"Buffy. Time to wake up. You start school today." Joyce shook her
daughter's shoulder gently.
Buffy growled at the bad news and put her pillow over her head. Joyce smiled and yanked all the covers off of her.
"Mom! You're so mean!" Buffy grumbled, curling up into a little ball.
"I'm the Mom, that's my job." Joyce laughed, leaning over and kissing her daughter on the forehead.
Buffy whined sleepily and rolled over onto her back. Opening one eye she looked at her mother pleadingly. "Five more minutes?" she wheedled.
"I gave you five more minutes ten minutes ago." Joyce admonished. "Come on, sleepy head, it's the first day of school. Are you excited?"
Buffy feebly waved her arms above her head, feigning excitement. "Yay, school," she mumbled. Seeing her mother's determined glare, she gave up her campaign for more sleep and slowly rose out of bed.
"That's my girl. Now, what do you want for breakfast?" Joyce asked as she ushered Buffy to the bedroom door.
"Not hungry," Buffy declared, shuffling to the bathroom.
"Buffy, please eat something this morning," Joyce sighed. "You're practically swimming in your clothes these days. Just two pieces of toast, at least."
"Okay, Mom, I'll eat two pieces of toast." Buffy agreed, closing the door. Joyce sighed again, having hoped to goad her daughter into eating some scrambled eggs and maybe some bacon. That child was getting much too thin.
Ten minutes, two pieces of toast and one slice of bacon later, Buffy searched her closet for something to wear. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror on the closet door and winced. Her skin was almost transparent. She just didn't have an appetite anymore, but she resolved to try to eat more to keep her mother from worrying so much.
"What to wear, what to wear?" she sang. She pulled out some baggy blue jeans that were frayed on the ends, a shiny silver belt, and a long t-shirt that covered all of her delicate curves. She didn't want any part of her body to show except her arms. Satisfied with the modest outfit, she pulled her hair into a low ponytail. She didn't look sloppy, but just very conservative. She pulled a big sweater over her already big outfit and was ready for her first day at a new high school.
'Okay, Buffy, you can do this." Buffy had given herself a pep talk on the bus ride to school. No one here knew her, and hopefully she'd keep it that way, and just blend into the background. As she stepped off of the bus and adjusted the strap of her leather book bag over her shoulder, she took in her surroundings. A large, brownstone structure stood in front of her, bearing the sign "Gillis Day School – Secondary Education, Years 9 – 12".
"Here goes nothing," she whispered as she strode up the walkway crowded with students. She wended her way through the clusters of teenagers, as they laughed and gossiped together, and felt a twinge of envy towards them. Everybody already knew each other, and she was 'the new kid'. Feeling small and alone, she pulled the heavy door open, and immediately sought the office to get her class schedule as she had been instructed. Luckily, she didn't have to search for too long, and she approached a very large, imposing woman standing at the front desk, absorbed in the task of stapling papers. Buffy cleared her throat, and the woman looked up, her small eyes taking in the girl in front of her.
"Hello, I'm Buffy Summers. I'm new," Buffy spoke so softly, the woman had to strain in order to hear her.
"Ms. Summers, did you say?" the woman asked. Buffy nodded in response. "I'm Mrs. Bellinger, the school secretary. Let me see if I can find you in here..." She shuffled some papers, looking for Buffy's schedule. "Ah yes. Here is your schedule and the name of your guidance counselor. A student volunteer should be here any minute to get you situated. Why don't you have a seat while you wait, dear?" Mrs. Bellinger smiled slightly and gestured to a bench to the left of her. Buffy took the schedule and sat down. A few students entered the office for various purposes, and Buffy watched as they came and went but took no notice of her. This pained Buffy somewhat, but she reminded herself that she wanted to be invisible. Finally, a sprightly looking girl with shoulder-length red hair stopped in front of Buffy and smiled.
"Hello. I'm Willow," she said, and Buffy was shocked to hear that the girl spoke with an American accent. "I'm supposed to show you around today." Buffy stood up and smiled back at the girl.
