Chapter Five: Spuffy Love
The following day at school, Buffy joined Faith, Anya, and Harmony in the courtyard before school began. Anya asked, ''Are you going to make up with Spike? Riley called Angel, who called Xander, who told me that Spike is very upset that you broke up with him yesterday.''
Buffy shrugged. ''I don't know, An. I love Spike a lot. I have for a few years. Since we were starting junior high. It hurts that he doesn't believe that I really like him. If he doesn't by now, he never will. Spike just needs to prove that he really likes me.''
Harmony had already grown on Buffy; she was fast becoming a very good friend. She was very funny, if albeit a little ditzy. She said, ''Spike really likes you, Buffy. He does. I'll tell Devon to let him know that he should take you out somewhere really fancy to make up for what he said.''
The girls were joined by Riley. He was smiling at them. ''Hi, girls. Buffy, Spike is very upset that you're angry at him. He wants to make it up to you. I've been told to take you to the back courtyard.'' He held out his arm.
As Buffy got up, Anya, Faith, and Harmony awwed. Buffy slipped her arm through Riley's and he led her around the school to the back courtyard. She wondered what Spike had up his sleeve. When they reached the middle, in which three benches sat in a half-semicircle around a fountain, Riley slipped his arm out of Buffy's. ''Buffy, just wait here for a minute.''
Buffy stood there for a minute, and dropped her hands against her sides, running her sweaty palms against her jeans. Her gauzy peasant blouse blew in the wind. Her best friends had followed them, and had joined her. Anya and Faith put their arms around her shoulders.
They didn't have to wait long, Spike was walking towards them, wearing dark jeans, a red tee, and a long black duster. This was unsual, he usually looked like he'd walked off the pages of a Gap ad. He got closer, and then he got to his knees in front of Buffy and pulled out a box from his pocket. It was his class ring. ''Buffy Summers, would you wear my class ring? I'd like you to be my steady girl.'' He held the ring out and grinned, flashing his baby blues at her.
Buffy gasped. It was a normal class ring, but the stone in the middle was a beautiful baby blue, and it was silver. She nodded. ''Yes, Spike, I will wear your ring.''
Spike pulled the ring out of the box. It was threaded through a silver chain. He undid the clasp, and redid it around her neck. Then he added, ''I would also like you to wear my varsity jacket. It's in my locker. Would you come with me to get it?'' He asked, his English accent sounding very sexy to Buffy.
Buffy nodded. ''Yes, I will.'' She followed him into the school, holding onto his arm. She could hardly believe this. It was the thing she had dreamed of for a very long time. She could actually feel tears welling up at the love she felt for Spike, and that he was now displaying for her.
They had reached Spike's locker, which was near Angel's and Devon's, so both boys were standing there observing. Spike reached into his locker and pulled out his jacket. He slipped it over Buffy's shoulders. ''There, luv. Now we're a real couple.'' He kissed her deeply in front of everyone.
Everyone all up and down the hall cheered and clapped. Not long after this, the bell rang. Buffy slipped her arms around Spike. ''Let's get out of here. Who cares about school? Let's go to LA or something.'' She said.
Spike was surprised. Buffy wasn't a brainiac like Will, but school was important to her. He slipped his arms around her, pulling him closer to her. ''Are you sure, luv? You've never skipped school a day in your life. And everyone's already seen us here.''
Buffy shook her head. ''I don't care. All I care about is you.'' She kissed him again, as if to prove her point.
Spike smiled. ''Let's do it, then.'' He turned to his friends. ''See you lot later.'' He closed his locker door and led his girlfriend out of the school and out to his car.
Anya, Harm, and Faith headed off to first period, talking about Spike and Buffy. Anya said, ''That was the most romantic thing I have ever seen in my life. I never knew Spike had it in him.''
Faith shrugged. ''I did. Spike was always really romantic in junior high. He's real protective, too. He never let anyone date me, Buffy, or Will. He was like our big brother, except he's our age.''
Harmony said, ''I wish our guys were like that. Riley, Xander, Angel, Devon, and Oz could beat up anyone they want. We should tell them that we're not going to be nice to them unless they protect us more. What do you think?'' Her blue eyes were sparkling.
Angel followed them to class, thinking hard. He had been thinking about their childhood since Spike and Buffy had started dating, and he couldn't stop.
Angel Davenport and his twin Faith were ten years old. It was their birthday party. Angel had invited some guys that he had met at school, and they hadn't shown. Right now it was his best friend Spike, Faith's best friends Buffy, Willow, and Xander, and some family and whatever. They were hanging out in the backyard, listening to music. Angel turned to Spike. ''Why didn't they come, Spike? I also asked Cordy, 'cause she's the prettiest girl in our class, and she didn't come, either.''
Spike shrugged. ''I don't know, mate. But the prettiest girl in our year doesn't think that you're all that great. None of us are that popular, mate. But look at Faith.'' They turned to look at her. She was running around with Buffy, Will, and Xander, and she looked quite happy. ''Your sister turned out to have a jolly good time, so what's the harm?'' He asked.
Angel's mind transported him a couple of years forward, to when he and Spike had turned twelve, and Spike had met Riley and their friendship had been put to the test.
