Chapter Nineteen
Author's note: Thank you to Kari and Johanna for your reviews (Johanna, keep reading..I'm not a Riley fan either. Just see where the part with Riley goes!). I updated quickly because I have t o go out of town this weekend, plus it's the Super Bowl (go Patriots!!! YAHOO!!! No I don't live in New England! lol) and I guess I should do some work since I am at school and plan on graduation in May! Hope everyone enjoys this chapter! As always, thanks for reading!
Enjoy! LA
"Hello?" Buffy said answering her cell phone.
"Hey you, I'm back." A familiar male voice said on the other end of the line.
"OZ! Your back! How was Boston? Is Will all right? Are the people nice? I h ear the people are nice." Buffy asked as she walked over to her desk and sat in her chair.
"Boston was fun, it's a nice city. Willow is doing fine; you should give her a call soon. She'd love to hear from you. She had already met a group of people and the last I knew she was having fun. I told her I would call her after classes started. The people are great in Boston; she'll fit in fine there. She was worried over nothing. Did I miss much at orientation?"
"Not really. You know lots of boring lectures and activities. Where are you?"
"In my dorm room. I'm unpacking and getting settled in. Do you want to get together after registration? Maybe do lunch?"
"Sure, I think that sounds great. I'll meet you at registration."
"See ya then."
"Hey Buffy, can we join you?" Tara asked as she and Anya walked over the table she and Oz were sitting at. The cafeteria was crowded and there were no other seats to sit at.
"Sure. I can introduce you guys to Oz." She said as she moved her coat and bag from the chair. "How was registration?"
"Uck! I didn't get into the freshmen writing class that you and Tara got into. I'm in the class with no one I know! I don't even know where that building is. I already hate being a freshman. You don't get to take any fun classes as a freshman."
"Anya, we're in school, is there such thing as a fun class?" Buffy asked.
Tara smiled. She didn't want to say anything. She always like school and didn't want to ruin the moment. "I got that math class with you too Buffy."
"That is great!"
"Easy for you to say," Anya mumbled as she took a bite of her pizza.
"Hey," Oz said as he sat back down.
"Hey, Oz I wanted to introduce you to Anya, my roommate and our neighbor Tara. Oz and I have been friends since-"
"The beginning of time?" Oz joked.
Everyone made small rounds of hello and introduced themselves a little. Tara and Anya both felt a little uncomfortable since they knew there was so much history between Oz and Buffy. Everyone continued to chat a little longer when Riley approached the table.
"Good afternoon ladies," he said as he saw Oz sitting next to Buffy, "and non-lady." He paused and watched Oz for a moment. He had watched his interactions with Buffy for a while from across the cafeteria before he approached the table. Buffy and Oz were very chummy, which irritated Riley a little bit. Buffy had told him nights before that she was definitely single. "Hi, Riley Finn," was all Riley said as he stared at Oz.
Oz was annoyed with Riley. He didn't like his persona and the way he presented himself. "Hi, I'm Oz." He said nonchalant.
"Oz is one of my closest friends. We have known each other for-"
Oz interrupted Buffy as he looked into Riley's eyes. "A long time."
Everyone else could feel the hostility at the table. Anya, Tara and Buffy just exchanged looks with each other. No one knew what to say to another or to Riley or Oz. Sitting at the table felt very uncomfortable for everyone.
"I just came over to let you ladies know that the party is going to be Thursday night, at the frat house off campus. Oz, you're welcome to come if you want," Riley said with an attitude.
Oz just nodded. He said nothing.
"See ya later ladies. Oz, it was a pleasure," Riley said as he walked away.
"I don't like him," was all that Oz said as he said as he continued with his lunch.
"It's lucky that we were assigned to be partners," Tara said as she and Buffy worked on a math project together. It was an ice breaker type assignment, very un-math like but none the less, it made the girls happy because they were chosen to be partners.
"I know I'm glad you're my partner." Buffy said as she sat on Tara's floor and began to work. As she began to zone out, she looked up at the pictures on Tara's dresser. There were three other people in the photograph with the Chicago skyline in the background. "Is that your family?" Buffy asked as she pointed to the picture.
"Yes. That is my mom; she's a first grade teacher. And that's my dad, he is into real-estate and that's Donnie, my twin brother. He is taking the year off. He thinks he wants to be a police officer, well, at least this week he does." She laughed. "He's my best friend. I have called him almost every day since we have been here. I miss all of them a lot."
"So you're pretty close with your family? That's nice."
"Yes. I am so lucky to have parents like them, and Donnie is terrific too. My family is very close and such good people. I can't imagine my life without them." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Are you close to your family?"