"I'm Buffy, but I bet you already know that." she said shyly. The red headed girl nodded her head and motioned Buffy to follow her.
"I bet you didn't expect to meet another American in this school," Willow noted with a grin. "But there's actually a lot of us here. Well, not a whole lot, but a good many." Willow led Buffy down a long hallway filled with students hurrying to their classes. "What's your first class?"
Buffy looked at her schedule. "English, with Mrs. Farleigh."
"Oh! Me too!" Buffy jumped at her companion's outburst. Willow looked sheepish. "Sorry, I just get excited about school stuff. But that means that I can show you to your next class too," she stated perkily.
Buffy smiled at the redhead, feeling a little more at ease in her new surroundings. As they turned a corner, Buffy said, "It looks like I have a study hall in the library after lunch. Do you know where my guidance counselor's office is? I've got Mrs. Slander."
Willow's eyes widened in astonishment. "Wow. Mrs. Slander? She's a serious counselor. She isn't for the small stuff. What did you do to deserve her?" Buffy blanched at the question and Willow, noticing her discomfort, apologized. "Sorry, didn't mean to pry. She's back the way we just came; next to the library, so you won't have to go far."
Buffy asked, "So are you in 11th grade, like me?" Willow smiled.
"Yep. I would be. Except around here they say 'Year 11'." Willow adopted a snooty English accent and Buffy giggled. Willow stopped in front of an open classroom full of people. "Well, here we are. Just tell Mrs. Farleigh you're new, and she'll take care of you." Willow gestured for Buffy to precede her. Buffy tentatively walked over to the desk in the front, and Willow followed, taking her seat in the first row.
Mrs. Farleigh, a middle-aged woman with graying hair looked up at the small, brown haired girl standing shyly in front of her desk.
"You must be the new girl," she said, and Buffy nodded.
"Ye-yes. I'm Buffy Summers," she stuttered.
"Glad to meet you, Buffy," she smiled. The bell rang, and Mrs. Farleigh stood and walked over to Buffy, gently turning her to face the class. "Class, this is Buffy Summers. Why don't you tell the class about yourself, Buffy?"
Buffy felt her stomach drop to her knees and swallowed nervously. "H-hi. I- I'm Buffy. I moved here from a small town in California with my mom, because she got a job offer here," She smiled shakily at the dozen pairs of eyes sizing her up.
The teacher prodded her to tell the class more. "Is there anything you like to do?"
Buffy looked at her shoes, not wanting so much attention. "I like to be alone," she stated softly, and Mrs. Farleigh frowned at the girl's reticence and nodded her head.
"Why don't you sit down, and we'll start class, hm?" She patted the child's shoulder and gestured to an empty seat in the back by the window.
Feeling the stares from the other kids, Buffy fixed her eyes on the floor and trudged to her seat. Grateful to be off the hook, she hoped that she wouldn't have to repeat the performance in all of her classes.
Her hopes were dashed as she found herself the object of curiosity for her new instructors. She kept her answers as short as possible, praying each teacher would let her go after a few mumbled responses. After these painful moments, Buffy sought a desk in the back of the classroom.
Thankfully, the morning passed quickly, and she headed outside to the common to quickly eat her lunch alone. When she finished, she made her way to Mrs. Slander's office before her study hall. Even though she was reluctant to talk about her ordeal, she'd promised her mother that she would talk to her counselor at school. She felt she might as well get it over with right away.
Buffy found the door to the counselor's office easily and knocked softly. She heard a voice telling her to enter, and she pushed the door open. An elderly, stern-faced woman greeted her stiffly.
"And who might you be, young woman?"
Buffy winced at the woman's severe demeanor. "I'm Buffy Summers, and I'm new here today. You were listed as my guidance counselor, and I had a free period, so I thought I'd come see you and maybe make an appointment or something-" Mrs. Slander cut Buffy's nervous ramblings short.
"No, Miss Summers that won't be necessary. You may as well start now since you're here." She walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a file. Buffy stood awkwardly in the doorway, and the woman barked at her. "Sit, please."
