Jenny walked out of her classroom and stopped as she came face to face with Rupert. "Rupert!" She smiled nervously at him.
He looked away and replied in a cool voice, "Ms. Calendar!"
Jenny's smile faltered at the use of her last name and the tone in which it was used. Stepping forward she plunged, "I'm glad we ran into each other actually, I was hoping that we could er. . ." she trailed off briefly to glance at Buffy, Willow and Xander who were stood with Rupert. Buffy wouldn't look at her, and stared intently at the floor, deliberately ignoring her. Speaking with her hands, Jenny indicated to Rupert the classroom she had just come out of, "Do you have a minute?"
"Not just now. I have a matter to discuss with Buffy."
At her name, Buffy looked up from the floor. "Right. Let's go." She breezed past Jenny without looking at her. On the other hand, Rupert looked at Jenny with a hard look in his eyes, before turning and following his Slayer down the corridor. Jenny wasn't sure which was worse. . .Buffy purposefully not looking at her, or Rupert looking at her with cold disappointed eyes? On deliberation, Jenny decided the latter was worse.
- - -
The music was already reverberating through the Bronze when Jenny arrived. She was late - - - again. It was beginning to become a habit when she had to be in the same vicinity as Rupert. Surveying the dancing throng of happy students, she spotted the reason she was dreading the evening - - - Rupert. He was across the room, standing off to the side of the dance floor, looking thoroughly uncomfortable. Plucking up her courage, Jenny started to make her way over to him, through the crowd. When she was half-way across the room, his watchful gaze fell on her. She started to smile, but stopped, as he quickly looked away, and moved off further away from her, disappearing behind the dancing students.
Jenny briefly closed her eyes in hurt, before changing course and heading over to the bar, where she ordered coffee with brandy. While she sat on a bar-stool nursing her internal wounds with the drink, someone sat down close beside her. Hoping it was Rupert, she turned in expectation. Her look turned to disappointment when it wasn't him, but some college guy. Jenny started to turn back to her drink as the guy said, "I know I've not got movie-star looks, but I didn't think I was that bad!" He gave her a broad smile and she found herself returning it. "That's better."
"Sorry. It's just I thought you were someone else."
"Well, if you don't mind my saying, he's a fool if he isn't sat here with you right now." Jenny tilted her head to the side and gave him a wry look. "What? You don't think I'm sincere?" His gaze travelled to her short black dress, with the low scoop neck, black tights and black platform shoes and he gave her an approving look. "You're gorgeous. It's his loss if he isn't with you on Valentine's Day."
"Thanks, but believe me, it's my loss."
"Well, I still say his loss my gain. By the way, I'm Greg. You are. . .?"
Jenny was tempted to reply 'so not interested' but said "Jenny."
"How about a dance Jenny?" Jenny shook her head. "Come on?" he coaxed.
"I'm really not in the mood."
"Want to go for a walk outside and talk about it?"
Jenny looked at him. It was clear that 'talking' wasn't what he would have in mind. She gave him an unamused laugh and shook her head. "Nice try. You almost came across as believable. Might have worked if I were a seventeen year old."
"What d'you mean? I meant it."
"Mmm." Jenny gave him her best, 'yeah, right' face.
"Come on Jenny, how about it? You might enjoy yourself!"
"You're too young."
"I'm nineteen."
"And do you know how old I am?"
"Twenty-five?"
Jenny laughed, this time in amusement. "Try thirty-two."
"No way?"
"Yes way."
"So? You're still gorgeous."
Jenny rolled her eyes at him. "See ya!" She picked up her drink and stood up. He jumped up, briefly touching her elbow.
"Hey, wait! Where you going?"
"To do my chaperoning duty."
"Well, maybe we can hook up later?"
"Goodbye." Jenny turned away.
"What? Goodbye? Is that it? Don't I even get your phone number?"
Shaking her head and with her back to him, Jenny walked away. Finding a space well away from the college guy, Jenny leaned against the wall and watched the students. As her gaze scanned the students for any signs of trouble, she noticed Rupert watching her. They looked at each other for a split second, before he turned away and once again ignored her. In a subconscious attempt for comfort, Jenny wrapped both her hands around her warm mug of coffee and brandy and took a sip. It didn't really help her feel much better. The only thing that would, was Rupert forgiving her.
Pulling her shoulders back, she walked purposefully over to Rupert. As he was intent on looking away from her, he hadn't noticed her approach until she was beside him. "So are you going to ignore me all evening then?"
