Destiny Lost
#1: In the Space of a Heartbeat
Authors: Sonya and Erin
E-mail: sonyajeb@swbell.net OR carynsilver@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13
Category: B/X, AU, action/adventure, romance
Summary: An accident seconds before being chosen causes the Slayer Essence to skip Buffy, leaving her a normal girl. Then, a year and a half later, her mom's new job and her parents' divorce brings Buffy and her mother to Sunnydale, where Buffy comes in contact with the world of the night and a young man dedicated to its destruction.
Disclaimer: We do not own Buffy or any of the original characters or ideas from the show. They all belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc. All we own is our own creative genius (unless that's too strong a word :) and any characters we make up.
Distribution: Sure, just let us know where it is!
Feedback: Love it! We want to know your likes AND dislikes. Flames are the only thing we do not accept.
Spoilers: Basic BtVS mythology and vampire/slayer lore
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 3
The underground cavern that had once housed the Master's lair was no more. Huge rocks blocked the entrance to anyone that happened to come that way. Sonya Parker sat staring at the stones with a dazed expression on her face. There was no sound in the dark passage except that of her fingers restlessly tapping on the arms of her wheelchair. As she stared straight ahead, memories flashed through her mind, memories from a time when she hadn't needed this damned wheelchair...
---Beginning of Flashback---
Sonya was stalking her prey with an ease and grace that only the Chosen One could possess. She had followed the female vampire all across town, trying to figure out what the creature was up to. Finally, Sonya had tracked her here, to this old, run down tree house on the far side of town. She waited until the vampire had disappeared inside the doorway before she began climbing the ladder after her, careful not to make the slightest sound. Once she neared the top, she heard voices...
"Willow? Is that you?" a male asked tentatively. His voice was raw and scratchy, as if he'd just been crying.
"Of course it's me, silly. Who else would it be?" purred a new voice, obviously the vampire that Sonya had been tracking across town.
"But... I thought you were dead..." Now there was a definite sense of doubt and even fear in the male's voice. Sonya nodded to herself. Whoever he was, the guy was no fool. He sensed that something was amiss.
"I'm not dead, Xander," replied the vampire in a seductive whisper, "I'll never be dead."
"Wha...?"
"And I'm here to give you that same gift. We can be together, Xander. Don't you see? We can be together forever, literally. All you have to do is say yes, Xander. Just one little word and everything will be OK again..."
Sonya decided that she had heard enough. Quickly climbing up the last few steps, Sonya pulled herself up into the tree house and came face to face with the redheaded demon. "Slayer!" she hissed, quickly changing into her true face, "You'll die for this intrusion!"
Sonya grinned, pulling a stake out of her jacket sleeve. "I think not."
The vampire, Willow was what the guy had called her, looked down at the stake with real fear in her yellow eyes. Looking back at her intended prey, she proclaimed, "I'll be back for you, Xander." Then she looked at Sonya, who only raised an eyebrow and lifted the stake higher. Growling, Willow viscously pushed Sonya down and made a beeline for the door, leaping to the ground and running away as fast as her demon legs could carry her.
Sonya considered going after the vampire, but then her eyes landed on the boy huddled in the corner of the tree house. Sighing, she decided to let the vampire get away and took a step toward the boy. "Are you okay?"
He didn't seem to hear her. His eyes were un-focused and he seemed to be in a state of shock. All he could do was wrap his arms around his knees, rock back and forth and murmur over and over again, "Oh, God. Willow. Oh, God."
Sonya groaned inwardly. (Great, now I have to deal with this basket case when I should be chasing that vampire instead!) However, she made sure to plaster a friendly smile on her face and act like she really cared. Maybe she'd be able to hand him off to Giles and let the librarian handle this. Then she'd be able to finally get back to work.
---End of Flashback---
Sonya smiled to herself. Her first meeting with Xander had been less than impressive. If someone had told her then that the boy she'd saved would one day take over her duties as Slayer and go on to become her closest friend, she wouldn't have believed them. But he had.