It was the second month of their seventh grade year. Spike had started dating some chick named Amy, and he had started hanging with some guy named Riley Finn. He'd even given him a nickname already: ''Riles''. He was all Spike could talk about. Angel missed his best friend, and one day, he and Spike had a fight in the hall.
''Spike, since you met Riley and Amy, you've barely spent two seconds with me! We're supposed to be best friends, man!'' Angel hollered in the school hallway.
Spike whirled around, where he'd been kissing Amy softly on the cheek. He whispered for her to go on to class and then said, ''Angel, I'm allowed to make new mates! You and I are still best mates. It's not like they're going to take your place or anything. But lately we've been having row after row, and I for one am sick of it.''
Angel walked closer, until he could look his best friend in the eyes. ''So what do you suppose we do, Spike? I don't have another friend that I can call my best friend. You may have Riles now, but I still have just you. Faith's friends are great and all, but they're not mine, they're Faith's.''
Spike was at a loss for words. ''Angel, Riles is my best mate, but he can't hold a candle to you. You and I have been best mates since I moved here. You've been here for me through everything. I'm not replacing you, I just have another best friend. I need someone else that is apart from you, d'you know what I mean, mate? That's all you need. Once you get that, we'll both be even and be able to be best mates again, and stop having all these rows.'' He finally managed to say.
Angel sighed. Not long after that was when he and Xander had become popular, and had become best friends. Spike and Riley had also become popular, and he and Spike were friends again, and had stopped all the fighting they'd been doing, but they weren't best friends anymore. They just had grown apart where they didn't need each other that much anymore. However, Angel and Spike still hung out a lot, he, Riley, Spike, and Xander were seen everywhere together.
He was knocked out of his reverie by Harmony, who had noticed him just standing outside the classroom door. The bell was about to ring again. Angel smiled wanly at her and followed her in, still thinking about old times.....
Spike and Buffy were roaring down the highway, heading to LA. It was only a couple of hours drive, so they could be back by that evening. Spike was the happiest he'd ever been in his life. He had the most beautiful girl in the world in his car, snuggled up against him, he was driving the hottest car in the universe, and they had freedom. He looked at Buffy, who had fallen asleep in the crook of his arm. He had been thinking about Angel, who he knew was hurting the most he'd ever hurt in his life. Here Spike was, with his girl and the open road, seeming to not care about how much hurt one of his best mates was. He really did care. He knew that no matter how much he and Angel had grown apart since seventh grade, he would be friends with him forever because of how Angel was there for him when his mother died. He was also there for him when he had tried to kill himself. Spike knew you just couldn't lose friends like that.
He got off the highway and decided to go the scenic route the rest of the way. He wanted to be able to drive and think about his and Angel's roller coaster friendship at the same time....
It was eighth grade. Spike was thirteen years old, and he was suddenly the BMOC. Anyone he wanted to hang with was considered cool. No ifs ands or butts about it. He had chosen to hang with Riley, Angel, Xander, a new kid named Devon Smith, his best friend David Osbourne, aka Oz, (who was the most quiet bloke Spike had ever met) and some girls, Harmony Kendall and Cordelia Chase. His old best girlfriends, Buffy, Faith, and Willow just weren't in the picture anymore. Spike loved being popular and his new friends, and there was no room for Buffy, Faith, and Willow. He missed them, he just didn't need to hang with them anymore. So he started hanging with the new crowd, and he liked it a lot.
He and Buffy had a row in the middle of the hallway, because Buffy was angry at him for not hanging with them anymore. ''Spike, we didn't do anything to you! Why are you just ignoring us? Hang out with us again!'' Buffy snapped.
Spike looked at his former best mate, and wasn't sure what to say. He didn't feel anything malicious towards her, he just felt that they had grown apart. He knew that she felt hurt by this, and he did feel sorry for that. ''I'm sorry that you guys feel hurt. I just don't think that we mesh well anymore.''
Buffy woke, jerking Spike out of memory lane. ''Sweetie, what were you thinking about so hard?'' She asked.
Spike answered without taking his eyes off the road. ''Old times. I was thinking about Angel, and how messed up he must be, and how I'm just jetting off to LA with my girl.''
Buffy shrugged. ''Angel'll be OK. He's got all of our best mates to keep him company if he needs it. He'll be fine.'' She caught that she had said mates, just like Spike. She had been saying a lot of things that he said lately.
Spike said, ''Yeah, but you don't get it. Angel was there for me when I tried to kill myself in the fifth grade, and when my mum died. Those were the two hardest times in my life, and he was there. He understood when I needed to keep the nickname Spike, and called me that from then on. I haven't been the best mate to him since I met Riles.''
Buffy shrugged again. ''Angel knows how much you care about him. He knows and understands that you're there for him if you need him. Angel is a really nice guy under all that BMOC stuff.''
Spike said, ''Speaking of which, I want to apologize for Angel telling everyone that Faith puts out. I know she doesn't, and the on'ly reason that Angel tells people that is so no one will go out with her. He really does care about her, you know. Just no one knows about it. He doesn't want her to know, either, so don't tell her.''
Buffy smiled a sly smile. ''Oz already told her, so she knows. I don't think she believed it, though, so he might be safe yet.''
They had reached LA, and when they did, Buffy got out of the car excitedly, and Spike forgot all about Angel and his problems as he watched her.