Buffy closed the door behind her and scrambled into a plush chair across from the desk, dropping her book bag on the floor. Mrs. Slander sat at her desk, perusing the contents of the file.
"It says here that you were raped two and a half months ago. Is that true?" The counselor asked without emotion, her eyes still on the file.
Buffy nodded her head mutely, jarred by the woman's bluntness. "This is going to be private information, right? Only you and me are going to know about it, right?" Buffy asked uncertainly.
"If you want it to be," was the answer. Mrs. Slander then proceeded to ask several probing questions dealing with the aftermath of the rape. Buffy felt very uncomfortable, but she answered the questions, one after the other. The bell signaling the end of lunch rang, but Mrs. Slander disregarded it, and persisted with her inquiries.
"Why do you think this happened to you?" Mrs. Slander asked, looking at Buffy intently.
Buffy looked down at her hands and replied, "I know it's stupid, but I feel like it was my fault. I was wearing a provocative outfit and I was hanging on him the whole night. I mean I feel like I told him I wanted it."
Mrs. Slander nodded her head in agreement. "You did tell him. Well, not in so many words, perhaps, but what young girls today don't seem to realize is that actions speak louder than words. If you throw yourself at a man, you're asking for trouble."
Buffy looked up, aghast. "What?" was all she could say.
"You can't expect men not to react when you wear skimpy outfits and act like a strumpet. You brought it upon yourself, girl." Mrs. Slander fixed Buffy with a steely gaze. "It's a shame that it happened, but really, you ought to have known better."
Tears sprang to Buffy's eyes. She snatched up her book bag and ran from the room. Mrs. Slander shook her head as she stood to close her office door.
"Silly girl," she muttered.
Buffy ran straight across the hall, and into the library, sobbing.
"Sor-sorry ab-about b-being l-late for class," she managed to say as she tried to wipe the tears from her cheeks. She sat down at the table and put her head down on her hands trying to hide her face. A box of tissues was set down in front of her, and Buffy felt a tentative hand patting her on the back.
A familiar, soothing voice attempted to quell Buffy's tears. "There, there, dear, it's all right. Erm, please-please don't cry."
Buffy lifted her head slowly, puzzled as to why she knew this man's voice. Staring at the uneasy gentleman in tweed, she struggled to remember where she'd seen him.
"Giles!" she blurted out, when her mind finally found all the puzzle pieces.
"Buffy?" said Giles, recognizing his young neighbor. "Good Heavens, I had no idea you were attending this school," he chuckled, feeling a little less awkward.
Using the soft tissues to dry off her face she turned back to him, "I didn't know you worked here," she replied. "You do work here, right? Otherwise, I'd find it kind of wiggy to see a man your age hanging around a high school." Giles' cheeks reddened slightly as Buffy eyed him suspiciously.
"Erm, no need to get uh- 'wiggy'- as you say," he assured her, and smiled, adjusting his glasses proudly. "I'm the librarian."
"Oh!" Buffy had no idea what to say to that. "That's great. So, are you in charge of my study hour? And where is everybody else?" she asked, looking around the empty library.
"Ah, you have a free period? Well, just as you say, it's a study hour, but students are permitted to go work on labs or independent projects as long as they report here first. And stay within the boundaries of the school, of course." She sniffled and nodded her head in comprehension. Giles took a seat next to the distressed girl. "May I ask why you were late?" Giles reached for the tissue box when he saw her eyes water again.
"Well, I have this counselor, Mrs. Slander. I went to see her after lunch to talk to her about...something that happened back home, and she was just...really mean about it." The tears spilled out of her eyes and splashed onto the table. "And she said that it was all my fault...and I just couldn't be in there anymore, you know?" Buffy's voice cracked, and her sobs erupted again.
With a fatherly instinct he didn't know he had, Giles put his arm around the crying girl, and she rested her head on his shoulder. It didn't occur to Buffy to be afraid of this man, even though she had become afraid of them in general. Something about this man comforted her, and she needed desperately to be comforted.