Sonya looked down at her arms, tracing a finger over the thin line of scar tissue that ran from her wrist up to her elbow on each one. And he had done more than just be her friend, hadn't he? He'd even saved her life.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Xander was running. Tombstones flashed by him as he ran through the graveyard as fast as he possibly could. Once he reached the mausoleum, Xander skidded to a halt. He pushed open the heavy oak doors and made his way inside, heading for the door at the back of the structure. The chains that used to keep the back door closed had long since been removed, so Xander had no trouble making his way into the tunnels that ran underground. As he walked through the dark passages, many different thoughts flitted through his mind, each one presenting a new scenario involving Sonya's death. As his imagination continued to run wild, Xander quickened his pace, something inside him telling him to hurry.
He rounded a corner and almost ran right into the wheelchair sitting in front of him. The woman sitting in the chair didn't look up or acknowledge his presence in any way. As he watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest, relieved to see that she was indeed still alive, he remembered a similar time in their lives. However, the last time he'd found her here, she'd been lying unconscious on the ground, blood from two, gaping, self-inflicted wounds puddling around her and coating her hair in its sticky redness.
He had taken her to the hospital immediately and then spent the entire night sitting by her bedside as the machines keeping her alive made soft beeping and whirling noises, not knowing whether or not she was going to live. That had been one of the scariest times of his young life.
Xander placed a gentle hand on the brunette's shoulder, softly inquiring, "Sonya? Are you okay?"
At first she didn't respond. Then, she slowly seemed to come out of her daze and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "It's been an entire year, Xand. A whole year..."
Suddenly Xander understood. A year ago today, she had lost the use of her legs in this very place and thereby changed the course of both of their lives. Not saying a word because no words were needed between them at this juncture, Xander simply reached down and picked her up, cradling her in his arms as she cried out her anger and frustration on his shoulder.
After a few moments, he set her back down in the wheelchair and then pushed Sonya out of this place and to his car, setting her gently in the passenger side seat. She was still crying, though not as much as before, and he took that as a good sign. After folding the wheelchair and placing it in the back of his jeep, Xander got into the driver's seat and began the long drive back to the high school at a considerably slower pace than he'd been driving before.
Once they reached the high school, Xander parked the car directly behind the library and killed the engine, turning to face Sonya. She had long since stopped crying and was in the process of wiping her eyes and reapplying her makeup. "Are you ready to go in?" he asked, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
She nodded, sniffling a little bit. "Yeah. I'm ready."
Xander didn't reply, but instead he got out of the car and reached in back to retrieve her wheelchair, setting it by her side. Then he picked her back up and got her situated in her chair, closing and locking the car up behind them. As Sonya adjusted her cross necklace around her neck, Xander pushed her toward the back doors of the school and into the hallway. "You have Home Ec this period, right?" he asked as he wheeled her down the deserted halls.
"Yeah, but it's way too late for me to go. The class is almost over by now."
Xander nodded, "Okay, then we can just go to lunch early so we can beat the crowds."
Sonya grinned, "You may need to beat the crowds, but I don't. They just let me go to the front of the line because they feel like they're obligated to, which doesn't bother me much."
"Don't gloat," Xander retorted, "It's not becoming."
Sonya laughed, "So says the man who made an art form out of it!"
"I do NOT gloat," Xander replied defensively. Seeing Sonya's raised eyebrow, he added, "...much." Suddenly, Xander stopped walking mid-step and groaned loudly, slapping a hand to his forehead. "Oh, no!"
"What?" Sonya asked, concerned.
"I forgot all about my Chemistry homework while I was tracking you down. Mr. Franklin will kill me if I don't turn it in today!" Giving Sonya an apologetic smile, he said, "I've gotta go back to my locker for my Chem. book so I can finish the assignment. I'll meet you in front of the cafeteria in a few minutes, okay?"
Sonya nodded, "That's fine. After all, I am a big girl. I can take care of myself, you know, Harris."
"Well, you could've fooled me," Xander replied, grinning to let Sonya know that he was only joking with her. As he headed off down the hallway, he called back over his shoulder, "I'll see ya in a few minutes, Wheels!"
Once Xander got to his locker, he quickly dialed the combination and grabbed his book, slamming the locker door shut behind him and taking off down the hall just as the bell signaling the end of fourth period began to ring. Xander groaned to himself. (Great,) he thought, (soon these halls are going to be full of kids heading to lunch and I'll never be able to find Sonya!) Xander quickened his pace, hoping to beat the crowds.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The rest of Buffy's morning passed in a daze of history, algebra and home economics. Then it was time for lunch. Buffy approached the cafeteria in dread. She knew she'd have to sit alone -- the kiss of death in social situations. Then she saw Alexander striding through the halls with a purposeful gate.
