TITLE: The Upper School
AUTHOR: Danielle
SUMMARY: AU. Buffy's POV throughout middle and high school, dealing with normal teen things… and Angel.
DISCLAIMER: All the charchters are Joss Whedon's, the school and teachers own themselves, (will the schools is … but) but all names are changed for privacy.
RATING: PG… There is some, will, this chapter, a lot of cursing. Also, if I have offended anyone with comments in this chapter, I want to clear it up now, that it is for the story and not what I really feel.
DEDICATION: To my Willow and Xander, and to MY Angel.
FEEDBACK: Would love some!
AN: This is my disclaimer. This is not my life, please do not think that one teenager went through all this. There are some serious issues going to happen in this fic and if you need clearing up on certain things, feel free to email me or IM me at MooShee16.
9th Grade- Trimester One- September, 1999I think I'm excited. But then again I always say that right when I am about to go to school, but this time, I sort of am. I mean, I look way different. Way, I mean, way. I don't think I recognize myself. Which is weird, in so many ways… I straighten my hair one more time and walk down the stairs. Dramatic exit… which no one in the family is in the living room to see… Gee. What fun.
I go to the kitchen and Mom and Dad are glaring at each other, and Dawn's smiling happily at the table. What a scene.
"Dad? I need to go already," I say, as I grab a piece of toast from the counter not bothering to greet anyone. I snuggle my head against Dawn's shoulder for a second and kiss her head. She gives me such a huge innocent grin, it takes me breath away and I wish that Dawn would stay eight forever.
"Right. Joyce, you're talking Dawn?"
She looked at him briefly. "Sure." Parents, they are so immature.
I walk over and take my new purple bag (which I bought all buy myself, with my own money) and wait for Dad toget inside the car. Doesn't he know I have to be early, I mean, seriously, FIRST DAY OF HIGH SCHOOL! He finally gets in and starts the engine, without even saying anything. I roll my eyes at him us I change the radio station to something normal other than weird music from old people times. Dad sort of glares at me and I sigh in annoyance. It is so frustrating living in house with Mom and Dad lately. All they do us fight and then they blame everything on me and Dawn.
Like everything they are doing is a favor for us. Well we didn't ask for you guys to be parents, and you know being a parent takes a lot of fucking favors. It is so annoying and they act so immature about it.
Once we finally get to school and he goes into the carpool and it is safe for me to get out and not get run over by a crazy parent, I make sure to slam the door. Loud. I stalk towards the entrance of the school when I see the guard at the front of the door. Shit, stupid ID, with the stupid ID. I can't believe they are making us bring our fucking IDs on the first day of school! Who the hell remembers to bring them?
I go to the side were the Dean of the school is signing people in who forgot their IDs. As I am waiting to sign my name in (happy to see I wasn't the only one who forgot about the stupid IDs) I see this tiny little person walk inside the school, tiny little
sevie. I smile at her, and she looks up at me with these huge wide eyes and I feel bad for her. She has no idea what is coming to her.
"Name?"
I look up at the principle of The Upper School and try to smile but I'm in a mood, as Mom would call them.
"Buffy Summers," I sigh. She looks through the list, and why do they have a list of eight hundred students.
I roll my eyes at it and walk through when she tells me I can. I walk slowly towards were the ninth grade hallway is shut my eyes. I am about to walk into itwhen…
"Holy Shit, is that you!" I turn around and a full-blown smile crosses my face.
"Xander!" I laugh as I run towards him and give him the best hug I could muster without out bags of books colliding and well, killing us.
"Buffy Summers, look at you, you gut Hott! With a capital H!" he says, and I can't help it but smile and blush at his comment.
"Xander…" I say, as my cheeks turn red, but in a good way, in a happy way.
"Turn around," he says, as he drops his books and bag to the floor.
I oblige and I feel my hair whooshing around me. He whistles and I have to smile. We walk into the hallway together and I feel people staring at me and I look down and smile at the thrill of it. Yeah people, Buffy Summers is back and she is hotter than fucking ever, I laugh evilly in my head.
Xander stops at his locker and I talk to him for moments before I head down towards were my locker would be. I open it nicely and stuff everything inside before rushing back up towards the hallway and lookfor Willow. I see Willow talking to someone really tall and I rush up to her.
I haven't seen her since I left to England. All we have done is talk on the phone, a lot, which my grandfather was really pissed about but still, I needed to know all the gossip going around while I wasn't here.
"Willow!" I say, opening my arms wide and I see her eyes widen in surprise as she hugs me.
"Omigod, Buffy! You look amazing. Your hair and your… omigod!" We start laughing, and she keeps touching my hair, which is blonde now. I feel someone looking at me and I turn around and see who Willow was talking to and my heart stops and my mouth drops. No fucking way.
"Angel," I say in astonishment as I hug him. I feel his arms come around my waist, and omigod his arms are so strong! His arms were never strong before.
"Buffy, hey," he whispers. I let go and look him up and down fully and then finally up at his eyes, which are so dark and intense looking.
