Disclaimer: Not mine.
She ran into Buffy on her way to the Library, where she suspected Xander might be. The petite Slayer laughed out loud when she saw the taller girl. “Cordy!” She ran up and gave her a hug. “I heard about your little confrontation with Harmony.” Her eyes twinkled as she looked the brunette up and down. “You look different, you’re acting and talking different, but you’re still my best friend Cordelia somewhere in that skintight little dress of yours. Thanks for sticking up for me.”
Cordelia was still unused to having Buffy act all friendly with her, but as she had done with Angel that morning, she accepted the hug graciously. “You’re welcome. And who are you to talk about skintight?” she asked, amused, eyeing the clinging tank top and miniskirt ensemble that Buffy was wearing.
Buffy quirked her lips into a smile. “But this is my usual uniform. We’re more used to seeing you in overalls or something.” She saw Cordelia’s face tighten and added quickly, “Not that you look bad or anything. In fact, I think I’m going to have to borrow that killer dress of yours, Cordy!”
Cordelia relaxed, and shook her head at Buffy. “No one’s borrowing this one till I get sick of it! You can have it next week.” The two girls laughed, then Cordelia’s eyes narrowed and she glanced at Buffy from the corner of her eye.
“Speaking of clothes, Buffy,” she said casually. “Are you missing something today? I found this lying around somewhere. She dug into her bag and pulled out something white and lacy. Buffy blushed, and she grabbed the bra and stuffed it in her purse quickly.
“Um ... where ...?”
“Where did I get it? I stopped by Angel’s to say hello, and I heard you two scrambling around ... then Angel came out of his room (by the way, Buffy, he looks majorly fine without a shirt! Not bad for a vampire who’s been dead for like two hundred years!). I went in to talk to him and I saw it on the floor.” She raised her eyebrow at the red-faced girl. “Next to a pair of briefs. Briefs! I didn’t know Angel was a briefs man!” Cordelia suddenly looked thoughtful. “I imagined him as one of those no-undies kind of guy.”
Buffy looked uncomfortable talking to her best friend about things like Angel and his underwear. This was Cordelia for goodness sake. She quickly changed the subject. “What did you two talk about?”
“Oh ... stuff,” said Cordelia vaguely. “Last night and how much fun we had and that sort of thing.”
Buffy was not fully satisfied with the answer, but she let it slide. “So last night was fun? I mean, you don’t usually go for all that sort of attention. That’s more like Willow.” She paused delicately. “This isn’t about trying to get Oz back, is it?”
Cordelia grimaced at the mention of the redhead. “Like Angel said last night, this has nothing to do with Willow or Oz or even you or Xander. This is me, Buffy. I am so not a bookish, computer kind of person.” Buffy looked a bit confused, so Cordelia added quickly, “Anymore.”
Buffy looked Cordelia in the eyes, to make sure she was not in some sort of denial about her feelings. She saw nothing to make her worry, so she decided not to pursue the matter much further. “Are you not going to be our Research Girl anymore? God, what will Giles say?”
“Looking at those dusty old books makes me sneeze,” said Cordelia flippantly.
“O-kay ...” Buffy was unsure of what to say to her friend, who had seemingly undergone a drastic change of personality the night before. She laughed weakly. “I know what you mean. But does Giles ever listen? No, he’s all for saving the world, and that means we have to hit the books now and then. You know how Willow always complains, and how she and Xander have these arguments about her not helping. Had these arguments,” said Buffy, correcting herself. “Had, cause they’re ... not ...” she thought nervously, trying to gauge Cordy’s reaction.
Cordelia shrugged. “Well it’s a good thing they broke up, cause that means Xander’s free for me.”
Buffy’s mouth dropped open in surprise, and she was trying to think of a response to Cordelia’s unexpected comment when the door to the computer room opened and Ms. Calendar stepped out. She smiled when she saw the two girls.
“Hi, Buffy. Hello, Cordelia. Would you come into my class for a sec?” The two made a move towards the room, but Ms. Calendar held up a hand to stop Buffy. “Only Cordy. You don’t mind, do you, Buffy? Computer talk.”
Buffy made a face and nodded. She waved distractedly and walked off, thinking about what Cordelia had said.
