Chapter Fifteen: Tainted Friendship

"Good morning, Joy!" Dawn greeted cheerily the following Monday morning. She had been waiting at the possible-slayer's locker before first period.

"What do you want?" As good as a friend as Dawn was, Joy had had a very long weekend and was in no mood for a visit from the world of bizarre and crazy.

"I wanted to apologize actually," Dawn noticed a bluish tint around Joy's eye, but it had the look of an attempt of makeup cover-up. "Ouch, is that from the Vampires the other night?" She pointed to Joy's eyes.

Joy frowned and glanced in the mirror mounted inside her locker. "Oh, yea, I guess." Her tone was short and unconvincing but Dawn didn't press the matter since she needed to 'persuade' Joy into believing in her possible destiny. "Dawn, what do you want?"

"Well, like I said, I just wanted to apologize about the other night. I shouldn't have...well...let's just say I got a little too excited. I mean, you were an amazing fighter!" Dawn felt that Joy was quickly losing interest and so she hurriedly tried to grab her attention. "What did you think of Spike?"

Joy peered around the locker, "Huh?"

Dawn didn't really think about what she was saying. "Spike, the guy you met the other night..." She started rambling. "He's attractive isn't he? You know he was very interested in you. He's a pretty cool guy. I think you'd like him if you got to know him..."

"Dawn," Joy cut her off. "Umm...remember Blake? My boyfriend? Yea, we're kind of serious in the whole exclusive stage. I'm not interested in anyone else at the moment, thank you!"

"Okay, so that's a good point, but I don't think that's the important issue right now," Dawn flipped her long, honey-brown hair over one shoulder. "What's important is that I'm sorry, and I really want you to forgive me." She waited for Joy to look at least slightly interested again. "Are we still friends?"

Joy nodded. "Of course Dawn. You're the only friend I have in Sunnydale."

"Good, then let's do something tonight." Dawn had instantly returned to her naturally bubbly behavior. "How about a girl's night, like dinner and a movie?"

"I have homework." Joy realized what she had said and almost smiled. A couple of months ago the thought of actually doing homework would never have crossed her mind, but something had changed in her since her parents had died. In only a matter of weeks at Sunnydale High she had raised her grades higher than she had ever managed to have them before. She had not only been doing her homework but she had also been achieving high grades on her tests. It was a strange feeling for her to actually care about her scholastics. She blamed her lack of a life.

"Couldn't you do your homework after our movie?" Dawn begged.

"I'd rather not procrastinate. We'll have our night some other time, okay?" Joy stopped at the door to her first period class.

Dawn nodded. "Okay, some other time." And then she waved to Joy as she continued on to her own class.

The next morning, Dawn was waiting for Joy at her locker again. "So, I thought about it last night and I think we should both blow off our boyfriends this weekend and spend the weekend together. We've both been too preoccupied with the guys lately and haven't had enough girl time lately." Dawn announced. "And before you think of an excuse...we'll go out Saturday night so you can do all your homework on Friday. Will that satisfy you?"

Joy thought about trying to think of an excuse. She was still having a difficult time excepting her friendship with Dawn after the awkward visit with Dawn's sister and her friends. She couldn't think of an excuse fast enough. "Okay, fine, you win. But I have to ask you one favor before."

"Anything!" Dawn agreed.

"I don't want to hear another word about your sister or her friends or their 'fight against evil', okay?" Joy slammed her locker and waited for Dawn's promise.

After only a moment of hesitation, Dawn nodded. "I promise. I won't even mention the vamps you fought the other night, okay? It'll be as if it never happened! We are going to go back to being just friends!" She giggled that crazy, airy giggle of hers and walked away down the hall in search of her boyfriend. Of course Dawn had no intent to drop the subject, since it was her goal to convince Joy of her destiny.

She's so weird. Joy watched Dawn melt into the throng of students who were scurrying about to their various classes. Even so though, I'm glad she's my friend.

Saturday night, Joy drove to pick her up, because of Dawn's lack of license. They were going to an Italian restaurant which Dawn promised had the best pasta (Joy's favorite food). Joy had somewhat reluctantly agreed to pick up Dawn, because she wasn't especially excited to venture to that house where she would possibly run-in to Dawn's strange sister. However, in the end, Dawn persuaded her.

"Hey, are you ready?" Joy asked hurriedly when Dawn answered the front door.

"Yea, I've just got to find my shoes and then I'll be all set." Dawn left the door open and started to run up the stairs. "You can come in you know," She yelled back as she noticed Joy waiting outside, nervously fidgeting with the split ends on her long hair.

"Umm..." Joy started to reply but Dawn had already disappeared up the stairs and around the corner of the hallway. "Okay," Joy stepped through the doorway and closed the door. Now, she felt very uncomfortable. She hadn't even wanted to come over here because of the awkwardness of the other night, and now she was inside the weirdo's lair. Joy wished Dawn would hurry.

Dawn was calling to someone upstairs now, "Willow, have you seen my new brown clogs?" someone replied, but Joy couldn't hear what the answer was. "Okay, then can I borrow your boots?" another muffled reply and then Dawn's bubbly voice, "thanks!" And she bounded back down the stairs. "All set," Glancing in the mirror hanging on the wall by the front door, Dawn adjusted the thin headband holding back her hair and then turned around with a satisfied smile.

Joy wasted no time in exiting the house and heading back to the safety of her own car. Not that the house was dangerous, it was just uncomfortable for Joy. She wasn't sure why, but for some reason she had a feeling that it shouldn't be as awkward to her as it was. In fact, she felt that she would be quite safe in the house, and probably very comfortable.

The entire night, Dawn was perfectly considerable about Joy's request to not discuss the matter of vampires. However, even though Dawn was kind not to mention the matter, Joy sensed that it was on Dawn's mind for most of the night. It was on Joy's mind too. Her simple friendship with Dawn had been tainted by the seriousness of existing evil. Whenever Joy spent any time with Dawn she found herself thinking about the dance night when they fought the vampires. She couldn't get it off of her mind. In fact, even after she had returned Dawn to her house and gone on to her own, the thoughts didn't leave Joy's mind. They didn't leave her mind for the entirety of the weekend, either.

By Monday, she had come to the conclusion that she wanted to meet Buffy Summers, again. Her reason being that she was simply curious as to the 'answers' that she might hold. If the Summers girls and their friends were so familiar on the art of fighting vampires, then they just might be able to explain the mystery of the creatures to Joy and also why they seemed to turn up everywhere she went.