I Will Remember You: Silver Linings
by faith_slayer89
Ch. 3: Silver Linings
'I really hate him,' Buffy wrote furiously in her journal, her neat, loopy writing becoming more like chicken scratch with every word. 'I HATE that son of a bitch.' She underlined 'HATE' several times, bolding it until the ink soaked through to the next page. 'He wants to ruin my life, I know it. And NO, this isn't just some teenage melodrama that's going to look completely fine the next morning. Okay, remember how Adam (son of a bitch who's the son of that son of a bitch) used to use me as his own personal punching bag?'
The scritch-scratching of Buffy's purple ballpoint pen against her pastel rainbow journal paper stopped for a moment, as she recalled some terribly painful memories from her childhood.
When Buffy had been five, her father had died. She'd been too young to understand how death worked. "He's in a better place," her mother had told her. Though it had taken her a while to get through her grief, Buffy's mother had eventually remarried a couple years later, and had become Mrs. Ted Buchanan. Ted was actually a pretty cool guy. He'd treated Buffy just like his real daughter, buying her toys and candy when she was good, giving her time-outs when she was bad.
But when Buffy was nine, Ted's ten-year-old son from his previous marriage, Adam, moved in. When Buffy's mother was around, Adam had been the perfect big brother. But the second she was gone, he would torment and tease her, playing on her claustrophobia and fear of the dark to break her. And as she got older, the torment became more sinister. Adam went from verbal and emotional pain, to physical pain, as well.
And no one knew. When Buffy had told her mother, Sonia, blinded by the new family she now had, believed that Buffy only wanted attention. Hey, it wasn't Buffy's fault that she didn't bruise easily. It wasn't until the day Buffy's mom had gone to do the grocery shopping and Ted had walked in on Adam pummeling her, did she realize that he didn't give a damn, as he turned around and walked right back out, as if they were calmly playing some sort of game.
But when Buffy had turned fourteen, whoever was up there must've finally wised up, because this time, it was Buffy's mother who walked in on Adam trying to hit Buffy. Since then, he was living with his grandparents in Los Angeles in the States, a very long way from Toronto, Ontario. And since then, Buffy had hated her stepfather.
For two years, Buffy had lived in blissful peace. But now, her stepfather was being transferred to California. So he decided to move the three of them to Los Angeles. And hell, since they were gonna live there, why not have Adam move back in with them?
So here they were six months later in Los Angeles, California. Most of Buffy's things were still in boxes along her wall, except for her clothes, which hung in her closet, a few posters tacked up onto her wall, and her computer on her desk. But the first thing she had done was install the locks she had bought before she moved.
After Ted and her mother had seen the movers drop their stuff off, they'd gone out to get dinner. Buffy had politely declined, and had spent the next little while carefully drilling the holes and screwing in the locks. She'd even gotten one that could be locked from the outside, as well, and kept the key on a chain around her neck.
But not only was today the day that Adam was going to be moving back in. Oh no. Today was also the day she'd start her new school, Hemery High. The name made the back of her mind twinge, as though she was supposed to remember something, but quickly pushed the thought away as she continued to write.
'But Hemery's not just any school. It's also where that stupid parasite Adam goes to. It's not enough that I'll have to see him at home, I'll have to see him at school, too?' She closed her journal and put it back into its usual space in the secret compartment in her desk.
She yawned and looked out the window, and was greeted to a beautiful Californian sunrise. The sun was a deep gold, and the circumference of it was a bright, fiery orange. The sky was navy, lightening to purple, with streaks of light blue and pink.
Buffy smiled, cheered at the sight, and walked over to her closet. She'd been up for a couple hours, nervous at the thought of the day, and wondered why she was only picking out her outfit now. She should have done this last night, at least. Her outfit had to say something, make an impression. She pulled out a hanger and surveyed the black dress on it. The neckline was cut a bit low, and the skirt was a bit too short. She held it up in front of her and looked in the mirror.
"Hi, I'm an enormous slut!" She replaced the black dress and pulled out a a white button-down shirt, with a floral skirt. "Hello, would you like a copy of 'The Watchtower'?" She put that back as well, then paused as a feeling of deja vu washed over her. "What's 'The Watchtower', anyway?" Buffy murmured, wondering why she'd said that.
But all feelings of deja vu went out of her mind as she spied the perfect top. It was her new maroon off-the-shoulder shirt, with the flared sleeves. "Great, now all I need is pants..." She grinned when she found her favourite pair of blue jeans. Form-fitting, but comfy. She hopped into the shower, then changed into her clothes, looping a regular black belt around her waist. "Now for the hair..." She debated between whether putting it up or down, when she began to smell the enticing aroma of sausages.
"Buffy," her mother called. "Breakfast!"
"I'll be down in five," she called back. Feeling ravenous, she opted for pulling the sides back and clipping them at the nape of her neck, leaving a few strands astray. She decided on a pair of silver chandelier earrings and a silver chain with a cross -the ancient thing had always been hers, for as long as could remember, and neither she nor her mother remembered where she'd gotten it from- to accessorize. One coat of maroon nail polish and two coats of clear later, she was seated at the table, piling her plate with food.
