Confusing Competitions..
by phantom
Shooting back some of their own.
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Chapter 7
Later on that day...
Faith is sitting alone in the cafeteria staring at her coke and plate of french fries. Xander walks in with Anya in tow.
"Hello Faith!" says Anya as she and Xander walk toward the table.
"Faith... are you ok?" asks a concerned Xander. "I mean with the fries and the coke... and the gloomy face, some would assume there was something very wrong here..."
Anya looks at Xander then back at Faith. To everyone's surprise the blonde gets up and says "Maybe I'll give you two some privacy." She gives Faith a small smile and adds "Maybe I'll go find Dawn."
"Please don't say her name," says the usually upbeat brunette.
Anya looks confused but nods and walks off after giving Xander an 'I'll see you later' look.
"So... Dawn troubles huh?" says Xander.
"Xander! What the hell man! I asked you not to say her name!" Faith yells.
"Umm, who's name?" asks Buffy who had just walked up to the table. "Is everything ok here guys?"
Xander doesn't say anything for fear of being flamed again but Faith puts on a fake happy appearance.
"Yeah B, everything's five by five." She says with a practiced smile.
She figures that the blonde doesn't need any grief from her, she was gonna get her own grief soon enough. As soon as she finds out about Willow and her sister that is.
Buffy sits down at the table secretly wondering what the heck Faith meant about that five by five thing. Then she remembers she's got more important fish to fry.
"So... have you guys seen Willow?" she asks.
Faith's eye catches the pink coloured item in the blonde's hand before her whole happy appearance disappears almost as quickly as it had come. She sighs and says simply, with undisguised anger "Sorry B, but she's taken."
With that she gets up and storms off leaving cold fries and warm coke on the table.
Buffy turns to Xander with a questioning look.
Xander simply drops his eyes, not really wanting to mention anything. He himself wasn't even sure that he understood exactly what was going on. All he knew was that he had one very pissed off friend. And now, judging by the way the Buffy's eyes had darkened as soon as she heard Faith's last sentence the number of pissed off friends had just doubled.
By the time Xander thought of a comforting sentence to say to Buffy and raised his eyes, he realised that the blonde was gone.
--
The very same blonde was now fuming and on her way to Willow's locker to confront the redhead.
'What the hell is going on?' she thought. 'When did Willow get a Valentine?'
Buffy tried to tell herself that it can't be true. Just last night she had nearly kissed the redhead... Willow would have said something then if she really was already spoken for.
'Unless she was playing me... No! God, why the hell didn't I just ask her sooner?'
Buffy took a deep breath before turning the final corner before reaching their lockers. But of course when she got there in the end the redhead was no where to be seen.
'God dammit!' the blonde fumed in her own head. Then she suddenly caught sight of something pink sticking out of the slot of Willow's locker.
Without a second thought the usually chivalrous blonde pulls out the Valentine and was quick to read it's contents.
"Favourite brunette?! Who the hell?!" she said outloud. 'Dawn', she thought before shaking her head. 'No... Dawnie and I already had a talk.... She wanted to ask.... (!)..... Faith!'
Buffy closed her eyes only to have too many pictures flood into her brain. Faith's wavy curls, Faith up in a tree, Faith upset that she had wanted to find Willow to give her a Valentine.
'How could I have been so stupid?' Thought the blonde. She then pushed the Valentine back in the slot before slowly walking out of school and towards her house.
--
Casa de Summers
Dawn walks in carrying her duffel bag that she had taken to Anya's place for last night's sleep over.
"Mom! I'm home!" she calls out.
"Dawn, keep your voice down. Your sister isn't feeling too well. She came home early from school."
"Is she ok? Should I go check on her?"
"No, she said she just wanted to be alone so she could get some rest. I don't know what she's been doing, she just looked really drained when she got home."
Dawn nods thinking that her sister had probably just overtired herself with too much thinking about Willow and Friday night's dance.
She smiled at the thought of it, both her and Buffy were going to get the dates they wanted, ok so that was an understatement...This Friday night's gonna be awesome!
Dawn walked up to and into her room and fell on her bed.
"Ah, bed sweet bed..."
She then noticed there was something sticking out from under her pillow and quickly grabbed onto it.
She beamed when she saw it was a Knight shaped Valentine. Inside it read: 'Just 'cos I'm always saving your ass... and what an ass it is ;) I really think I should get to be your date for this Friday... pick you up at your place at 7 ok? Love, your Knight in shining Leather. P.s I guess that makes you my lady so... dress appropriately! Apparently they have a cool prize for best costumes!! See you Friday!
Dawn beamed and was about to run in and tell Buffy about her date but figured her sister really could use the rest. Besides, she needed this time too, for digging up a costume... trust Faith to leave everything to the last minute!
--
Inside Buffy's Room
The blonde could be seen sitting on her bed doodling in her Chemistry book.
"Stupid chemistry. Why can't the equations ever work out like I want them to?" she tossed the book off her bed and watched as it landed on the torn Valentine on the floor.
Why can't Willow be going with me?!" she whined.
Then the blonde suddenly sat up on her bed, shaking herself.
'God when did I become such a whiner?!'
She sat on her bed with a thoughtful look before sighing.
"If Willow wants to go with someone else then that's fine. But I've gotta give her a choice... it's no use sitting here and whining about it..."
--
Inside Willow's Room
Willow was lying on her bed thinking about what she should do about the dance. Of course she wanted to go with Buffy... But Buffy never asked her. Dawn did.
She sighed.
"Stupid decisions. I wish someone would just tell me what to do."
She looked around her room until her eyes settled on a picture on her dresser. It was taken at the beginning of the year before school started. It was the three of them together, her with Faith and Xander at the beach.
The redhead shook her head.
"I can't do it." She said aloud to herself. "Faith wants to go with Dawn... I'd rather go by myself than take her girl."
With that Willow made up her mind and closed her eyes wishing for sleep.
--
Inside Faith's Room
Faith was pacing the length of her room trying to figure out what to do... It just didn't make sense. Why would Dawn ask Willow?
The redhead was sweet and all but she was a little too... nice for someone like Dawn. 'A badass with a great ass' Faith thought in her head. She smiled at the thought. Then suddenly something occurred to her and she put on her version of Willow's resolve face before saying...
"I gotta get that girl back..." With that she grabbed her jacket and ran out of the room.
--