Chapter 8.
Buffy breathed a sigh of relief as the bell rang signaling the end of another English lesson from hell. She had actually managed to impress Mr. Barratt her teacher, thanks mostly to the notes Spike had given her the week previous at dinner. Every time she answered a question correctly she would see him beaming over at her.
It wasn't the class that was her problem, it was the two bitches sat at the back of the class, Cordelia Chase and Darla, snickering, pointing and passing notes about the class. One had got as far as Spike and Buffy had watched him read it, with his face twisting into a disbelieving frown before he screwed it up and threw it back at Cordelia with a freezing glare. He hadn't met her gaze again all lesson.
She couldn't wait to get out of there, not wanting to wait around to find out what the two girls were saying about her. She snapped closed her folder and quickly threw her bag over her shoulder, running from the class into the crowded hallway.
She opened her locker and was attempting to squeeze her textbooks into the tiny space she had left, when she heard her name being called. Buffy poked her head round the locker door and saw the 2 girls from her English class standing smirking at her just across the hall.
They were the girls every guy wanted to date, Cordelia was stunning, dark hair always beautifully coiffed, head cheerleader and dating the star quarterback in the schools football team. She was a walking cliché. Darla was a spoilt, rich, daddies girl, beautiful and perfect in everyway, well perfect except for the stinking attitude she had. In her old school they would have been Buffy's friends, but not here, that had all changed now.
They had been joined by Drusilla, who cast Buffy an evil glance as she whispered something into Darla's ear.
Buffy returned to the task in hand, forcing an overly large book into an increasingly smaller hole. The more she arranged the contents the less space there became. It was a futile experiment, but she was putting all her concentration into it, to help her ignore the giggles coming from across the way. Her concentration was broken when she heard Darla shriek out,
"Oh my god, she's such a freak!" followed by Cordelia adding, "Yeah she should be locked up, she is like a total lunatic. Her last school threw her out after she half killed some guy, broke his jaw and everything."
This attracted the attention of pretty much everyone within earshot of the group, and they all turned to look at the tiny blonde girl approaching them.
"What is your problem?" Buffy snarled at the brunette.
Drusilla decided this was a good point to join in, "That would be you my sweet," she whispered sinisterly as she slowly waved her finger around and pointed at the blonde. "You see we don't want you here, your not right."
Cordelia leant in towards Buffy and whispered to her, "And how is Angel these days, I hear he found someone better, you weren't enough for him were you."
Buffy snapped, she drew back her arm and hit the mocking brunette square in the face. Cordelia went falling to the floor slumped against the lockers. Darla just stared at the furious girl in front of her in silence, but Dru grabbed her by the hair and threw her across the hall. She caught Buffy off guard and she went tumbling into another girl that had been watching all the excitement with interest. They both fell to the floor in a heap. An ear piercing bellow from down the hall broke the chaos of the moment.
"Buffy Summers! Faith Collins My office now!"
"Oh shit!" Both girls mumbled simultaneously.
A furious Principal Snyder stood above them, face so red with rage Buffy half expected steam to come out of his ears.
"Cordelia Chase, get that seen to by the nurse then come to my office!" Cordelia stared back blankly. "Today Missy, today!" He shouted at her.
The two girls walked into the waiting room in silence. "Sit down!" Snyder bellowed before walking into his office and slamming the door.
"You're Buffy Summers aren't you?" The other girl asked, Buffy nodded and put her head in her hands.
"Well wicked punch B! Can't say I haven't thought of punching Cordelia once or twice myself, stuck up bitch."
Buffy didn't reply, just sat with her head in her hands.
"Look don't stress it," the brunette continued, "Snyder's an ass but you'll only get a suspension or something."
Buffy sat up, tears welling in her eyes. "You don't understand, I am in so much shit!" she mumbled before breaking down.
Faith put her arm around her shoulders, "Look Buff, it'll be cool, he will just give you a week then you'll be right back," she tried to reassure.
"You don't understand," Buffy sobbed. "I am on probation here, it's strictly one strike and I'm out. I am totally screwed, Shit my moms gonna kill me!"
"Shit!" Faith replied, "You are screwed huh?" she pulled her face into a frown. She then stood up and walked over to the office door.
"Principal Snyder, I gotta go to the ladies room, be right back." She closed the door before he had a chance to answer and walked across the waiting room.
As she passed Buffy she whispered in her ear, "Deny everything, I hit her OK, I'll sort it but you are gonna so owe me one."
She didn't give the confused blonde a chance to answer before she swept out the door.
A few minutes later Cordelia arrived already sporting the beginnings of a fierce black eye. She scowled at the blonde before knocking on Snyder's door and entering.
She left a few minutes later passing Faith in the doorway.
"Buffy Summers, it appears you are off the hook, go home, but be very sure that I am watching you young lady!" Buffy didn't need a second offer, she shot out of her chair and ran from the room sobbing.
She flung open the main doors and ran down the stairs not looking back.
"Buffy! Buffy wait up!" Spike stubbed out the cigarette he had been smoking and chased after her.
"Buffy!" he grabbed her arm and swung her round gripping her tightly.
"Just leave me alone Spike, please just go away!" She sobbed.
"What the hell happened in there?" He asked with a harsh tone to his voice.
Buffy tried to pull away, but he had a tight hold on her and she started to struggle wildly in his grasp.
"Get your fucking hands off me!" she rasped as she shot him a cold look.
That just made him tighten his hold on her even more. Buffy looked into his eyes, which were cold and hard. He looked so angry, nothing like the warmth she had felt from him the previous week. She tried again in vain to pull away from him.
"I said let me go!"
"Or what Buffy, you gonna hit me? You got quite a reputation for that or so I hear!" He spat the words out and watched as the tears began to flow down her cheeks. She stopped struggling and stared into him.
"You wouldn't understand Spike," she whispered.
She looked so vulnerable he thought, so scared.
"And I won't until you explain it to me pet."
He loosened his grip on her and pulled her towards him. She practically collapsed into his chest as she began to cry even harder. He ran his hands through her hair and pulled her head down onto his chest and held her until her sobs subsided.