"Hey," she called to him, screwing up whatever courage she had built up after the Cordelia incidents, "Alexander, wait up!"
He looked back, and she thought he had heard her. She raised her hand in a wave, but he didn't respond. Suddenly a girl with a wheelchair appeared next to him. Buffy walked by and the boy didn't even say hi. She felt rejected and even more alone than before. Intellectually, Buffy thought maybe he hadn't heard her call. The hallways were noisy. But she still felt bad, and the fact that it was lunchtime and he had been her only hope of not sitting alone made it all the worse.
Slowly, Buffy got in a food line and bought some type of casserole. Then she sat down by herself. She pulled a book out of her backpack -- Buffy had read a lot of books since the accident -- and pretended like she was too occupied to be bothered with lunch companions, but inside Buffy hoped that by the next day she would know someone, anyone to sit with. If not, she would bring her lunch and go sit outside.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As Xander was walking through the halls and looking for Sonya, he thought he heard someone call his name, but after a quick glance behind him, he realized belatedly that the person had called out for someone named Alexander. No one he knew ever called him Alexander, aside from the teachers, so Xander shrugged it off and continued walking. Soon he'd reached the cafeteria doors and was relieved to see Sonya waiting for him nearby. Walking to her side, he held up his Chem. book with a triumphant grin and said, "I found it!"
Sonya smiled in return, "I'm glad. After all, we don't want you flunking out of high school if at all possible."
Xander was about to reply when he saw Buffy Summers walk past them, heading for the cafeteria doors. He had to force himself not to stare at her, though obviously he didn't look away quickly enough because he soon felt a sharp jab in his ribs and heard Sonya hiss, "You shouldn't stare. It's rude." When he didn't immediately respond, she added, "And wipe that drool off of your chin, Harris. It's not attractive."
Xander rolled his eyes, turning to look down at Sonya. "You're just jealous, Wheels," he teased. When she didn't immediately respond, Xander sensed that something had bothered her about his words and he decided to change the subject. "Hey, how about I grab us a couple of completely non-nutritional snacks from the vending machine and then we go eat outside to escape the crowds?"
Sonya nodded, giving him a brief smile. "Sure, sounds great. Get me a Snickers bar and a Coke, please."
Xander hurried inside and got the two requested items, along with something for himself. Then he headed back outside, quickly locating Sonya. She was sitting under a grove of trees and obviously enjoying the shade. "Here," he said, handing her the Snickers bar and the Coke before sitting down on the grass beside her chair. They ate in silence, simply enjoying each other's company. Then, Xander got up and brushed grass off his pants before wheeling Sonya back into the school building.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Oz was walking through the lunch line, casually picking and subsequently discarding the different food items. Nothing looked good, as usual. There was an interesting concoction that somewhat resembled a meatloaf, though Oz had no idea what the strange green specks in it were. Deciding that the pseudo-meatloaf was as close to real food as he was going to get, Oz grabbed a plate of the stuff and a Coke and quickly paid the cashier.
Tray of food in hand, Oz wandered around the cafeteria, looking for a place to sit. He thought he spotted the Dingoes' bass guitarist sitting with a group of girls, but he didn't really have a lot in common with the guy, aside from playing in the band, so he didn't go and say hello.
As he was walking, Oz noticed a pretty, blonde girl sitting by herself and reading a book. He wondered why she didn't have anyone to sit with. After all, she was pretty enough to give Cordelia Chase a run for her money in the looks department. And she was probably a lot nicer than the Queen of Snobs was, too.
Oz was about to go introduce himself and see if she wanted any company when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he grinned when he saw Devon standing there with his own tray of green meat-like stuff.
"Hey, man," Devon said in greeting, "I'm gonna go sit outside with the rest of the band. Well, everybody except for Jimmy. He's still over there flirting with the chicks." Oz followed Devon's gaze over to where Jimmy (a.k.a. the bass player) was still talking up a storm with the girls before turning back to face Devon who was speaking again. "So, Oz... wanna come with?"
Oz frowned, glancing over at where the blonde girl was still sitting alone. Then he looked back at Devon, finally coming to a decision. "Well... I guess so, man. Lead the way."
As they walked outside, Oz looked back at the blonde one last time. "Who IS that girl?" he wondered aloud before shrugging and turning his attention back to his friends.