Giles wondered what could have happened to her. Why on Earth the child should be sent to that Slander harridan, when she was obviously very sensitive was beyond his understanding. He rubbed her back kindly and told her, "Rebecca Slander is the most insensitive woman on the planet. I don't know how she ever became a school counselor. Don't let what that old bag says bother you; she henpecked her husband for years until he finally had to go to an insane asylum to get away from her." Giles quipped in an attempt to make the girl laugh. Buffy gave him a watery smile. "Now, why don't you dry those tears, and settle down and do some schoolwork. I'll have a talk with old Becky later, eh?"
Buffy let out a small giggle and then took a deep breath, which calmed her. Looking into Giles' kind blue eyes, she felt safe; he seemed a little uncomfortable, but he had a quality that put her at ease. She thought he would be a good father, and she wished for a moment that he was her father.
"Thanks, Giles," Buffy sniffled, and reached for a tissue. "I'm feeling better now." Giles gave her a smile, and went back behind the checkout counter. "Do you maybe need some help? I don't have any homework yet, but I can...I don't know, catalog books or something. You know, 'Dewey Decimal?' " Buffy smirked.
"Yes, we do," chuckled Giles, and he welcomed her assistance.
She felt so relaxed around Giles that she found herself opening up to him in conversation. She told him a little about her life prior to coming to England, but was careful to leave out any reference to Angel or the rape.
Giles enjoyed the American girl's company. He'd definitely found her mother very pleasant, and Buffy was just as bewildering and loveable. She helped him check returned books back in and restock them on the correct shelves. When the bell rang, Buffy was loath to leave, and Giles was equally as reluctant to let her go, but she would be back the next day, and Giles asked her if she'd like to help him in the library now and then. Buffy happily agreed, and left to find her next class in a lighter frame of mind.
The end of the day came quickly, and Buffy didn't mind that at all. She was relieved the first day was over, and before she left she told the office secretary that she doesn't want any more counseling sessions with Mrs. Slander. She walked home thinking of the evening ahead and went over a list of things to do. She did have some homework, so she'd get that out of the way first, and then she'd take a swim. She hoped she would have the pool to herself again, and no encounters with strange boys this time.
Buffy growled at the bad news and put her pillow over her head. Joyce smiled and yanked all the covers off of her.
"Mom! You're so mean!" Buffy grumbled, curling up into a little ball.
"I'm the Mom, that's my job." Joyce laughed, leaning over and kissing her daughter on the forehead.
Buffy whined sleepily and rolled over onto her back. Opening one eye she looked at her mother pleadingly. "Five more minutes?" she wheedled.
"I gave you five more minutes ten minutes ago." Joyce admonished. "Come on, sleepy head, it's the first day of school. Are you excited?"
Buffy feebly waved her arms above her head, feigning excitement. "Yay, school," she mumbled. Seeing her mother's determined glare, she gave up her campaign for more sleep and slowly rose out of bed.
"That's my girl. Now, what do you want for breakfast?" Joyce asked as she ushered Buffy to the bedroom door.
"Not hungry," Buffy declared, shuffling to the bathroom.
"Buffy, please eat something this morning," Joyce sighed. "You're practically swimming in your clothes these days. Just two pieces of toast, at least."
"Okay, Mom, I'll eat two pieces of toast." Buffy agreed, closing the door. Joyce sighed again, having hoped to goad her daughter into eating some scrambled eggs and maybe some bacon. That child was getting much too thin.
Ten minutes, two pieces of toast and one slice of bacon later, Buffy searched her closet for something to wear. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror on the closet door and winced. Her skin was almost transparent. She just didn't have an appetite anymore, but she resolved to try to eat more to keep her mother from worrying so much.
"What to wear, what to wear?" she sang. She pulled out some baggy blue jeans that were frayed on the ends, a shiny silver belt, and a long t-shirt that covered all of her delicate curves. She didn't want any part of her body to show except her arms. Satisfied with the modest outfit, she pulled her hair into a low ponytail. She didn't look sloppy, but just very conservative. She pulled a big sweater over her already big outfit and was ready for her first day at a new high school.