Buffy paused. She knew that she had always been close with her mother and Dawn. Rupert had always loved her but they weren't close. They were just working that part out. Buffy did know that any of those people would do anything for her. "Yeah, I have a close family too. They are great."
The two continued to talk for a little while. They spoke of life experiences, not related home work. They were finding out more about each other.
After talking about relationships, Buffy asked Tara, "Have you ever been in love before?"
Tara took a deep breath. "No. I was involved in a relationship before I left home and I thought it was love, but it wasn't. Have you?"
Buffy thought for a moment before she started talking about Angel. She spoke about their relationship and how he was the only guy she had felt that way towards. She brought up Xander and said even after dating for almost a year, she just didn't feel what she did for Angel.
The two continued to talk and talk until early in the morning. Buffy just knew from that point on that Tara would become a trust-worthy friend.
"Welcome ladies and Oz, welcome," Riley said as he greeted them at the door of his frat house. He was a little surprise that Oz had accompanied Buffy and the other girls but he was going to act civil towards him.
"Thanks for inviting us." Buffy smiled.
"No problem, can I get you guys something to drink?"
After small talk Riley walked around and talked to other people. The four friends stayed together until Anya and Tara began to speak to people from one of their classes.
At first Oz didn't leave Buffy's side. He didn't like the way Riley looked at her and didn't want his friend to be alone with him.
"It's all right. Oz, he's harmless." Buffy began to explain to him later that night about Riley. Oz had told Buffy how he felt about him.
"Buffy, I don't trust him."
"It's all right. Really, it is." Buffy said trying to reassure her friend. She didn't have a brother but she had Oz, who acted like one.
Oz just gave Buffy a look. He didn't have to say anything. Buffy saw the disgust in his face. "Buf, he asked you out with your boyfriend standing right next to you."
"He was just being a jerk, true but that doesn't mean he's a scary type person. He is really nice and was really helpful last week during orientation."
Oz could see that this argument was leading no where. He knew Buffy was stubborn and there would be no talking about Riley, especially if he was made out to be the bad guy.
Buffy wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulder and hugged him for a moment. "Oz, please just trust me, Riley is all right."
Oz just shook his head and changed the subject. "You know the band is playing a gig next weekend. It could be big."
"Big as in how big?" Buffy enquired. She was relieved that Oz changed the subject.
"Not too big. We have been told that the talent manager who has some connections to No Doubt will be watching us."
Buffy jumped up and hugged Oz. "That is incredible! Oz, I'm so happy for you! This could be your big break! That's so exciting!"
A smile found its way to Oz's face. "Yeah, I know."
Buffy and Oz spent time talking about Oz's possible big break. He left for just seconds to go to the bathroom and to get a drink when Riley made his way over to Buffy.
"So what's the story with that guy?" He asked.
"Who? Oz? No story, just an old friend."
"I thought you said you weren't dating anyone." Riley said very softly ignoring what she had just said.
"Did you misunderstand me? Oz is a good friend; we've been friends since we were little. He has been there for me through a lot."
"The way he is so protective of you seems like he is your boyfriend."
Buffy smiled. "No way, that would be like dating my brother, if I had one. No, I'll repeat yet again, he's one of my best friends."
Riley smiled. "I'm sorry I acted like that. I just don't think he likes me very much."
Buffy didn't know what Oz's problem was. He was generally a nice person and liked mostly everyone. She couldn't understand what Oz had against Riley. "You guys just don't know each other yet. I think Oz is just a little uncomfortable because of that."
Riley and Buffy a few words before Riley lead her outside to the porch so they didn't have to scream at each other to have a conversation.
"So Miss Summers, what does a boy have to do to get you out on a date?" Riley asked as they sat on the steps on the house.
Buffy offered Riley a smile. She had a twinkle in her eyes. "It depends, are you inquiring information or asking me out?"
"Inquiring? Asking? Both," Riley answered as he returned Buffy's smile.
Buffy didn't know what to say. Riley was twenty-one, Buffy was eighteen. What could they possibly have in common? Why would he want to go out with her? There were other girls at the party more attractive than she was. She wondered what made her so special. At that point she didn't care. Riley was very attractive and after all, there were only three years between them. Was three years really that many?
Buffy also began to think about something Riley had said before. Riley had said that he had never been in a serious relationship before. If he had never been in a serious relationship, what kind of person was he and why was he interested in her?
Buffy then thought again about how she didn't care. "Riley I would like to go out with you."
Riley smiled. He too had the twinkle in his eyes. His plan was going according to schedule.
