Dawn woke up early the next morning, dressing for school and hurrying downstairs. Buffy was at the counter drinking a glass of juice. "Want some breakfast, Dawnie?"
"Oh, uh, no thanks, I'm in a hurry."
"Oh, why?"
"Just wanna get to school is all."
"Oh, okay. See ya later, Dawnie."
"Bye."
* * *
After Dawn was in homeroom, her friend Lindsay passed her a note, So, how were things last night? Fun? Justin is such a hottie."
Dawn wrote back, Yeah, he was actually kind of a jerk. Plus, my sister found out I lied and came to find me. It was so embarrassing.
OMG, really? Lindsay wrote. What did Justin say?
Well, actually, he was being such a loser, trying to force himself on me...so I told him to stop, and he didn't hang around.
Lindsay would have replied, but Mrs. Sposato, their teacher, gave them a sharp look. Rolling her eyes, Dawn leaned back and prepared of another boring day of school.
* * *
By the time lunch came, Dawn was ready to explode. She hated school, feeling it was pointless. Her sister was out fighting evil, and here she was, spending her day in a stuffy classroom. Then she thought of Buffy's day job and felt slightly better about the whole thing. "I'll never be caught dead wearing a chicken hat," she thought to herself.
She went to her afternoon classes, feeling less useless, occasionally even bothering to take notes. As the end of the day neared, Dawn felt her spirits lift considerably. She actually surprised herself and volunteered an answer in World History.
When the bell finally rang, Dawn let out a great whoosh of air and rushed out the door. In the hallway, Janice and Lindsay caught up to her. "So," Janice said, elbowing her. "Party still on for Saturday?"
"Yeah."
"I can't wait, it's gonna be amazing," Lindsay declared.
Just then, Robert, the guy Lindsay had a crush on walked by. "Hey, Dawn," he smiled at her, waving at the other two girls.
Lindsay inhaled sharply, punching Dawn on the arm. "You are sooo lucky!"
"He is pretty cute," Dawn teased. "That black hair, those green eyes...and I hear he plays the drums. Hmm..."
Lindsay laughed, a dreamy look in her eyes. "Yeah. You can't have him. He's mine."
"Oh, I have my eye on someone else," Dawn said wistfully. "Besides, he has a girlfriend."
"So?" Lindsay asked. "I can dream."
But Janice, focusing on Dawn's previous comment, demanded, "Who?"
"None of you business," Dawn giggled.
Still chattering happily, the three girls walked into the sunlight. Dawn however, wasn't thinking about the day's gossip; her thoughts were filled with someone else.
* * *
The week went by uneventfully. When Saturday came, Dawn woke excitedly. She was 16 today! That meant driver's license...if she could convince Buffy. And her party was tonight...everyone was coming, all her friends from school, probably even people she didn't know. Janice had passed out flyers telling them to be at the Bronze by 8.
She ran downstairs in her pajamas and started to make herself some waffles, thinking happily about the night ahead. She wondered about what presents she would receive. She knew Willow, Xander and the rest of the gang would get her something good. And Marcus, that cute guy from her Bio class, he said he'd be there. She gave a little squeal of excitement.
Suddenly she thought about Spike, doubting he even knew it was her birthday. It would be so cool if he were there. She sighed, imagining dancing with him. He was so hot; she knew all her friends would be jealous if they saw her with him. There was no way any high school guy could compare.
She daydreamed about Spike seducing her at her party, but was snapped from her reverie by the smell of her waffle burning. "Crap," she muttered as she tossed it in the garbage and poured more mix into the waffle iron. This time, the waffle came out golden and perfect. As she poured syrup over her waffle, her thoughts returned to her party.
Later, as she was getting ready for her big night, she kept glancing nervously in the mirror. Did she look good enough? She peeked at the card she had gotten in the mail from her dad. I want to wear something that he wouldn't even recognize me in.
Finally she decided on a short black denim skirt, some fishnet stockings, and a glittery periwinkle blue spaghetti strap top. It shimmered whenever she moved. She paired her outfit with some cute, clunky shoes and smiled at her reflection. After putting on eyeliner and some thick, black mascara, she put on some blue eyeshadow that matched her top. After smearing on some lip gloss, Dawn decided to curl her long chestnut hair into corkscrews. As a last touch, she added some dangling earrings and stared at herself critically for several seconds. Wow, she thought happily. I look older. Way older.
She grinned, jumping up and down with anticipation, and ran out of her room and down the stairs.
* * *
"Wow, Dawn..." Buffy gaped at her little sister. "I shouldn't even let you out of the house like this..."
The truth of the matter was, Buffy, in her black leather pants and purple halter top, felt herself actually envying Dawn. It wasn't that Dawn looked better than her, it was just the fact that she hadn't thought of Dawn as actual competition before. It was Dawn's night to shine, but Buffy had never actually had to share the spotlight with her. Buffy suddenly felt especially emotional. Dawn really wasn't a little girl anymore. She grabbed her sister in a tight hug and said, "Ready? Let's wait for Willow. So, how many people did you invite?"
"Uh, a couple from school? I'm not too sure who's coming."
Just then, Willow came stomping down the stairs. "Ooh, I'm so excited! Dawnie, I got you the best gift. Ready?"
"Let's go," Buffy said.
The three of them walked out the door as Willow complemented Dawn's look.
* * * * *
Hey, thanks for the reviews for the first chap. I've already got most of this fic written out, so if you like it and want more, all you have to do is KEEP REVIEWING!! Thanx!