and my parents appreciation for saving my life from that mugger-uh-gang member, they're really happy to have me back in one piece because my early decision comes back next month and who knows? Maybe Dartmouth will take me! Look I'm just really glad you saved my life and I wanted to give you this back," he handed her a hair brush.
"Ok look, I know I'm not that snappy a dresser and my hair isn't exactly cosmo cover material, the shine and bounce just isn't there anymore and my highlights could be redone but I can take a hint. Giving me a hairbrush! You could have just said something."
"You dropped it the other day out at Revello Centre, I was one of those guys who called you 'Rambo' and well Brian called you 'sweet cheeks' the other night, but here's your brush back." He handed it to her and walked away quietly.
She opened her card and within it she found a hundred dollar bill, Buffy hadn't seen one of them in a long time, well not since Spike had robbed some rich guy and given it to her as a gift. $100, it reminded her of that time that Anya had told her to charge people for saving their lives. She just wished she saved spoiled rich boys more often.
So Buffy had been in Sunnydale rooming with Xander for a little over a week, mostly feeling sorry for herself and patrolling, it wasn't long before Xander confronted her about money, he had asked how long she was staying and if she had any money and he told her all about how his job didn't pay much and most of it went toward the mortgage etc. She took a hint, it had happened a few times, she had overstayed her welcome, but Angel had always taken care of it, he had plenty of cash, but she had nothing. Her last jobs hadn't turned out too well and in Sunnydale employment wasn't a good idea, Doublemeat Palace and the counselling gig on a hellmouth had been total disasters. Nevertheless, Buffy figured she'd find something work it for a week pay Xander back or at least get enough money to get out, preferably both but it was all circumstantial. When your source dried up, experience had told her to get gone.
So walking through the main street in the middle of the day was quite the change for Buffy who had become accustomed to Sunnydale at night. She wandered in and out of stores looking for some junior assistant job that paid enough so that she could work a week and pay off Xander and a bus ticket to anywhere. Sitting in the park around lunch time she was surprised when somebody approached her, she wasn't really approachable even though she had on her best pants, well to be fair she only had three pairs of pants, her respectable clothes as she like to call them. Looking up, if it had been a demon she wouldn't have worried, a vampire: no problem, even a mugger, but that boy from the other night had her quivering in her boots.
"Hey." he opened with, cheery considering his broken arm.
"Oh hello," Buffy did her best to sound cheery but she couldn't even manage sincere.
"So Alex was telling me all about last night and how there are a lot of muggers around town and the girl gangs blah blah, I want to know, did I really see a girl explode into dust?"
"Umm well you see when you get knocked on the head.."she could tell he wasn't buying her brand of Bullshit. "Look I'm going to be honest with you Jack"
"Jake."
"-Jake, how long have you lived in Sunny-D?"
"Two years, we moved here from LA, to get away from the gangs and the drugs, you know the drill."
"Yeah I do, I lived it, anyway you've been here long enough to know that Sunnydale isn't a normal town, you know principal's get eaten, schools blown up, I think the Basketball team were attacked by some vampire bats or something last year and the girls choir camping trip were torn limb from limb by a bear, weren't they?"
"Yeah for once I was glad I didn't make the team and my little sister was on that trip, but she wasn't attacked. that isn't the point is it?"
"What I'm saying is this isn't a normal town, the basketball team were eaten by vampires, the girls choir, trolls and virgin sacrifices, do you get my drift?"
"Lindsay's still a virgin!" he said almost outraged.
"That really wasn't the point either, Sunnydale is on a hellmouth, everything you watched on the X-files could conceivably happen here, except for the smoking man. well there are plenty of smoking men and that whole cancer thing was completely unrealistic, although my mom did die of cancer. wow I'm having some revelations today." She could tell this wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear from her.
"Jake, keep your eyes open, don't stay out past 10, watch out for pale skinned people in out dated clothing, if somebody has bad skin, chances are they're probably not human, listen to my advice and you'll be fine," She finished actually feeling better than she had when she had started.
"Look."
"Buffy," she supplied.
"- I just came to give you this and don't open it until I'm gone, it's a card and a token of mine and my parents appreciation for saving my life from that mugger-uh-gang member, they're really happy to have me back in one piece because my early decision comes back next month and who knows? Maybe Dartmouth will take me! Look I'm just really glad you saved my life and I wanted to give you this back," he handed her a hair brush.
"Ok look, I know I'm not that snappy a dresser and my hair isn't exactly cosmo cover material, the shine and bounce just isn't there anymore and my highlights could be redone but I can take a hint. Giving me a hairbrush! You could have just said something."
"You dropped it the other day out at Revello Centre, I was one of those guys who called you 'Rambo' and well Brian called you 'sweet cheeks' the other night, but here's your brush back." He handed it to her and walked away quietly.
She opened her card and within it she found a hundred dollar bill, Buffy hadn't seen one of them in a long time, well not since Spike had robbed some rich guy and given it to her as a gift. $100, it reminded her of that time that Anya had told her to charge people for saving their lives. She just wished she saved spoiled rich boys more often.