* * *
Jenny Calendar leaned casually on the side of her desk as she observed the teen standing in front of her. Cordelia did not look at ease. In fact, she would not catch Ms. Calendar’s eye, and she did not move from the spot she had taken near the door of the room. Cordelia’s arms were folded across her chest and her stiff posture indicated that something was wrong. It was as if she was uncomfortable in Ms. Calendar’s presence, which was odd, because the two had become very good friends in the time they had known each other. Ms. Calendar could always count on Cordy to sit and talk with her about things. Some of the things that the hacker had shared with her she would not tell even Buffy or Oz. After the breakup especially Cordy would come often just to confide in her. She had found it hard to speak to Oz, and rightfully so. Buffy always tried to be there but slaying and patrolling made it hard for her to always be there for her best friend. So it was Jenny Calendar that Cordelia talked to about her depression, her disbelief and heartache. And now she was standing awkwardly away from the computer teacher, a look of uneasiness on her face.
Cordelia, for once, found that she had nothing to say. It was weird, seeing the teacher that had been dead to her for so long alive and breathing in front of her. She was aware that Ms. Calendar knew something was wrong, but she was not the Cordy Chase of this world. She had no idea how to relate to the teacher. She knew she was being rude, purposefully avoiding eye contact and all, but it was all just too strange. Once again she was made painfully aware of the differences between the wish-world and hers. She kept her gaze on the computer on the table near her and waited for Ms. Calendar to speak.
Both wanted the other to talk first, but neither wanted to comply. The silence stretched out between the two of them. Jenny was the first to crack. Her concern was evident when she spoke. “So what’s really going on, Cordy?”
Cordelia’s voice was carefully controlled when she replied. “What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean, Cordy. The clothes, the makeup, the new attitude. I heard you confronted Harmony today. Good for you ... but if you don’t mind my saying so, it just isn’t something you’d normally do.”
Cordelia’s eyes flashed, and she felt the now familiar frustration build inside her. “I do mind your saying so. In fact, I mind a lot. Why should it be so strange that I stand up for myself? Was I such a loser before that even the idea that I may have some backbone repels you people? And what is the deal with my clothes? I like my clothes, and I like my makeup. You don’t approve, well boo hoo. I’m really going to lose sleep over the opinion of some dead ghost.” She regretted her last words as soon as they came out of her mouth, afraid that the computer teacher had heard them and thought them strange. She needn’t have worried. Jenny Calendar was too shocked at the outburst to notice the slip of the tongue.
“Cordy ...” She reached out tentatively and touched the brunette’s arm. “I’m sorry if I offended you. You know you can tell me anything.”
Cordelia gritted her teeth. It seemed that it would be harder than she thought to shed her dorky image. None of them wanted to listen! She took a deep breath to calm herself down, and tried to find the right words to say to the teacher to reassure her. “First of all, before you ask, NO. I am NOT doing this to get Oz’s attention. I have absolutely no interest in him. As far as I’m concerned, Willow can have him. I am doing this for me, not for anyone else. Because I want to.” She caught Ms. Calendar’s eye and willed her to believe what she was saying.
Jenny was unconvinced of the reasons behind Cordelia’s actions, but she could see the sincerity clearly in her eyes. She sighed. “It’s your life, Cordy. I have no control over what you decide to do. Even if it means a major change in my favorite hacker.” She smiled wanly at Cordelia, who was starting to relax at last. “Change is not so bad. I have to admit, you look great. I love those shoes of yours.”
Relieved that the awkward topic seemed to be behind them, Cordelia decided to accept the unspoken assent and flashed a smile at the teacher. “Thanks. Italian leather, of course. It goes with my purse. It’s all part of good accessorizing.” She glanced down at the strappy sandals that Ms. Calendar was wearing and nodded approvingly. “Those are nice too.”
Jenny chose to ignore this new show of un-Cordylike behavior. “Um ... thanks.” She laughed weakly. “Shoes are my weakness. I have about twenty different pairs. Not all have matching bags to go with them, but hey, we’re not all as rich as you are.”
“True,” said Cordelia, her voice unconsciously snobby. “But you dress nicely for a teacher, you know. No need to be ashamed.”
“Gee, thanks,” said Ms. Calendar, somewhat sarcastically. “I appreciate it.”
Cordelia’s eyes widened slightly as she realized she was slipping back into her bitch mode. She quickly tried to correct herself. Being NICE is part of her new image. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you or anything. It’s just that teachers don’t always dress well. It’s either Tacky City or else they wear clothes that are totally out of date.” She wrinkled her nose. “I mean, look at Giles. Tweed was like, never in, and that’s all you ever see him wearing.” She saw Jenny flush slightly, and she grinned. “Or not. Wait ... don’t tell me his boxers are tweed too!”
Jenny was just as uncomfortable hearing Cordelia talk about such things as Buffy was before her. But she couldn’t help but smile naughtily as she pictured Rupert as she had seen him last night. “Silk, actually. He said tweed would itch.”
And Cordelia laughed.
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