#1: In the Space of a Heartbeat
Authors: Sonya and Erin
E-mail: sonyajeb@swbell.net OR carynsilver@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13
Category: B/X, AU, action/adventure, romance
Summary: An accident seconds before being chosen causes the Slayer Essence to skip Buffy, leaving her a normal girl. Then, a year and a half later, her mom's new job and her parents' divorce brings Buffy and her mother to Sunnydale, where Buffy comes in contact with the world of the night and a young man dedicated to its destruction.
Disclaimer: We do not own Buffy or any of the original characters or ideas from the show. They all belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc. All we own is our own creative genius (unless that's too strong a word :) and any characters we make up.
Distribution: Sure, just let us know where it is!
Feedback: Love it! We want to know your likes AND dislikes. Flames are the only thing we do not accept.
Spoilers: Basic BtVS mythology and vampire/slayer lore
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 3
The underground cavern that had once housed the Master's lair was no more. Huge rocks blocked the entrance to anyone that happened to come that way. Sonya Parker sat staring at the stones with a dazed expression on her face. There was no sound in the dark passage except that of her fingers restlessly tapping on the arms of her wheelchair. As she stared straight ahead, memories flashed through her mind, memories from a time when she hadn't needed this damned wheelchair...
---Beginning of Flashback---
Sonya was stalking her prey with an ease and grace that only the Chosen One could possess. She had followed the female vampire all across town, trying to figure out what the creature was up to. Finally, Sonya had tracked her here, to this old, run down tree house on the far side of town. She waited until the vampire had disappeared inside the doorway before she began climbing the ladder after her, careful not to make the slightest sound. Once she neared the top, she heard voices...
"Willow? Is that you?" a male asked tentatively. His voice was raw and scratchy, as if he'd just been crying.
"Of course it's me, silly. Who else would it be?" purred a new voice, obviously the vampire that Sonya had been tracking across town.
"But... I thought you were dead..." Now there was a definite sense of doubt and even fear in the male's voice. Sonya nodded to herself. Whoever he was, the guy was no fool. He sensed that something was amiss.
"I'm not dead, Xander," replied the vampire in a seductive whisper, "I'll never be dead."
"Wha...?"
"And I'm here to give you that same gift. We can be together, Xander. Don't you see? We can be together forever, literally. All you have to do is say yes, Xander. Just one little word and everything will be OK again..."
Sonya decided that she had heard enough. Quickly climbing up the last few steps, Sonya pulled herself up into the tree house and came face to face with the redheaded demon. "Slayer!" she hissed, quickly changing into her true face, "You'll die for this intrusion!"
Sonya grinned, pulling a stake out of her jacket sleeve. "I think not."
The vampire, Willow was what the guy had called her, looked down at the stake with real fear in her yellow eyes. Looking back at her intended prey, she proclaimed, "I'll be back for you, Xander." Then she looked at Sonya, who only raised an eyebrow and lifted the stake higher. Growling, Willow viscously pushed Sonya down and made a beeline for the door, leaping to the ground and running away as fast as her demon legs could carry her.
Sonya considered going after the vampire, but then her eyes landed on the boy huddled in the corner of the tree house. Sighing, she decided to let the vampire get away and took a step toward the boy. "Are you okay?"
He didn't seem to hear her. His eyes were un-focused and he seemed to be in a state of shock. All he could do was wrap his arms around his knees, rock back and forth and murmur over and over again, "Oh, God. Willow. Oh, God."
Sonya groaned inwardly. (Great, now I have to deal with this basket case when I should be chasing that vampire instead!) However, she made sure to plaster a friendly smile on her face and act like she really cared. Maybe she'd be able to hand him off to Giles and let the librarian handle this. Then she'd be able to finally get back to work.
---End of Flashback---
Sonya smiled to herself. Her first meeting with Xander had been less than impressive. If someone had told her then that the boy she'd saved would one day take over her duties as Slayer and go on to become her closest friend, she wouldn't have believed them. But he had.
