Angel saw four teenagers, two males, two females and obviously paired off, come around the corner from the back alleyway of the teen club. One set got in one car and the other set got in another car and each drove off. Since Buffy wasn't with them, he paid no attention to them, just stayed in the shadows across the street, watching. His patience was rewarded when Buffy came out of the front door of the Bronze, following what he realized was a fairly young vampire with a girl he'd picked up. Angel was impressed when he saw Buffy throw her stake from several feet away and nail the vamp in the back with it. To his disappointment, she went back into the club only to emerge a few minutes later with two other teenagers, a male and another female. The female had striking red hair. He was further disappointed when she walked them each home extending their conversation, which he could clearly hear from the half a block he kept between them, moving from shadow to shadow. Several times he saw Buffy cock her head like she heard something, but it couldn't be him, he'd learned stealth a long time ago. Finally she was walking alone down Revello Drive, which was the street he knew she lived on, having arrived in town before her and seen her move in, he had to talk to her now, before she reached her new home.

"Hey guys, why don't we walk home together?" Buffy suggested, something was tingling her vamp senses. "I mean safety in numbers, right?"

"Sunnydale doesn't have much crime, Buffy." Willow told her. "And I live about ten blocks from here and Johnathan a couple blocks passed me, you don't have to go that far out of your way, we'll be fine."

"It's not." Buffy assured. "And L.A. habits die hard, besides we can continue getting to know each other. You two, besides Cordelia, are the only people I've really met since I got here and I like you. I'm hoping we can be friends." She heard a slight scrapping sound behind them and resisted the urge to look back.

"Okay." Again, Willow was surprised, aside from Johnathan, no one seemed to want to be her friend. Oh, she had lots of acquaintances, people that were friendly towards her and Xander, 'No Alex!' she chastised herself, 'he's Alex now!' kept other jocks from bullying her, but was definitely part of the jocks and cheerleaders crowd and had been since Junior High started and now they were sophomores. 'Johnathan's right, I've got to let go, Alex just isn't interested in even being friends with Johnathan and me, hasn't been for years.'

"Well, let's start with, I just turned sixteen." Buffy offered. "How about you?"

"Last October, I'm a Halloween baby, my birthday's just a couple days before it." Willow told her.

"I've been sixteen since September." Johnathan offered, wondering why a girl who looked like Buffy did and had Cordelia giving her a coolness quiz was really interested in two nerds, something seemed off. Cool and beautiful girls didn't pay attention to him. Not that she was acting like she was interested in anything more than friendship. Finally they arrived at Willow's house and wished her a good night, waiting until she was safely inside before heading toward his house.

"I didn't want to say anything while Willow was around." Johnathan said. "But I have to ask, are you really interested in being our friend or just Willow's friend? And if so, why? You could be friends with Cordelia, she's obviously interested in trying."

"No, she wasn't." Buffy answered. "She was testing to see if I was good enough to be part of her circle, which isn't the same as being a friend. I saw her in the Bronze, those people she was sitting with, those are her friends. She's relaxed with them. She trusts them, she lets them passed the social boundaries she's set up. Trust me, I know, I used to be her. Arbiter of social standing, I ruled Hemery High School the way she rules Sunnydale High. And than something happened and I found out, I had no actual friends at Hemery. The only true friend I had, the only person willing to stand with me, was a guy I would have labeled a loser before than. And he didn't ask anything in return. My circumstances being what they are, I know I'm never going to be among the social elite again. I've accepted that, but that means I'm now free to try to find real friends. Ones that might not abandon me. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, it does." Johnathan nodded. "The two boys Cordelia was sitting with, used to be friends of mine and Willow's and at some point, they chose Cordelia and Aura over being our friends. And you're right, they're very close, in a way they never were with me and Willow. They trust Cordelia and Aura and not just because they're their girlfriends. I'm not sure they ever trusted me and Willow. And Willow's feelings were really hurt by it. I don't want to see her hurt again."

"I'll do my best not to." Buffy promised.

"Well, here's my house." Johnathan said. "See you tomorrow."

"You're not going to ask what the something was?"

"No, we're not friends yet. When we are, I'll listen."

"Thank you." Buffy walked on to Revello Drive and turned down her street and than stopped. "Whoever, you are, you've been following me since the Bronze, show yourself."

A stunned Angel stepped out of the shadows, how had she known?