Author's note: Thank you to Kari and Johanna for your reviews (Johanna, keep reading..I'm not a Riley fan either. Just see where the part with Riley goes!). I updated quickly because I have t o go out of town this weekend, plus it's the Super Bowl (go Patriots!!! YAHOO!!! No I don't live in New England! lol) and I guess I should do some work since I am at school and plan on graduation in May! Hope everyone enjoys this chapter! As always, thanks for reading!
Enjoy! LA
"Hello?" Buffy said answering her cell phone.
"Hey you, I'm back." A familiar male voice said on the other end of the line.
"OZ! Your back! How was Boston? Is Will all right? Are the people nice? I h ear the people are nice." Buffy asked as she walked over to her desk and sat in her chair.
"Boston was fun, it's a nice city. Willow is doing fine; you should give her a call soon. She'd love to hear from you. She had already met a group of people and the last I knew she was having fun. I told her I would call her after classes started. The people are great in Boston; she'll fit in fine there. She was worried over nothing. Did I miss much at orientation?"
"Not really. You know lots of boring lectures and activities. Where are you?"
"In my dorm room. I'm unpacking and getting settled in. Do you want to get together after registration? Maybe do lunch?"
"Sure, I think that sounds great. I'll meet you at registration."
"See ya then."
"Hey Buffy, can we join you?" Tara asked as she and Anya walked over the table she and Oz were sitting at. The cafeteria was crowded and there were no other seats to sit at.
"Sure. I can introduce you guys to Oz." She said as she moved her coat and bag from the chair. "How was registration?"
"Uck! I didn't get into the freshmen writing class that you and Tara got into. I'm in the class with no one I know! I don't even know where that building is. I already hate being a freshman. You don't get to take any fun classes as a freshman."
"Anya, we're in school, is there such thing as a fun class?" Buffy asked.
Tara smiled. She didn't want to say anything. She always like school and didn't want to ruin the moment. "I got that math class with you too Buffy."
"That is great!"
"Easy for you to say," Anya mumbled as she took a bite of her pizza.
"Hey," Oz said as he sat back down.
"Hey, Oz I wanted to introduce you to Anya, my roommate and our neighbor Tara. Oz and I have been friends since-"
"The beginning of time?" Oz joked.
Everyone made small rounds of hello and introduced themselves a little. Tara and Anya both felt a little uncomfortable since they knew there was so much history between Oz and Buffy. Everyone continued to chat a little longer when Riley approached the table.
"Good afternoon ladies," he said as he saw Oz sitting next to Buffy, "and non-lady." He paused and watched Oz for a moment. He had watched his interactions with Buffy for a while from across the cafeteria before he approached the table. Buffy and Oz were very chummy, which irritated Riley a little bit. Buffy had told him nights before that she was definitely single. "Hi, Riley Finn," was all Riley said as he stared at Oz.
Oz was annoyed with Riley. He didn't like his persona and the way he presented himself. "Hi, I'm Oz." He said nonchalant.
"Oz is one of my closest friends. We have known each other for-"
Oz interrupted Buffy as he looked into Riley's eyes. "A long time."
Everyone else could feel the hostility at the table. Anya, Tara and Buffy just exchanged looks with each other. No one knew what to say to another or to Riley or Oz. Sitting at the table felt very uncomfortable for everyone.
"I just came over to let you ladies know that the party is going to be Thursday night, at the frat house off campus. Oz, you're welcome to come if you want," Riley said with an attitude.
Oz just nodded. He said nothing.
"See ya later ladies. Oz, it was a pleasure," Riley said as he walked away.
"I don't like him," was all that Oz said as he said as he continued with his lunch.
"It's lucky that we were assigned to be partners," Tara said as she and Buffy worked on a math project together. It was an ice breaker type assignment, very un-math like but none the less, it made the girls happy because they were chosen to be partners.
"I know I'm glad you're my partner." Buffy said as she sat on Tara's floor and began to work. As she began to zone out, she looked up at the pictures on Tara's dresser. There were three other people in the photograph with the Chicago skyline in the background. "Is that your family?" Buffy asked as she pointed to the picture.
"Yes. That is my mom; she's a first grade teacher. And that's my dad, he is into real-estate and that's Donnie, my twin brother. He is taking the year off. He thinks he wants to be a police officer, well, at least this week he does." She laughed. "He's my best friend. I have called him almost every day since we have been here. I miss all of them a lot."
"So you're pretty close with your family? That's nice."
"Yes. I am so lucky to have parents like them, and Donnie is terrific too. My family is very close and such good people. I can't imagine my life without them." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Are you close to your family?"
