Xander stumbled into the library, his eyes still half-closed with sleep, and set his bag on the counter. "Sorry I'm late," he called to Giles in his office.

"So you should be," Giles called back as he came out to the front. "Just because I managed to coax Principal Snyder into letting you serve out your detention in the library that does not mean you get off any more lightly than anyone else." He held out a small pastry box to Xander. "Muffin? Donut?"

"Thanks," Xander said as he took a jelly donut. "I'll make up the time after school."

"No, that's alright," Giles told him. "I'm just glad we managed to make our lovely Principal Snyder think it was all his idea. You can start by going through that box of inventory on the table. I have to make a trip back to my apartment. It won't take me long."

"Sure," Xander told him. "See you in a while."

Xander was busy placing the book pile in his arms on the shelves in the stacks when he heard the library doors open. He quickly looked at his watch on his free arm. "Wow, that was quick, Giles," he called. "Did you get magic wings fitted to your toy car or something?" when he got no reply he placed the books on the floor and headed to the front of the library, only to stop when he saw Mitch Holden leaning against the check-out counter. "Mitch," he said in greeting as he walked down the stairs. "I didn't even realise you knew where the library was, much less what it was actually for."

"I'm not here for books," Mitch told him.

"Well, that is a surprise."

"I heard you got morning detention."

"You heard right."

"So, how come you're serving it in here?"

"Snyder thought it would bug me more, seeing as how he thinks I can't read. What are you doing at school this early?"

"I wanted to talk to you," Mitch told him. "In private."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," Mitch said with a shrug. "You look nervous."

"I'm not," Xander told him. "Just curious."

"The truth is, I came here to thank you. I was looking for a way to get out of the whole Amanda thing and you saved me a job."

"Is that right?" Xander asked suspiciously.

"Yeah. I mean, she got kinda clingy, you know."

"Okay…"

"Anyway," Mitch continued, "I'm having a party this Saturday night at the Bronze, and I was just wondering if you and Amanda would like to come, providing that you don't already have plans that is."

"No, not yet."

"So, will you come?"

"I don't know, Mitch," Xander said honestly. "You're inviting me to your party?"

"Yeah, I invited a lot of people. Look, I've known Amanda for a long time, since we were kids. She's always been a big part of my life. In case you may not have noticed, I've been getting a lot of stick from my friends about this. I'm being the bigger man here, inviting my ex-girlfriend and the guy who stole her from me to my party. But hey, if you don't think you can handle it-"

"No, it's not that," Xander said, interrupting. "But see this from my point of view. You've gotta admit, it looks pretty suspicious."

"Yeah, it probably does. But this is for real. Will you come or not?"

"I'll ask Amanda."

"I've already mentioned it to her and she's fine with it."

"Well, then, I guess we'll see what we can do."

"You know what would be really weird?" Mitch asked with a grin. "If we actually became friends."

"Yeah, that would be weird," Xander said quietly as Mitch left. "Seeing as how it would only happen in some alternate universe…"

"Amanda!" Mitch called as he saw his former girlfriend head into the girl's locker room.

Amanda saw him and cast an icy glare as she continued on her way, opening the door to the locker room determinedly.

"Amanda!" he called again as he caught up with her inside, amongst the shrieks of surprise and protest from the other girls. "Excuse me, ladies," he called as he approached an angry-looking Amanda at her locker. "This won't take a minute."

"Leave me alone, Mitch," Amanda told him through gritted teeth.

"No, I won't," he told her, using his arm to support himself at the metal lockers, standing in front of her. "Not until you listen to me."

"Listen to what?" Amanda snarled at him. "What could you possibly have to say to me that's of any importance?"

"Look, you call this thing with Harris off, okay? You only did it to hurt me, and guess what, it hurts."

"Good," she told him. "Then that's just the added bonus."

"What is wrong with you?"

"YOU!" she yelled at him. "You're what's wrong with me. You think I didn't hear about you asking Xander to the party on Saturday night?"

"What?" Mitch asked. "It was a friendly gesture."

"I know you're just using it to get back at me. You just wanna prove how big a man you are by getting Xander there by being all nice, just so you can beat the crap out of him."

"That's not why I'm doing it," he told her as innocently as possible.

"Yeah, well, I don't care." She took off the silver band she had on her finger and threw it at him.

"Uh, excuse me," Coach Foster said as she came in and saw Mitch. "Just what is going on here?"

"Oh, relax," Mitch told her, obviously irritated. "There is nothing here that I haven't seen before."

"Well, I suggest that you leave now, before I report you to Principal Snyder."

"I'm going, lady!" he snapped at her, bending to pick up the ring that lay on the floor. He looked at Amanda. "This really isn't over."

"That's where you're wrong," Amanda told him. "It really is."