He briefly looked at her, before directing his gaze at a poster on the wall. "That's the plan."
He looked away and replied in a cool voice, "Ms. Calendar!"
Jenny's smile faltered at the use of her last name and the tone in which it was used. Stepping forward she plunged, "I'm glad we ran into each other actually, I was hoping that we could er. . ." she trailed off briefly to glance at Buffy, Willow and Xander who were stood with Rupert. Buffy wouldn't look at her, and stared intently at the floor, deliberately ignoring her. Speaking with her hands, Jenny indicated to Rupert the classroom she had just come out of, "Do you have a minute?"
"Not just now. I have a matter to discuss with Buffy."
At her name, Buffy looked up from the floor. "Right. Let's go." She breezed past Jenny without looking at her. On the other hand, Rupert looked at Jenny with a hard look in his eyes, before turning and following his Slayer down the corridor. Jenny wasn't sure which was worse. . .Buffy purposefully not looking at her, or Rupert looking at her with cold disappointed eyes? On deliberation, Jenny decided the latter was worse.
- - -
The music was already reverberating through the Bronze when Jenny arrived. She was late - - - again. It was beginning to become a habit when she had to be in the same vicinity as Rupert. Surveying the dancing throng of happy students, she spotted the reason she was dreading the evening - - - Rupert. He was across the room, standing off to the side of the dance floor, looking thoroughly uncomfortable. Plucking up her courage, Jenny started to make her way over to him, through the crowd. When she was half-way across the room, his watchful gaze fell on her. She started to smile, but stopped, as he quickly looked away, and moved off further away from her, disappearing behind the dancing students.
Jenny briefly closed her eyes in hurt, before changing course and heading over to the bar, where she ordered coffee with brandy. While she sat on a bar-stool nursing her internal wounds with the drink, someone sat down close beside her. Hoping it was Rupert, she turned in expectation. Her look turned to disappointment when it wasn't him, but some college guy. Jenny started to turn back to her drink as the guy said, "I know I've not got movie-star looks, but I didn't think I was that bad!" He gave her a broad smile and she found herself returning it. "That's better."
"Sorry. It's just I thought you were someone else."
"Well, if you don't mind my saying, he's a fool if he isn't sat here with you right now." Jenny tilted her head to the side and gave him a wry look. "What? You don't think I'm sincere?" His gaze travelled to her short black dress, with the low scoop neck, black tights and black platform shoes and he gave her an approving look. "You're gorgeous. It's his loss if he isn't with you on Valentine's Day."
"Thanks, but believe me, it's my loss."
"Well, I still say his loss my gain. By the way, I'm Greg. You are. . .?"
Jenny was tempted to reply 'so not interested' but said "Jenny."
"How about a dance Jenny?" Jenny shook her head. "Come on?" he coaxed.
"I'm really not in the mood."
"Want to go for a walk outside and talk about it?"
Jenny looked at him. It was clear that 'talking' wasn't what he would have in mind. She gave him an unamused laugh and shook her head. "Nice try. You almost came across as believable. Might have worked if I were a seventeen year old."
"What d'you mean? I meant it."
"Mmm." Jenny gave him her best, 'yeah, right' face.
"Come on Jenny, how about it? You might enjoy yourself!"
"You're too young."
"I'm nineteen."
"And do you know how old I am?"
"Twenty-five?"
Jenny laughed, this time in amusement. "Try thirty-two."
"No way?"
"Yes way."
"So? You're still gorgeous."
Jenny rolled her eyes at him. "See ya!" She picked up her drink and stood up. He jumped up, briefly touching her elbow.
"Hey, wait! Where you going?"
"To do my chaperoning duty."
"Well, maybe we can hook up later?"
"Goodbye." Jenny turned away.
"What? Goodbye? Is that it? Don't I even get your phone number?"
Shaking her head and with her back to him, Jenny walked away. Finding a space well away from the college guy, Jenny leaned against the wall and watched the students. As her gaze scanned the students for any signs of trouble, she noticed Rupert watching her. They looked at each other for a split second, before he turned away and once again ignored her. In a subconscious attempt for comfort, Jenny wrapped both her hands around her warm mug of coffee and brandy and took a sip. It didn't really help her feel much better. The only thing that would, was Rupert forgiving her.
Pulling her shoulders back, she walked purposefully over to Rupert. As he was intent on looking away from her, he hadn't noticed her approach until she was beside him. "So are you going to ignore me all evening then?"
He briefly looked at her, before directing his gaze at a poster on the wall. "That's the plan."