Buffy paused. She knew that she had always been close with her mother and Dawn. Rupert had always loved her but they weren't close. They were just working that part out. Buffy did know that any of those people would do anything for her. "Yeah, I have a close family too. They are great."
The two continued to talk for a little while. They spoke of life experiences, not related home work. They were finding out more about each other.
After talking about relationships, Buffy asked Tara, "Have you ever been in love before?"
Tara took a deep breath. "No. I was involved in a relationship before I left home and I thought it was love, but it wasn't. Have you?"
Buffy thought for a moment before she started talking about Angel. She spoke about their relationship and how he was the only guy she had felt that way towards. She brought up Xander and said even after dating for almost a year, she just didn't feel what she did for Angel.
The two continued to talk and talk until early in the morning. Buffy just knew from that point on that Tara would become a trust-worthy friend.
"Welcome ladies and Oz, welcome," Riley said as he greeted them at the door of his frat house. He was a little surprise that Oz had accompanied Buffy and the other girls but he was going to act civil towards him.
"Thanks for inviting us." Buffy smiled.
"No problem, can I get you guys something to drink?"
After small talk Riley walked around and talked to other people. The four friends stayed together until Anya and Tara began to speak to people from one of their classes.
At first Oz didn't leave Buffy's side. He didn't like the way Riley looked at her and didn't want his friend to be alone with him.
"It's all right. Oz, he's harmless." Buffy began to explain to him later that night about Riley. Oz had told Buffy how he felt about him.
"Buffy, I don't trust him."
"It's all right. Really, it is." Buffy said trying to reassure her friend. She didn't have a brother but she had Oz, who acted like one.
Oz just gave Buffy a look. He didn't have to say anything. Buffy saw the disgust in his face. "Buf, he asked you out with your boyfriend standing right next to you."
"He was just being a jerk, true but that doesn't mean he's a scary type person. He is really nice and was really helpful last week during orientation."
Oz could see that this argument was leading no where. He knew Buffy was stubborn and there would be no talking about Riley, especially if he was made out to be the bad guy.
Buffy wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulder and hugged him for a moment. "Oz, please just trust me, Riley is all right."
Oz just shook his head and changed the subject. "You know the band is playing a gig next weekend. It could be big."
"Big as in how big?" Buffy enquired. She was relieved that Oz changed the subject.
"Not too big. We have been told that the talent manager who has some connections to No Doubt will be watching us."
Buffy jumped up and hugged Oz. "That is incredible! Oz, I'm so happy for you! This could be your big break! That's so exciting!"
A smile found its way to Oz's face. "Yeah, I know."
Buffy and Oz spent time talking about Oz's possible big break. He left for just seconds to go to the bathroom and to get a drink when Riley made his way over to Buffy.
"So what's the story with that guy?" He asked.
"Who? Oz? No story, just an old friend."
"I thought you said you weren't dating anyone." Riley said very softly ignoring what she had just said.
"Did you misunderstand me? Oz is a good friend; we've been friends since we were little. He has been there for me through a lot."
"The way he is so protective of you seems like he is your boyfriend."
Buffy smiled. "No way, that would be like dating my brother, if I had one. No, I'll repeat yet again, he's one of my best friends."
Riley smiled. "I'm sorry I acted like that. I just don't think he likes me very much."
Buffy didn't know what Oz's problem was. He was generally a nice person and liked mostly everyone. She couldn't understand what Oz had against Riley. "You guys just don't know each other yet. I think Oz is just a little uncomfortable because of that."
Riley and Buffy a few words before Riley lead her outside to the porch so they didn't have to scream at each other to have a conversation.
"So Miss Summers, what does a boy have to do to get you out on a date?" Riley asked as they sat on the steps on the house.
Buffy offered Riley a smile. She had a twinkle in her eyes. "It depends, are you inquiring information or asking me out?"
"Inquiring? Asking? Both," Riley answered as he returned Buffy's smile.
Buffy didn't know what to say. Riley was twenty-one, Buffy was eighteen. What could they possibly have in common? Why would he want to go out with her? There were other girls at the party more attractive than she was. She wondered what made her so special. At that point she didn't care. Riley was very attractive and after all, there were only three years between them. Was three years really that many?
Buffy also began to think about something Riley had said before. Riley had said that he had never been in a serious relationship before. If he had never been in a serious relationship, what kind of person was he and why was he interested in her?
Buffy then thought again about how she didn't care. "Riley I would like to go out with you."
Riley smiled. He too had the twinkle in his eyes. His plan was going according to schedule.