'Okay, Buffy, you can do this." Buffy had given herself a pep talk on the bus ride to school. No one here knew her, and hopefully she'd keep it that way, and just blend into the background. As she stepped off of the bus and adjusted the strap of her leather book bag over her shoulder, she took in her surroundings. A large, brownstone structure stood in front of her, bearing the sign "Gillis Day School – Secondary Education, Years 9 – 12".
"Here goes nothing," she whispered as she strode up the walkway crowded with students. She wended her way through the clusters of teenagers, as they laughed and gossiped together, and felt a twinge of envy towards them. Everybody already knew each other, and she was 'the new kid'. Feeling small and alone, she pulled the heavy door open, and immediately sought the office to get her class schedule as she had been instructed. Luckily, she didn't have to search for too long, and she approached a very large, imposing woman standing at the front desk, absorbed in the task of stapling papers. Buffy cleared her throat, and the woman looked up, her small eyes taking in the girl in front of her.
"Hello, I'm Buffy Summers. I'm new," Buffy spoke so softly, the woman had to strain in order to hear her.
"Ms. Summers, did you say?" the woman asked. Buffy nodded in response. "I'm Mrs. Bellinger, the school secretary. Let me see if I can find you in here..." She shuffled some papers, looking for Buffy's schedule. "Ah yes. Here is your schedule and the name of your guidance counselor. A student volunteer should be here any minute to get you situated. Why don't you have a seat while you wait, dear?" Mrs. Bellinger smiled slightly and gestured to a bench to the left of her. Buffy took the schedule and sat down. A few students entered the office for various purposes, and Buffy watched as they came and went but took no notice of her. This pained Buffy somewhat, but she reminded herself that she wanted to be invisible. Finally, a sprightly looking girl with shoulder-length red hair stopped in front of Buffy and smiled.
"Hello. I'm Willow," she said, and Buffy was shocked to hear that the girl spoke with an American accent. "I'm supposed to show you around today." Buffy stood up and smiled back at the girl.
"I'm Buffy, but I bet you already know that." she said shyly. The red headed girl nodded her head and motioned Buffy to follow her.
"I bet you didn't expect to meet another American in this school," Willow noted with a grin. "But there's actually a lot of us here. Well, not a whole lot, but a good many." Willow led Buffy down a long hallway filled with students hurrying to their classes. "What's your first class?"
Buffy looked at her schedule. "English, with Mrs. Farleigh."
"Oh! Me too!" Buffy jumped at her companion's outburst. Willow looked sheepish. "Sorry, I just get excited about school stuff. But that means that I can show you to your next class too," she stated perkily.
Buffy smiled at the redhead, feeling a little more at ease in her new surroundings. As they turned a corner, Buffy said, "It looks like I have a study hall in the library after lunch. Do you know where my guidance counselor's office is? I've got Mrs. Slander."
Willow's eyes widened in astonishment. "Wow. Mrs. Slander? She's a serious counselor. She isn't for the small stuff. What did you do to deserve her?" Buffy blanched at the question and Willow, noticing her discomfort, apologized. "Sorry, didn't mean to pry. She's back the way we just came; next to the library, so you won't have to go far."
Buffy asked, "So are you in 11th grade, like me?" Willow smiled.
"Yep. I would be. Except around here they say 'Year 11'." Willow adopted a snooty English accent and Buffy giggled. Willow stopped in front of an open classroom full of people. "Well, here we are. Just tell Mrs. Farleigh you're new, and she'll take care of you." Willow gestured for Buffy to precede her. Buffy tentatively walked over to the desk in the front, and Willow followed, taking her seat in the first row.
Mrs. Farleigh, a middle-aged woman with graying hair looked up at the small, brown haired girl standing shyly in front of her desk.
"You must be the new girl," she said, and Buffy nodded.
"Ye-yes. I'm Buffy Summers," she stuttered.
"Glad to meet you, Buffy," she smiled. The bell rang, and Mrs. Farleigh stood and walked over to Buffy, gently turning her to face the class. "Class, this is Buffy Summers. Why don't you tell the class about yourself, Buffy?"