"You got so tall! And… Angel your braces came off! I'm so happy for you!" I babble happily.
"And your so… blonde," he murmurs as he takes a piece of it in his hand. I feel a rush go down shoulders and bite my lip nervously, all the while still holding onto Angel. Who got so fucking hot, what was that about? I'm supposed to be hot, will Angel can to, but still. But he is so hot, almost like Brad Pitt or something. No, better. Angel is so hot, and tall. Short Angel is tall. Like five fucking six or seven
inches. And I'm only five two!
I look back at Willow and Xander who joins and I smile happily at them until I feel Angel grab hold onto my hand. I look up at him and he smiles this cute little smile and I feel my whole insides melt. I look quicklyback at Willow who is smiling happily at what she is seeing happing between me and Angel.
The whole summer I wrote Willow, and phoned her and I confessed to my crush on Angel. She said he liked me, but who could have liked me? I wasn't pretty, I was chubby and spoiled and mean. I twirl my hair in my hand while my left one is securely safe in Angel's hand. That sounds nice. Securely safe.
The bell rings and Willow and Xander rush off towards their homeroom, which I guess they obviously have together. I look at Angel who seems to be a lot more
quiet then I remember.
"Did you go mute over the summer?" I demand with a smile on my face.
His whole face breaks into this huge smile and I feel myself… melt. He is so beautiful. I am such a lonney.
"Nope," he says.
"Where is your homeroom?" I ask as we start walking down the hallway, still hand holding by the way.
"Library," he replies.
"Me too!" I say excited but then it sort of disappears because we start to pass these evil people. The arecalled popular people, but I gave them a new term this
summer.
I feel them looking at me I don't look back at them but I walk foreword. I feel myself start to break though. It's not easy knowing that I was once one of them and I had the school at my hands, sort of. Then I feel it…slowly at first and then it gets harder. Angel is squeezing my hand. Angel is being my life support.
"Ignore them," he whispers.
We walk right past them and nothing happens. Nothing happened. I'm still alive.
I look up at Angel and he smiles down at me. I givehim the best smile I can muster up and I think it works because his eyes sort of sparkle in response. And I just can't get over how different he looks. He is tall and musically and his voice, it isn't squeaky anymore and he looks so old! Well, older. But in a good way. A very good way.
We walk into the library and we sit down next to some people from our grade, and wow! Look at all these high school people, this is awesome! See when we where is
middle school, we had homeroom with people from our grade so we could get used to each other because so many new kids come in seventh and eighth grade. But now that we are in High School they combine it with other High Schoolers which is so cool cause I mean wow, we are finally in High School. I'm not a tiny little middle school person anymore, I'm in high school. This is so cool. I think I can get used to this.
We sit down on the red carpet, because there are no more chairs left and I see Ford looking at us, his face really dark. I shudder and muster up wave and give him the best smile I can manage which is not so big. He looks at me and Angel for a second and back at me and he nods his head slightly and keeps talking to whoever he is talking to.
I look over at Angel and he is looking at me and Ford with this weird expression on his face. Maybe jealousy! Yah!
"What?" I question, as the teacher (who has the fattest ass I have ever seen in my life) starts talking.
He looks at Ford one more time before he looks at me again. "Are you still into Ford?"
My eyes widen, how did he know about me and Ford? I know I never mentioned anything to him about me and Ford being those kind of friends. "I have no idea what
you are talking about." Play dumb, I'm positive Angel is going to fall for that.
He looks at me for a second, and he seems upset, or angry. "Buffy, don't play dumb and don't treat me like I am stupid."
I try to speak but my mouth starts to get dry but I think I have a funny expression on my face because Angel is laughing. This isn't funny. He grabs hold of the end of my big sweatshirt and put his hands through the sleeve hole so he can grab hold of my hand, which is inside the sweatshirt. He twines our hands together inside the sweatshirt and then pulls our hands out.
I look up at him slowly and he has that really pretty smile on his face again. "Even if I was into Ford… not that I ever was. I'm not into him anymore."
His smile sort of grows and he squeezes my hand lightly. My heart is beating way to fast and I think… this is so weird, but my stomach is sort of squelching from desire. I gulp.
"Do you like someone?" he whispers, and I'm not sure if he is whispering to be sexy or because the teacher is right near us. (and what fat ass!) I think it might be both.
"Yeah," it's okay to trick them once in a while.
"Really?" and he sounds sort of surprised to and disappointed. "Do I know him?"
I scrunch my noise, and smile happily before replying. "It's a girl but shh!" I say in a loud whisper.
Angel cracks a huge grin at this comment and I give him a sly smile. We finally start to listen to the teacher with the big ass and finally when she gives us our schedule me and Angel start to compare as we walk out. I look over at his piece of paper and see his code.
"Angel, tell me your code?" I say as I try to grab hold of his schedule.
"No," he says as he moves his hand away.
"Angel! You have to tell me, I'm your best friend!" I say as I try to get it back.
