Author's Note: Sorry, the past week has been hell! I'm stuck in the middle of final exams! Grrr. It wouldn't be so bad if I weren't failing all of my classes, y'know? Haha. I'm such a doofus. Oh well. So, sorry for the delay, my dear readers! :(

No personal review responses due to stress, and lack of time…there will be for the next chappy though.

Chapter Nine: Goin' Bowlin'

"So you're starting back at work tomorrow, Buff?" Xander asked.

"Yeah. There's no reason to take another day off." Buffy noticed Xander and Cordy exchange looks. "I mean," she continued, "yeah, last night was a little stressful and definitely not of the good, but moping about would be like letting him win."

"Um, speaking of battles, Buffy, maybe we should talk about reporting his attempted rape and then the harassment in the club. What he did was wrong, and I don't want it to happen again." Cordy held back tears.

Buffy walked over to Cordelia, hugging her. "Honey, we'll figure everything out. For now, let's just take it easy. OK?" Cordy nodded.

"Hey!" Cordy exclaimed jokingly, "I'm supposed to be the one comforting you, not the other way around." The girls giggled.

Just then, a very peppy Willow burst through the front door. "GUESS WHAT!" she screamed. Cordy, Buffy, and Xander all looked at eachother before laughing.

Willow smiled cheerfully and continued despite the laughter, "Jenny got me enrolled in Eleanor Roosevelt Senior High School!" [A/N: not an actual high school, I tried to find a real one, but it was hard since there are over 50 public high schools in LA] "She's even going to contact our old school to send the transcripts. She's going to try not to cause any trouble or anything. I'm so excited!" Willow was practically gushing. "I'm going back to high school!"

Everyone was in fits of laughter now. Only Willow would be excited to return to further education. Oz walked inside the house carrying a new book bag and other school supplies. Willow gasped. "Oz! I totally forgot about those. I'm sorry!" She ran to help him carry the new things and put them on the kitchen table.

"It's not a problem, Willow." Oz smiled sweetly at her.

Willow turned back to the others. "Jenny, Oz, and I went school supply shopping since I hadn't brought any of my school stuff with me." She sighed. "I love going school supply shopping."

Oz looked around the room. "Where's Spike?"

Xander replied, "Oh, he's in the shower."

Buffy blushed, thinking of Spike hot and wet in the shower. Naked. Water droplets falling over his flawless skin. She suddenly remembered a quote from Romeo and Juliet, where Romeo says "See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand! O, that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek!" When she had first read that, she had thought it was blatantly lame, but now she realized what Romeo had been going through -- for right now, all she wanted to be were the water droplets in his shower.

Just then, Spike wandered down the stairs, clad in a white towel wrapped around his waist. His blonde hair appeared darker when wet as it fell haphazardly around his well-structured face. The muscles crossing his chest and abdomen, which she had so intimately traced what seemed to be only moments ago, flexed and twisted as his body strategically, yet mindlessly, maneuvered down the stairs. The water droplets, which she envied more than ever, fell down his chest, his arms, his legs, everywhere all over his perfectly formed body.

Spike caught Buffy checking him out, and he smirked at her. She turned crimson almost immediately, suddenly transfixed completely with an old stain on a kitchen floor tile.

"I 'eard screaming. Everyone alright?" Spike asked.

"No! I'm so not alright!" Willow hollered. "Your wonderful mother got me enrolled in Eleanor Roosevelt Senior High School starting Monday."

Spike smiled at the redhead's vehement love for learning. "Well, that'll be fun for you and Oz to have something to do together during the day, while us hard working chaps are off bringing in the dough." He winked at her.

"Oh! Spike! I'm still going to be working at the Magic Box after school and on the weekends! I still have to bring in my share of the rent." Willow sighed. "But that's okay, because I'm going to classes on Monday! Yipee!"

Oz chuckled. "She's been like this since my mom told her about it. Six hours ago." Willow looked at him sheepishly. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but Oz stopped her. "Nuh-uh. No apologizing. We're happy that you're happy. Right guys?" Everyone nodded in agreement. Willow looked pleased.

"So it's a Saturday night. What are we gonna do?" Buffy asked everyone. Eager for any conversation to keep her mind out of the gutter, and to make her forget that Spike was still standing there practically nude. And the worst part was that he knew it was killing her to see him like that.