Buffy felt her stomach drop to her knees and swallowed nervously. "H-hi. I- I'm Buffy. I moved here from a small town in California with my mom, because she got a job offer here," She smiled shakily at the dozen pairs of eyes sizing her up.
The teacher prodded her to tell the class more. "Is there anything you like to do?"
Buffy looked at her shoes, not wanting so much attention. "I like to be alone," she stated softly, and Mrs. Farleigh frowned at the girl's reticence and nodded her head.
"Why don't you sit down, and we'll start class, hm?" She patted the child's shoulder and gestured to an empty seat in the back by the window.
Feeling the stares from the other kids, Buffy fixed her eyes on the floor and trudged to her seat. Grateful to be off the hook, she hoped that she wouldn't have to repeat the performance in all of her classes.
Her hopes were dashed as she found herself the object of curiosity for her new instructors. She kept her answers as short as possible, praying each teacher would let her go after a few mumbled responses. After these painful moments, Buffy sought a desk in the back of the classroom.
Thankfully, the morning passed quickly, and she headed outside to the common to quickly eat her lunch alone. When she finished, she made her way to Mrs. Slander's office before her study hall. Even though she was reluctant to talk about her ordeal, she'd promised her mother that she would talk to her counselor at school. She felt she might as well get it over with right away.
Buffy found the door to the counselor's office easily and knocked softly. She heard a voice telling her to enter, and she pushed the door open. An elderly, stern-faced woman greeted her stiffly.
"And who might you be, young woman?"
Buffy winced at the woman's severe demeanor. "I'm Buffy Summers, and I'm new here today. You were listed as my guidance counselor, and I had a free period, so I thought I'd come see you and maybe make an appointment or something-" Mrs. Slander cut Buffy's nervous ramblings short.
"No, Miss Summers that won't be necessary. You may as well start now since you're here." She walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a file. Buffy stood awkwardly in the doorway, and the woman barked at her. "Sit, please."
Buffy closed the door behind her and scrambled into a plush chair across from the desk, dropping her book bag on the floor. Mrs. Slander sat at her desk, perusing the contents of the file.
"It says here that you were raped two and a half months ago. Is that true?" The counselor asked without emotion, her eyes still on the file.
Buffy nodded her head mutely, jarred by the woman's bluntness. "This is going to be private information, right? Only you and me are going to know about it, right?" Buffy asked uncertainly.
"If you want it to be," was the answer. Mrs. Slander then proceeded to ask several probing questions dealing with the aftermath of the rape. Buffy felt very uncomfortable, but she answered the questions, one after the other. The bell signaling the end of lunch rang, but Mrs. Slander disregarded it, and persisted with her inquiries.
"Why do you think this happened to you?" Mrs. Slander asked, looking at Buffy intently.
Buffy looked down at her hands and replied, "I know it's stupid, but I feel like it was my fault. I was wearing a provocative outfit and I was hanging on him the whole night. I mean I feel like I told him I wanted it."
Mrs. Slander nodded her head in agreement. "You did tell him. Well, not in so many words, perhaps, but what young girls today don't seem to realize is that actions speak louder than words. If you throw yourself at a man, you're asking for trouble."
Buffy looked up, aghast. "What?" was all she could say.
"You can't expect men not to react when you wear skimpy outfits and act like a strumpet. You brought it upon yourself, girl." Mrs. Slander fixed Buffy with a steely gaze. "It's a shame that it happened, but really, you ought to have known better."
Tears sprang to Buffy's eyes. She snatched up her book bag and ran from the room. Mrs. Slander shook her head as she stood to close her office door.
"Silly girl," she muttered.
Buffy ran straight across the hall, and into the library, sobbing.
"Sor-sorry ab-about b-being l-late for class," she managed to say as she tried to wipe the tears from her cheeks. She sat down at the table and put her head down on her hands trying to hide her face. A box of tissues was set down in front of her, and Buffy felt a tentative hand patting her on the back.
A familiar, soothing voice attempted to quell Buffy's tears. "There, there, dear, it's all right. Erm, please-please don't cry."