"Someone's hungry," her mother commented, amused.
"Someone's very hungry," Buffy agreed, and began to load her plate with eggs, buttered toast, and sausages. She put the eggs between the bread, to make a sandwich, and smothered the sausages in ketchup.
"Well, you look gorgeous for your first day, honey." Buffy gave her mother a humbs-up thank you, before taking a swig of orange juice.
"Where's Ted?" She'd only just noticed the missing presence of her stepfather.
"He had to leave early for work this morning," Sonia replied.
'Good,' Buffy thought, glad for the little things in life. "So," she began cautiously, "when's Adam coming by?"
"Just after school, I think. ...Buffy, I'm glad you're being so grown up about this...considering everything that's happened." Buffy smiled brightly as she put her empty dishes in the washer.
"Two years is an awful lotta time to change in. I say, let bygones be bygones." Buffy's mom gave her a half-hug. 'Especially since that stupid son of bitch threatened to send me to boarding school,' she added inwardly, her smile faltering slightly.
"Well, good for you, honey! Listen, get your stuff and meet me in the car." Sonia tossed her daughter her keys, and Buffy caught them expertly, moving into the front hall. She picked up her bag and pushed her feet into her black boots.
"Nice," her mother said appreciatively, noticing her nails and Buffy grinned. By the time her mother had pulled up to Hemery, Buffy had applied some nice-smelling strawberry lip gloss and had found a shiny nickel in the glove compartment.
"Look, Mom. Lunch money."
"Ha ha," her mother said dryly, and pulled a twenty out of her pocket. "Don't spend all of it today, please?" Buffy took the bill.
"Thanks, Mom," Buffy said, giving her mom a quick kiss on the cheek before opening the car door and backing out. "Later." Her mother sped away, and she walked confidantly up to the building, opening the door. Through the halls she went, trying to find the principal's office.
"Buffy!" Someone called her name, and as she turned to see who it was, she opened another door, and could feel the it vibrate slightly as someone walked into it. "Nice going!" She saw her stepbrother, laughing loudly with a bunch of his football buddies.
"I'm really sorry," she said quietly, turning to who she'd hit with the door -and stared into the most gorgeous pair of dark eyes she'd ever seen. He blinked dazedly, and she noticed how perfect he looked. Buffy knew she could spend all day staring into those eyes, those dark mysterious eyes, trying to decipher all the secrets within. And his mouth, oh his perfect mouth, how she could spend hours at a time, kissing him.
*BEEP BEEP BEEP* Angel stretched his hand to turn off his alarm. He couldn't reach it, so he moved over a little. Still he was too far away, and the beeping was getting on his nerves. He stretched just a little bit more -and fell off the bed.
"At...least it's off," he muttered, clutching the plug of the clock. He blinked tiredly and shivered, wishing he'd worn more than just his black boxers to bed. His window was open, and a cool breeze blew into his small bedroom. Groaning, he pulled himself up off the floor and made his way into the shower.
He enjoyed the exhilarating feeling of the warm water on his skin, and as he began to rinse the soap out of his hair, his dark eyes caught the time on his watch. Startled by how late it was, he accidentally slipped on some soap, and for the second time in ten minutes, he fell.
"Jesus Christ," he muttered, towelling off and getting dressed. His dark blue shirt was slightly rumpled, but he didn't have time to iron it. He ran in front of the mirror. "Okay, good, great, perfect, let's go." He grabbed his backpack and was halfway to the door when he remembered. "Pants!" He ran back to his bedroom and pulled on a pair of black jeans. "Okay, shirt, pants, shoes, bag, good, I'm ready." He locked the door behind him as he left, and nearly collided with Richard, the owner of the grocery shop above which he was living.
"Angel, I was just coming to see if you were okay. You're running very late, school will start shortly."
"Yeah, I know." He began to run down the stairs.
"Would you like a ride? Marie's got a friend near Hemery that she's going to visit."
"Thanks, that'd be great!" He ran outside, and found Marie, Richard's wife, waiting in the car. He jumped in and thanked her profusely.
"Not a problem," she assured him. "Straight to school, then?"
"Yes, please, thanks," he replied quickly. A guilty feeling rose up inside. He'd have to skip his visit to the orphanage this morning. Since he'd become eighteen, and therefore legally an adult, he'd been -due to some amazing generosity by whatever higher power there was- lived in the apartment above the corner grocery store. In exchange, he worked in the store on weekends and afterschool, whenever he had some free time. So that only left mornings before school started to go back and visit the kids at the orphanage. Since it was Friday, Kelly, rambunctious little ten-year-told, would have to wait till Monday to hear the ending ot his story, about how the fair princess saved the world from the psycho hellgod.
"There we go," Marie said, pulling up to the back of the school.
"Thank you," he said again, and began to get out of the car.
"Oh, Angel?"
"Yeah, Marie?"
"Your shirt. Tuck it in. I'll have no child living under my roof going to school looking like that. And your hair, make sure you pull a comb through it?" Angel grinned.
