Ch. 2
Old School
"Have you found out Peroxide Boy's name yet?" Xander asked the next day at lunch.
"No, but he's very talented when it comes to disappearing. Not literally, of course. Just so I can't find him," Buffy explained.
"Has anyone noticed that we've barely talked about anything else except for the new boy since yesterday morning?" Tara asked.
"Yeah, I did. But I didn't think it was worth mentioning," Oz replied.
"Tara's right. We're pathetic," Willow pouted.
"Well, we can't be pathetic if we stop talking about it right now and change the subject," Buffy said, and then silence fell over them until Buffy asked, "So, what do you guys want to talk about?"
Everyone shrugged as the new boy walked over to them with his lunch tray. The group noticed and looked up at him.
"Can I sit with you guys?" he asked cooly without one hint of nervousness in his voice. "All the other tables are bloody full."
"Oh, sure. Yeah. No problem," they all replied and he sat down across from Buffy by Tara and Xander.
"So...what's your name?" Willow asked cheerfully after a few seconds.
"Spike," he answered and Buffy's eyes grew wide.
"That's one I've never heard before. Is that your real name, man, or what?" Xander asked.
"William's my real name, but only my mum calls me that."
"Understandable. Not that William's a bad name, by any means." Xander laughed nervously and then introduced himself. "I'm Xander. Alexander, actually, but I'd prefer if you didn't repeat that."
"I'm Willow and this is Oz."
"Hey," Oz said to Spike, who nodded in return.
"Oh, I'm Tara," she smiled.
"Nice to meet some people around this town who seem halfway normal," Spike said.
"Looks can be deceiving," Xander responded and Willow nudged him with her elbow and gave him a warning look.
"What about you, pet?" Spike asked Buffy, who looked up at him as if she'd been in a trance. "You look strangely familiar."
"Oh, I'm Buffy Summers."
"Buffy Summers?! Bloody hell, I didn't know you still lived here."
"Yep, I'm still here. Some may say that's not so good of a thing."
"Um, I hate to interrupt here, but you two know each other?" Xander asked.
"Yeah. Spike was my best friend for years until he moved away to New York in third grade. That was before I met you and Wil," Buffy replied.
"We met in preschool," Spike reflected.
"When I accidently punched him and gave him a black eye."
"I can believe that," Oz said.
"And I thought I was the strong one in school," Spike added.
"You were always the bad boy, Spike," Buffy teased. "Going to the principal's office every other day, not doing your work...need I go on?"
"What can I say? Always been bad," Spike grinned.
"Hey! I remember you now. You were the guy who was always wearing black and stealing my lunch money!" Xander accused.
"Oh, yeah! You were such a wimp," Spike remembered and Xander gave him an annoyed look.
"Yeah! And there was this blonde girl you were always hanging out with that had a weird name," Willow recalled and Buffy looked at her. "No offense, Buffy."
"So, that was before you knew Buffy?" Tara asked.
"Yup. When Spike moved, Will felt bad for Buffy 'cause she was all alone and after awhile we became 'the three musketeers!'" Xander explained.
"Now we're the..." Oz counted everyone mentally, 'six musketeers.'"
"Mmm-hmm. We just keep getting bigger," Xander said as the bell rang and they all got rid of their trays and then headed to their next class, which they did not all have together. Buffy and Spike parted with the rest of the gang and kept walking towards biology class.
"Quite a group of friends you got there," Spike commented.
"Yeah, they are. And now the gang has one more person in it, thanks to you," Buffy said. "What brings you back to Sunnydale, anyway?"
"Mum's job," Spike replied. "Got a better job at some law office in town."
"Sunnydale has a law office?"
"Yeah, well, that's what I said. Though, I think this is a bit better than New York."
"Really? I'd rather have New York, personally," Buffy said.
Spike laughed. "I like small towns better. The school's a lot nicer. Not so much security and...people."
"Hey, tonight the gang's meeting up at the Bronze. You should come," Buffy suggested.
"I'll be there," Spike said and smiled at Buffy, who did the same back as the bell rang and class began.
THE END OF CHAPTER 2
I know this chapter's kind of boring. Just keep reading. The pace starts picking up in the next two chapters.
Keep reveiwing please!
