The Most Beautiful Girl in the World
by cathy nort
chapter 4
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"Uh...........may I join you?" The girl stood over Willow holding her tray before her. She had had to ask a second time since Willow had froze, mouth gapping open, and staring in shock back at her.
The girl tilted her head to one side. "Is something wrong? I mean I saw you sitting alone and well, I'm new......"
Willow finally was able to stammer, "Oh? Yes...........I am expecting........Buffy should be here any.........." Willow saw there were three empty chairs at the table. Rudeness was not in her nature under any circumstances. "Please. Sit down. I'm sorry. I was day dreaming and didn't see you walk up."
The girl placed her tray on the table and sat down. "I'm Sasha," she said once she was seated. "I won't bother you with my last name it's so horrible, and long and hard to pronounce."
Willow couldn't take her eyes off of Sasha who now seemed to be unaware of the affect she was having on Willow. That was natural, Willow decided. Sasha was probably used to people staring at her since she hadn't just started being beautiful a few hours before. She had probably been the center of attention since the age she started 'blooming'. Sigh. Willow felt insignificant sitting at the table with the girl.
Sasha struck up a conversation and it flowed easily into little generalities such as where she lived. How she came to enroll at Sunnydale High. It wasn't a remarkable story. She had moved in a week ago with her grandmother to help care for her. The grandmother was in her 80's and her health was failing so she welcomed having someone around to clean, cook and shop. As far as Sasha was concerned it was a way to get a solid education in the California school system. Apparently she had been living with her folks on the upper east coast of the United States.
Strangely, she was vague about just where. Willow also noticed that though she spoke excellent English she did have a hint of an accent but Willow couldn't identify the local it came from. It almost seemed eastern European to Willow........but......
"Did you say you were expecting somebody?" Sasha asked.
Willow glanced at the clock on the wall. The period was half over. Whatever was delaying Buffy seemed to be more than just minor. "Yep. My gir.......... a good friend of mine. Buffy. We pal around all the time. She doesn't look like she's going to make it though. That's odd."
Sasha was playing with her salad and at the same time watching Willow intently. That brought back memories for Willow. Memories of the few days before and, Willow was absolutely certain that this was the same girl in the Commons. The girl who had been stark naked.
Willow was at odds with herself. Should she bring up the subject? Ask her right out? She was unquestionably that girl but there were so many mysteries surrounding that day that Willow wasn't sure she had the courage to ask. Yet...........why had no one else seen her? And why had she come so openly toward Willow?
I have to ask her, Willow decided, so screw up your courage and do it. And there was something else about Sasha that caused Willow to fret but she was unable to put her finger on it. What was it about her?
Willow straightened up in her chair, took a deep breath and......
"Hi Willow." It was Cordelia and she immediately sat in the chair between the two girls. Cordelia, Willow knew, had honed in on Sasha. And because of her immense good looks, Cordelia wouldn't hesitate to try to enlist Sasha into her group of friends.
After introducing herself to Sasha, Cordelia dominate the conversation until the period was about to end. Sasha was polite but Willow noticed, that while Cordelia held command, Sasha kept stealing glances Willow's way.
When it was time to go on to their classes it was discovered that Cordy shared the next class with Sasha and they went off together. Sasha did turn and give a little wave before disappearing through the door.
Willow, on the other hand, was a bit saddened that Buffy had not showed. Well, we always meet after school and walk home together, Willow realized, so I'll look even more forward than usual to that.
* * * * *
Buffy's last class was PE and she was dressing at the end of it after her shower. She was about to put on her blouse when a basketball came bouncing toward her. When she turned in that direction she found Angela Bowen trying to juggle three basketballs. Obviously there had been four a second ago. Angela was last years freshman prom queen. She had the audacity to have had beaten out Cordelia. She wasn't a very tall girl so the arm full of basketballs was more than she could handle.
"Sorry about that, Buff. I have to get these devils in their lock up. As you can see I'm not doing so well." Angela said.
Buffy picked up the loose ball and reached toward the dark haired Angela. "Here. Give me one of those. I'll help you."
Gathering the second ball the two headed off through the locker room. The equipment lockup was at the far end of the girl's locker room behind a set of heavy oak doors. The doors were propped partially open by a rubber stop. Buffy piled one of the balls she was carrying atop the two Angela held. With her free hand she opened the door fully. She grabbed the third ball and both girls went in.
"Watch the stop, " Buffy cautioned. "The doors lock."
The warning came too late. Angela stumbled knocking the rubber stop to one side. Before either could react the doors slammed shut. Dropping their burdens the two could only stare helplessly at each other. They were locked in tight. They had been the last two in the locker room and Angela said the PE instructor had bustled off to a teacher's conference at the middle school. What that meant was that Angela and Buffy were prisoners until the six o'clock girl's basketball practice.
Willow waited outside the school for ten minutes. By then she knew Buffy was a no show. Again. As she started to leave she heard a voice.
"Willow! Hold up." It was Sasha closing the distance between them.
"We're going in the same direction. I'll walk with you."