Buffy stood patiently at the bar of the Bronze, her fingers absently tapping on the counter as the bartender served the group of guys next to her. She glanced back to the table she had been sitting at and smiled at Angel, who promptly returned the compliment.

"…So, anyway…" Buffy heard a familiar male voice say, "Everything's set for this Saturday."

Buffy realised the voice belonged to Mitch Holden and her eyes widened as she discreetly moved closer to them, using her hand to hide her face as inconspicuously as possible.

"Amanda's bringing him?" Blaine, a friend of Mitch's, asked.

"Like I said, it's all set," Mitch boasted. "She's gonna take him out, and then bring him back here so we can give him the beating of his life."

Buffy froze for a second as she realised her hunch had been right all along, and she quickly weighed up the options in her mind.

"What can I get you?" the bartender asked, startling her.

"Uh…" she said, confused, "uh…nothing, thank you." She quickly went back to her table and grabbed Angel's arm, yanking him from his stool and pulling him towards the exit.

Buffy and Angel get to the gas station as Xander was locking up for the evening, and they quickly caught his attention to gain entry into the building.

"Hey," Xander said, pleasantly surprised to see Buffy, and not-so-pleasantly surprised to see Angel. "What can I do for you two this fine evening? I have some very special premium unleaded if you're interested."

"I think we'll pass," Buffy told him with an amused smile. "I, um, came by to talk to you," she said awkwardly. "It's kinda personal."

"I'll wait outside," Angel said as he headed back out the doors.

"Okay," Xander said suspiciously. "It must me serious if Dead Boy doesn't wanna be around. What's the deal?"

"See, we were at the Bronze, and-"

"The Bronze?" he asked. "Hey, was that band-"

"Xander," Buffy interrupted. "The band isn't the point here. I heard Mitch and some of his friends talking. I know that Willow and I said that we would give you all of our support here, but I can't just stand by and watch you get hurt."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a joke, Xander," Buffy said gently. "It's all a joke. Amanda, the date… Mitch just wants Amanda to get you to the Bronze so he can beat you up."

"But that's not possible," Xander said, shaking his head.

"Xander, it is. Look, I'm sorry, okay, but it's the truth. I wouldn't lie to you."

"I know," he said sadly.

"It was all I could do to keep from pounding his face into the ground when I heard him."

"Don't worry about it," Xander told her. "I'll take care of it."

Willow carried the cup of hot tea into her dark bedroom and closed the door behind her. She carefully placed the cup on her nightstand, and wearily sat on her bed. With no lights on in the room, her tiredness seemed to grow, and all the thoughts she'd had previously of studying for the paper that needed to be in the following week went right out of her head. She flopped back on the bed with a sigh of contentment, only to scream loudly and jump back to her feet when her head connected with something that was obviously not part of the bed. The lamp at the side of the bed turned on and she froze when she saw the distinctly male figure lying on her bed, his arms behind his neck supporting his head.

"Didn't mean to scare you," Xander told her.

Willow tried to regain her breathing pattern and her hand flew to her chest, somehow thinking it may ease the feeling inside. "God, Xander!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"What, I can't visit my best friend for no reason?"

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Yeah," she told him suspiciously. "But you haven't been over here for a while – well, not just for a visit anyway. How did you get in here anyway?"

"Used my key to your door," he told her, indicating the door at the other side of the room. "I hope you don't mind."

"No, of course not," she told him.

"Buffy came to see at work," Xander explained. "You know how you and Buffy told me that this thing with Amanda could be a joke? Well, it is."

"A joke?" she asked. "As in a joke on you?"

"That's right," he said with a sigh and nod. "She's going out with me to get me to the party so that Mitch and his friends can use me as their punch bag. So, as it turns out, you were right."

"I didn't want to be," she said sincerely. "So when are you gonna tell her that you know?"

"I'm not," he said simply. "I'm going through with it."

"Xander, you can't," she told him as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"I can," he said determinedly. "I'm sick of people like Amanda, Cordelia and Mitch and everyone else like them who think they're better than me – than us. I've had enough of being the loser who's always the butt of everyone's jokes. I have to prove to them that I'm better than that, than them. I need to prove it to myself. If I don't do this, I'm always gonna be the geek who hangs out in the library with two girls and an old guy – don't tell Giles I said that. I mean, I'm still gonna be the guy who does those things, but at least I'll fell better about myself."

Willow mimicked his position and lay beside him on the bed, her hands behind her head. "I get it," she said reluctantly and slightly disapproving. "I don't want to, but I get it." She hesitated a second. "I am sorry, you know."

"I know," he said sincerely. "And I'm sorry for being such a jerk to you."

"I'm used to it."

He nudged her slightly. "You always hurt the ones you love."

"Yeah," she said with a forced laugh. "So when are you beating up Amanda Jones?"

He laughed at her and felt his mood lighten a little, not seeing the hurt look on her face and tears in her eyes.