"I say we go bowling!" Cordy shrieked excitedly before running through the doorway of their room, obviously in order to change.

"I agree," Buffy added quickly before running to the room, but for a different reason. 'Too can play at this game,' Buffy thought, as she got ready to go bowling.

Buffy, Cordelia, and Willow all stepped out of their room, ready to go. It was the boy's cue to gawk. Willow was wearing a light green tank top and a blue jean mini-skirt. Cordy was wearing a pink tube-top and khaki capris. Buffy had strategically chosen a black v-neck halter-top that showed enough cleavage to entice but didn't make her look like a total skank. She also wore a pink mini-skirt with black polka dots on it.

Buffy pulled her tight-fitting, light-weight black leather jacket over her, knowing it was getting a little chilly out that night. The girls, completely oblivious to the male reactions, continued outside.

"Who's car should we take?" Oz asked.

"Well, it'd be crowded if we all tried to fit into one, so how about I drive my jeep and you, Willow, and Cordy ride with me and then Spike can drive him and Buffy in his piece of shit." He winked at Spike.

"My baby is no piece of shit. It's a classic. Unlike that lame American "SUV" you have," Spike bit back.

"Great come back, Spikey," Buffy laughed, patting him on the shoulder as she made her way to his car. That's when Spike realized that he and Buffy would be riding alone to the bowling arena. Suddenly, he didn't care if Xander made fun of anything of his. He smiled and followed the slight girl to his car.

"At least you know when to back down!" Xander called after him. Spike's only response was flipping him the bird.

During the car ride, he could tell that Buffy was up to something. She wouldn't talk to him, or even look at him. But every now and then she would lick her lips seductively or shift in her seat causing her skirt to ride up her thighs. It was hell for Spike the entire drive over.

When he finally pulled into the parking lot of the bowling alley, he jumped out as soon as he could, walking directly into the alley. Buffy grabbed her purse, and ran after him, trying to catch up. "What's the rush?" she called after him.

Spike turned around. He rolled his eyes, realizing that she was indeed playing a game.

Just then, the others appeared. "How many games should we pay for?" Everyone looked over the price board against the wall.

"Let's play two!" Willow chirped.

Buffy looked down in her wallet. She only had so much cash that she could spend on personal fun. "I can only afford one game."

"I'll pay for you." Buffy looked over at Spike, almost astonished.

"No, that's alright. I'll just sit out for the last game."

"No. I said, I'll pay for you," he gritted out.

"OK, fine! But you don't have to be all cross about it!"

Everyone exchanged glances, not knowing what was going on. Shrugging it off, Willow paid for her shoes and two games. But then Oz told the cashier that hers and his were together, and so he ended up paying for Willow's. Xander followed suit and paid for Cordelia's as well. Spike slammed down the cash on the counter, barking quietly at Buffy, "What size?"

"Six."

"Buffy, you're up next!" Buffy smiled. She and Spike were in the lead, battling against each other. It was the tenth frame, and Buffy had 156 while Spike had 163. Buffy knew that she just had to win this game. She sent her bowling bowl rolling down the lane -- strike. Perfect! Since it was the tenth frame, she was given another ball. She bowled a nine. Damn it!

Spike stood up, picking his bowling ball before swinging it into the lane. Strike. Buffy knew she had to do something.

"These shoes are really hurting me," Buffy complained.

"You could go ahead and take them off, that was our last game." Buffy nodded. She placed her leg on the seat she was standing near. She leaned forward, tracing the length of her leg with her hands. She glanced quickly in Spike's direction to make sure he was watching. He was. She slowly untied the first bowling shoe, and laid it down on the floor next to her. She watched him as he prepared. She had to think fast.

"Willow! Oh my gosh! I think I got a bruise on my thigh. Look!" Buffy pulled her already short skirt up to expose more thigh. She pointed to a place on her leg.

Willow looked at her. "Um, I don't see anything."

Just then Xander scolded Spike for taking so long. She looked up at him. He was definitely off. She could see him inhale sharply right before he sent the ball rolling. HA! Gutter ball.

Buffy started jumping up and down when she realized she'd won. Unfortunately, that didn't help Spike's condition either. "Oh, bloody hell!" he cursed. "Buffy we need to talk." He grabbed her arm and dragged her outside, leaving the others to wonder what the hell that was about.