Sonya looked down at her arms, tracing a finger over the thin line of scar tissue that ran from her wrist up to her elbow on each one. And he had done more than just be her friend, hadn't he? He'd even saved her life.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Xander was running. Tombstones flashed by him as he ran through the graveyard as fast as he possibly could. Once he reached the mausoleum, Xander skidded to a halt. He pushed open the heavy oak doors and made his way inside, heading for the door at the back of the structure. The chains that used to keep the back door closed had long since been removed, so Xander had no trouble making his way into the tunnels that ran underground. As he walked through the dark passages, many different thoughts flitted through his mind, each one presenting a new scenario involving Sonya's death. As his imagination continued to run wild, Xander quickened his pace, something inside him telling him to hurry.
He rounded a corner and almost ran right into the wheelchair sitting in front of him. The woman sitting in the chair didn't look up or acknowledge his presence in any way. As he watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest, relieved to see that she was indeed still alive, he remembered a similar time in their lives. However, the last time he'd found her here, she'd been lying unconscious on the ground, blood from two, gaping, self-inflicted wounds puddling around her and coating her hair in its sticky redness.
He had taken her to the hospital immediately and then spent the entire night sitting by her bedside as the machines keeping her alive made soft beeping and whirling noises, not knowing whether or not she was going to live. That had been one of the scariest times of his young life.
Xander placed a gentle hand on the brunette's shoulder, softly inquiring, "Sonya? Are you okay?"
At first she didn't respond. Then, she slowly seemed to come out of her daze and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "It's been an entire year, Xand. A whole year..."
Suddenly Xander understood. A year ago today, she had lost the use of her legs in this very place and thereby changed the course of both of their lives. Not saying a word because no words were needed between them at this juncture, Xander simply reached down and picked her up, cradling her in his arms as she cried out her anger and frustration on his shoulder.
After a few moments, he set her back down in the wheelchair and then pushed Sonya out of this place and to his car, setting her gently in the passenger side seat. She was still crying, though not as much as before, and he took that as a good sign. After folding the wheelchair and placing it in the back of his jeep, Xander got into the driver's seat and began the long drive back to the high school at a considerably slower pace than he'd been driving before.
Once they reached the high school, Xander parked the car directly behind the library and killed the engine, turning to face Sonya. She had long since stopped crying and was in the process of wiping her eyes and reapplying her makeup. "Are you ready to go in?" he asked, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
She nodded, sniffling a little bit. "Yeah. I'm ready."
Xander didn't reply, but instead he got out of the car and reached in back to retrieve her wheelchair, setting it by her side. Then he picked her back up and got her situated in her chair, closing and locking the car up behind them. As Sonya adjusted her cross necklace around her neck, Xander pushed her toward the back doors of the school and into the hallway. "You have Home Ec this period, right?" he asked as he wheeled her down the deserted halls.
"Yeah, but it's way too late for me to go. The class is almost over by now."
Xander nodded, "Okay, then we can just go to lunch early so we can beat the crowds."
Sonya grinned, "You may need to beat the crowds, but I don't. They just let me go to the front of the line because they feel like they're obligated to, which doesn't bother me much."
"Don't gloat," Xander retorted, "It's not becoming."
Sonya laughed, "So says the man who made an art form out of it!"
"I do NOT gloat," Xander replied defensively. Seeing Sonya's raised eyebrow, he added, "...much." Suddenly, Xander stopped walking mid-step and groaned loudly, slapping a hand to his forehead. "Oh, no!"
"What?" Sonya asked, concerned.
"I forgot all about my Chemistry homework while I was tracking you down. Mr. Franklin will kill me if I don't turn it in today!" Giving Sonya an apologetic smile, he said, "I've gotta go back to my locker for my Chem. book so I can finish the assignment. I'll meet you in front of the cafeteria in a few minutes, okay?"
Sonya nodded, "That's fine. After all, I am a big girl. I can take care of myself, you know, Harris."
"Well, you could've fooled me," Xander replied, grinning to let Sonya know that he was only joking with her. As he headed off down the hallway, he called back over his shoulder, "I'll see ya in a few minutes, Wheels!"
Once Xander got to his locker, he quickly dialed the combination and grabbed his book, slamming the locker door shut behind him and taking off down the hall just as the bell signaling the end of fourth period began to ring. Xander groaned to himself. (Great,) he thought, (soon these halls are going to be full of kids heading to lunch and I'll never be able to find Sonya!) Xander quickened his pace, hoping to beat the crowds.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The rest of Buffy's morning passed in a daze of history, algebra and home economics. Then it was time for lunch. Buffy approached the cafeteria in dread. She knew she'd have to sit alone -- the kiss of death in social situations. Then she saw Alexander striding through the halls with a purposeful gate.