He moves his hand up high and I try and jump and get it, but it doesn't work. I'm to short. Jeez… I hate being short. We start walking down the main hallway towards the ninth grade hallway, Angel with his hand being up and me jumping and not reaching. Right when we are about to go inside our hallway I reach his hand and sort of force it down and I look up at him in triumph but suddenly, we are really close together and Angel's eyes turn super dark. I look up at him, eyes sort of wide, my hand still holding his wrist but slowly moving down towards his hand.
My breath seems to halt and all I can think is he is going to kiss me, right before first period. My heart is beating hard against me and I feel his hand come up and sort of cup my cheek and I still can't believe we are doing this in the middle of the hall during school. His breath is puffing against me and I swear I think he is going to kiss.
"Buffy!" omigod, omigod, omigod, this isn't happening.
I turn around with a tight smile on my face as I face Willow and Xander. Willow looks guilty almost and Xander seems oblivious. Stupid, stupid Xander, couldn't he see Angel was about to kiss me?
"What classes did you get?" Xander said, shoving his schedule at me.
I snarl at him and he still doesn't get that he did something bad and Angel is being such a total guy by moving away from me. Boys, they are so dumb!
Mom drops me off at Angel's house, and this is like three weeks after school started. Once I get to his house I ring the doorbell. His mom comes to the door and smiles nicely at me before telling me Angel is in his room. I give her a big smile and I run up the stairs.
I run into his room close the door and flop on the bed without even looking at him. And I don't need to look at him to know he is probably at his huge CD collection and probably polishing it or something. He is so obsessed with it, it's crazy. He looks at me, to acknowledge me and then gets back to his CDs. Whatever, fucker.
Ever since that very fateful day in the school hallwayAngel has in no way tried to kiss me again, and you know a girl can get really impatient. I mean, we have had our fair share of flirting, yes he has held my hand at almost every chance he gets, and he always has his arm around my shoulder when we are around other guys, and whenever we go see movies he pulls me really close to him. So I know he likes me, so why the hell doesn't he play on it? Am I just crazy? Well, yes, but still! He likes me and I know it! … Guys are so stupid.
"Angel… can we go already?" I say as I get up from his bed and stand right in front of him.
He looks up at me and suddenly I feel really tall,until he gets up and I feel really short. Stupid tall Angel. "Yeah, let's go now."
We are planning to go to the movies and plan to take
his bike and his sister's, Kathy's, maybe if she lets us. She can be so spoiled sometimes, just like Dawn. He knocks on her door and she opens it and looks at us.
"Can Buffy borrow your bike?" Angel asks as nicely as he can.
She looks me up and down, and sometimes I feel like she just needs a big sister, I mean she looks so… boyish. "Sure, but don't scratch it."
"Wouldn't think about it," I reply as we start going down the stairs.
Once we are on the trail and head towards the Movie Theater, we sneak to are hidden short cut that cuts thorough the woods. I suddenly stop the bike and wait for Angel to do the same.
"Why did you stop?" he asks as I lay my bike on the floor.
I look up at him and give him a secret smile. "Let's get lost!"
"What?"
"Let's do it, not think about it. I always wanted to get lost in the woods," I say happily as I start to move way inside the woods.
"Buffy! The bikes!" Angel says, still standing were I left him.
I turn back around and look him happily in the face. "Hide them or something."
Five minutes later, I hear Angel running up to catch up with me, cause I'm not going to wait for him.
"Buffy," he says once he finally reaches me. "Do youhave any idea where we are going?"
I look over at him and raise my eyebrows. "No, that's the point of getting lost."
I finally stop walking once I reach the edge of a brown river that is really ugly looking. Angel stops right next to me and looks at the river. We seem to be deep in the forest. I turn around and Angel is right in my face, and I think my cheeks are flaming a little bit and my heart is jumping out of my chest and he is standing right in front of me.
I gulp and look up at him. He is so tall. "I think we got lost."
"Yeah," he whispers.
I turn away quickly and look out to the filthy river. I take a deep breath and slowly turn back around again. He is so close, and yet… Why am I so scared?
I look him right in the eye and his cheeks are red and mine are probably red to. He is standing so close, and it's weird and yet… "Kiss me."
He leans in and his lips feel so nice against mine. I feel his hands move to my back and hold me steady in his arms, while I sort of leave my arms hanging at my side and I like the way that feels, having his arms holding onto my back, tightly. He lets go, with one more brush of his lips on mine and hugs me close to him and I feel this huge smile spread across my face. Ilook up at him and he sort of leans his forehead against mine and he has this sort of awed expression on his face. I think it's good.
"That was nice," I whisper against his chest.
He smiles this cute little smile and kisses my forehead and hugs me close to him again. I yank at his shirt and he looks down at me again and I bite my lip in happiness as to what happened.
"What?" and his voice is so light and happy.
"Kiss me again," I whisper and he smiles at my demand and kisses me again. And God it feels so good.
TBC