Buffy lifted her head slowly, puzzled as to why she knew this man's voice. Staring at the uneasy gentleman in tweed, she struggled to remember where she'd seen him.
"Giles!" she blurted out, when her mind finally found all the puzzle pieces.
"Buffy?" said Giles, recognizing his young neighbor. "Good Heavens, I had no idea you were attending this school," he chuckled, feeling a little less awkward.
Using the soft tissues to dry off her face she turned back to him, "I didn't know you worked here," she replied. "You do work here, right? Otherwise, I'd find it kind of wiggy to see a man your age hanging around a high school." Giles' cheeks reddened slightly as Buffy eyed him suspiciously.
"Erm, no need to get uh- 'wiggy'- as you say," he assured her, and smiled, adjusting his glasses proudly. "I'm the librarian."
"Oh!" Buffy had no idea what to say to that. "That's great. So, are you in charge of my study hour? And where is everybody else?" she asked, looking around the empty library.
"Ah, you have a free period? Well, just as you say, it's a study hour, but students are permitted to go work on labs or independent projects as long as they report here first. And stay within the boundaries of the school, of course." She sniffled and nodded her head in comprehension. Giles took a seat next to the distressed girl. "May I ask why you were late?" Giles reached for the tissue box when he saw her eyes water again.
"Well, I have this counselor, Mrs. Slander. I went to see her after lunch to talk to her about...something that happened back home, and she was just...really mean about it." The tears spilled out of her eyes and splashed onto the table. "And she said that it was all my fault...and I just couldn't be in there anymore, you know?" Buffy's voice cracked, and her sobs erupted again.
With a fatherly instinct he didn't know he had, Giles put his arm around the crying girl, and she rested her head on his shoulder. It didn't occur to Buffy to be afraid of this man, even though she had become afraid of them in general. Something about this man comforted her, and she needed desperately to be comforted.
Giles wondered what could have happened to her. Why on Earth the child should be sent to that Slander harridan, when she was obviously very sensitive was beyond his understanding. He rubbed her back kindly and told her, "Rebecca Slander is the most insensitive woman on the planet. I don't know how she ever became a school counselor. Don't let what that old bag says bother you; she henpecked her husband for years until he finally had to go to an insane asylum to get away from her." Giles quipped in an attempt to make the girl laugh. Buffy gave him a watery smile. "Now, why don't you dry those tears, and settle down and do some schoolwork. I'll have a talk with old Becky later, eh?"
Buffy let out a small giggle and then took a deep breath, which calmed her. Looking into Giles' kind blue eyes, she felt safe; he seemed a little uncomfortable, but he had a quality that put her at ease. She thought he would be a good father, and she wished for a moment that he was her father.
"Thanks, Giles," Buffy sniffled, and reached for a tissue. "I'm feeling better now." Giles gave her a smile, and went back behind the checkout counter. "Do you maybe need some help? I don't have any homework yet, but I can...I don't know, catalog books or something. You know, 'Dewey Decimal?' " Buffy smirked.
"Yes, we do," chuckled Giles, and he welcomed her assistance.
She felt so relaxed around Giles that she found herself opening up to him in conversation. She told him a little about her life prior to coming to England, but was careful to leave out any reference to Angel or the rape.
Giles enjoyed the American girl's company. He'd definitely found her mother very pleasant, and Buffy was just as bewildering and loveable. She helped him check returned books back in and restock them on the correct shelves. When the bell rang, Buffy was loath to leave, and Giles was equally as reluctant to let her go, but she would be back the next day, and Giles asked her if she'd like to help him in the library now and then. Buffy happily agreed, and left to find her next class in a lighter frame of mind.
The end of the day came quickly, and Buffy didn't mind that at all. She was relieved the first day was over, and before she left she told the office secretary that she doesn't want any more counseling sessions with Mrs. Slander. She walked home thinking of the evening ahead and went over a list of things to do. She did have some homework, so she'd get that out of the way first, and then she'd take a swim. She hoped she would have the pool to herself again, and no encounters with strange boys this time.