"Hey," she called to him, screwing up whatever courage she had built up after the Cordelia incidents, "Alexander, wait up!"
He looked back, and she thought he had heard her. She raised her hand in a wave, but he didn't respond. Suddenly a girl with a wheelchair appeared next to him. Buffy walked by and the boy didn't even say hi. She felt rejected and even more alone than before. Intellectually, Buffy thought maybe he hadn't heard her call. The hallways were noisy. But she still felt bad, and the fact that it was lunchtime and he had been her only hope of not sitting alone made it all the worse.
Slowly, Buffy got in a food line and bought some type of casserole. Then she sat down by herself. She pulled a book out of her backpack -- Buffy had read a lot of books since the accident -- and pretended like she was too occupied to be bothered with lunch companions, but inside Buffy hoped that by the next day she would know someone, anyone to sit with. If not, she would bring her lunch and go sit outside.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As Xander was walking through the halls and looking for Sonya, he thought he heard someone call his name, but after a quick glance behind him, he realized belatedly that the person had called out for someone named Alexander. No one he knew ever called him Alexander, aside from the teachers, so Xander shrugged it off and continued walking. Soon he'd reached the cafeteria doors and was relieved to see Sonya waiting for him nearby. Walking to her side, he held up his Chem. book with a triumphant grin and said, "I found it!"
Sonya smiled in return, "I'm glad. After all, we don't want you flunking out of high school if at all possible."
Xander was about to reply when he saw Buffy Summers walk past them, heading for the cafeteria doors. He had to force himself not to stare at her, though obviously he didn't look away quickly enough because he soon felt a sharp jab in his ribs and heard Sonya hiss, "You shouldn't stare. It's rude." When he didn't immediately respond, she added, "And wipe that drool off of your chin, Harris. It's not attractive."
Xander rolled his eyes, turning to look down at Sonya. "You're just jealous, Wheels," he teased. When she didn't immediately respond, Xander sensed that something had bothered her about his words and he decided to change the subject. "Hey, how about I grab us a couple of completely non-nutritional snacks from the vending machine and then we go eat outside to escape the crowds?"
Sonya nodded, giving him a brief smile. "Sure, sounds great. Get me a Snickers bar and a Coke, please."
Xander hurried inside and got the two requested items, along with something for himself. Then he headed back outside, quickly locating Sonya. She was sitting under a grove of trees and obviously enjoying the shade. "Here," he said, handing her the Snickers bar and the Coke before sitting down on the grass beside her chair. They ate in silence, simply enjoying each other's company. Then, Xander got up and brushed grass off his pants before wheeling Sonya back into the school building.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Oz was walking through the lunch line, casually picking and subsequently discarding the different food items. Nothing looked good, as usual. There was an interesting concoction that somewhat resembled a meatloaf, though Oz had no idea what the strange green specks in it were. Deciding that the pseudo-meatloaf was as close to real food as he was going to get, Oz grabbed a plate of the stuff and a Coke and quickly paid the cashier.
Tray of food in hand, Oz wandered around the cafeteria, looking for a place to sit. He thought he spotted the Dingoes' bass guitarist sitting with a group of girls, but he didn't really have a lot in common with the guy, aside from playing in the band, so he didn't go and say hello.
As he was walking, Oz noticed a pretty, blonde girl sitting by herself and reading a book. He wondered why she didn't have anyone to sit with. After all, she was pretty enough to give Cordelia Chase a run for her money in the looks department. And she was probably a lot nicer than the Queen of Snobs was, too.
Oz was about to go introduce himself and see if she wanted any company when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he grinned when he saw Devon standing there with his own tray of green meat-like stuff.
"Hey, man," Devon said in greeting, "I'm gonna go sit outside with the rest of the band. Well, everybody except for Jimmy. He's still over there flirting with the chicks." Oz followed Devon's gaze over to where Jimmy (a.k.a. the bass player) was still talking up a storm with the girls before turning back to face Devon who was speaking again. "So, Oz... wanna come with?"
Oz frowned, glancing over at where the blonde girl was still sitting alone. Then he looked back at Devon, finally coming to a decision. "Well... I guess so, man. Lead the way."
As they walked outside, Oz looked back at the blonde one last time. "Who IS that girl?" he wondered aloud before shrugging and turning his attention back to his friends.