"I will," he promised, and began to tuck his shirt in. Marie smiled, then drove off. Angel stared as the car drove away, then entered the school. He was making for his locker, and went to open another hall door when the thing opened by itself, knocking him in the head. He blinked, glass-eyed. "This is gonna be a bad day, I can just tell..."
"I'm really sorry." He shook his head, and looked down to see a pretty blonde looking up at him, with a weird expression on her face. 'Hell, she's more than pretty, she's beautiful,' he thought. And she was. She was beautiful. Her blonde hair looked like spun gold, and her eyes were as bright as jewels. She looked perfect, like an-
"Angel," he blurted out.
"Sorry?" Buffy said, snapping out of her reverie.
"Um, my name's Angel." He offered his hand to her.
"Angel. Pretty name." For the second time that day, she felt deja vu. "Sorry about the door." She grasped his hand with hers, and he noticed how soft her skin was.
"Who are you?"
"Let's just say, I'm a friend."
"Yeah, well, maybe I don't want a friend."
"Didn't say I was yours."
Both Angel and Buffy blinked, confused by the images that had just played through their minds.
"That was...what's your name?" Angel thought to ask, as the bell rang. Noisily, students began crowding the halls, and they began to drift apart.
"Buffy."
"What, sorry?"
"Buffy, my name is Buffy!"
"Nice name," he called out, as they were being carried off in two different directions by the current in the sea of students. She grinned and waved, and noticed that he had a gorgeous smile as he waved back, before disappearing into the crowd.
All morning she thought about him. Throughout classes, she played up the clueless-new-kid role to cover for her daydreaming. She was disappointed that she hadn't seen him at lunch, but that wasn't for lack of trying. She'd spent most of her lunch hour combing the halls looking for him, and had given up only when she'd realized that there was twenty minutes until class and she hadn't eaten. She chewed on the Kit Kat she'd gotten from one of the many vending machines, when she felt someone come up behind her. She turned around, expecting her mysterious Angel.
"Oh," she said disgustedly, tossing the Kit Kat wrapper away. "It's you."
"That's how you say hi to your big brother?" Adam looped an arm around her, but she shrugged it off.
"A, you're not my brother. We're only related by marriage, thank God, 'cause if you were a blood relative, I'd put myself up for adoption, and B, I don't waste politeness on jerks."
"Aw, Buff, c'mon."
"Aw, Adam, go to Hell."
"I'm the wrong person to piss off, Buffy."
"Why? 'Cause you'll use me as your personal punching bag? Sorry, been there, done that. Besides," she added quietly, "you lay a hand on me, and I swear I'll-"
"What? Run to Mommy?" Adam chuckled.
"Try, 'Kick your ass'. I haven't spent two and a half years taking self-defense for nothing."
"Aww, Buff, you remembered me though all this time. I'm touched."
"Touch this," Buffy replied, using the ever-so-versatile finger to convey her meaning. She stalked off, fuming. When she came to a bench, she sat down and sighed, closing her eyes and tilting her head back. She felt a pair of warm hands cover her eyes, and heard a slightly familiar voice.
"Angel. Yeah, I can just see him in a relationship. 'Hi, honey, you're in grave danger, I'll see you next month.'"
"Are you jealous?"
"Of Xander? Please. He's just a kid."
"Is it 'cause I danced with him?"
"'Danced with' is a pretty loose term. 'Mated with' might be a little closer-"
"Oh, you're shocking! One little dance, and you know I just did it to make you crazy, which, by the way, behold my success!"
"A vampire in love with a Slayer. It is rather poetic, in a maudlin sort of way."
"R-Remember me?" Angel faltered slightly. His voice was low, and he smiled at seeing the gleeful expression on Buffy's face, glad to know that she was as happy as he was about seeing her again.
"Santa? Oh, they told me you weren't real, but I didn't believe it, not for a minute!" Angel raised his eyebrows and Buffy laughed quietly, imagining the expression on his face.
"No, guess again."
"Easter bunny?"
"Nope."
"Tooth fairy!"
"Nuh-uh." Angel dropped his arms to her shoulders, and she opened her eyes, smiling.
"Hi."
"Hi."
"Nice to see you again."
"Same."
"Nice vocabulary you got there. Very extensive." Angel laughed.
"You're funny."
"I know. ...So, you gonna come and sit down, or am I gonna have to stare up all day? Not that I mind the view, of course," she grinned. Angel took the hint and came to sit down beside her.
"So..." Angel racked his mind for something to takl about, but was interrupted by the bell.
"That bell has very bad timing," Buffy announced.
"You're telling me." Buffy smiled.
"So...maybe I'll see you around?"
"Yeah, that would be nice. To see you. Around. Here. ...Or not even here. Maybe just...around."
"Around would be nice. ...Is there anyplace specific that 'around' might be?"
"Um, 'around' could be anywhere. A park, a club...the beach at seven?"
"That sounds like a nice place to be...around," Buffy replied.
"Great," Angel said. "So, I'll see you around, then...at seven."
"Seven sounds perfect."
This story archived at: The Slayer\'s Fanfic Archive
The Slayer\\\\\\\\'s FanFic Archive - http://www.slayerfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=5700